The unique options roaring instrumentals, with the overwhelming percussion, electrical guitar, and synths drowning out the vocals at instances. The hammering beat and percussion are harking back to somebody feverishly pounding their fists on the partitions, and the scratchy electrical guitar imitates a hoarse voice, mimicking what an individual feels like after shrieking. These components, in addition to the quick tempo and frenzied beat, are a sonic illustration of a mood tantrum, pointing to the narrator’s overwhelming anger and frustration. However what precisely is he so exasperated about? His incapability to get a woman.
The narrator pleads, “I do know your love for him / Is deep as day is lengthy / …However after I knock on the door / I am shut now, you could possibly come,” illustrating a girl refusing him. Nevertheless, slightly than enhancing himself, the narrator places the blame for such refusals on ladies, always utilizing excuses to clarify his lack of a girlfriend. In response to his dad and mom’ urges to discover somebody, specifically his dad’s “‘My boy, what would you like out of your life?'” and his mother’s “‘you’ve got bought to begin dwelling proper,'” the narrator defends himself with “Women simply wanna have enjoyable.” He claims that ladies are too targeted on having enjoyable to find time for him, so he is nonetheless single. His excuse that “Women simply wanna have enjoyable” (and very related variations) represent the majority of the tune, suggesting that he’s extraordinarily self-defensive; he would slightly blame others by way of a plethora of excuses than take accountability himself. Not solely does the narrator blame ladies, he’s additionally irate at them for selecting enjoyable over him, spitting out the lyrics in a tough, stiff tone and harshly enunciating every phrase. Hazard is sort of screaming for many of the tune, and the pounding beat reinforces his anger; the road “ladies simply wanna have enjoyable” aligns completely with the rhythm, as every phrase will get punched by a beat.
The pity celebration continues with Hazard’s whiny vocals. As he groans “That is all they actually need / Some enjoyable” and “It is all they actually need / Good enjoyable,” his voice goes out of tune and his pitch rises. Hazard’s pitch wobbles poutily, with a mesh of drawn out “Ahhhhhhh”s seeming to overlay his voice, giving listeners the impression that he’s complaining. The narrator refuses to admit his personal shortcomings and believes that he has achieved no unsuitable; slightly, he thinks it is the women who’ve wronged him. The narrator pities himself a lot that he makes himself cry; his tight-throated voice signifies that he’s choking again tears and burps, however it sounds synthetic and unnatural. He exaggerates his ache and anguish with contrived wails and moans, taking part in the sufferer to persuade listeners that everybody is in opposition to him. The narrator makes an attempt to console himself with “Come on, boy / Oh yeah / You’re the lucky one,” reassuring himself that sure, he can get a woman, as a result of he has all of the “instruments” vital to entice a girl. Because the narrator sees it, the issue is not him.
However the narrator is the one one who believes this, as evidenced by the shortage of concord and backup vocals. There are not any different voices within the tune aside from Hazard’s (and his screams and pouts). The shortage of vocal help is probably analogous to the absence of social help for the narrator’s “dilemma”; nobody agrees that he’s faultless and that the ladies are to blame. Consequently, the narrator is left alone together with his excuses, and he throws a pity celebration at which he’s the one visitor.
Hazard most likely by no means anticipated {that a} piece he composed in 20 minutes whereas showering and deemed a “form of foolish tune” would finally change into a global hit. He utterly forgot about his 1979 demo till file producer Rick Chertoff stumbled on it whereas looking for songs to embody on Lauper’s debut album. The lyrics had been modified to replicate a woman’s standpoint, so Lauper’s cowl is extra acutely aware of oppressive social practices in opposition to ladies. Whereas Hazard assumes the position of the oppressor (although he believes in any other case), Lauper is among the many oppressed. The road “Oh momma pricey, we’re not the lucky ones” demonstrates how society has stripped ladies of many rights and privileges, and “Oh daddy pricey, you realize you are still primary” calls forth pictures of patriarchy and male management. Maybe most strikingly, the lyrics by no means explicitly state that ladies are actively having enjoyable; it solely reveals that “ladies simply wanna have enjoyable.” Lauper’s model acknowledges that repressive practices, gender disparities, and gendered social expectations have made it troublesome for girls to have an excellent time, so her 1983 cowl can also be a celebration, only a totally different type; it seeks to liberate ladies from society’s oppressive guidelines and give them some well-deserved enjoyable by way of a cosmic feminist celebration brimming with power and pleasure.
Since Lauper’s model is sung by a girl, the narrator is not an outsider to ladies’ enjoyable; she is inside it and is now the one striving to have an excellent time, therefore the festive environment the tune evokes. Lauper’s “Women Just Want To Have Enjoyable” begins with a glowing synth glissando signaling that the celebration is about to start; it is just like the lights are flickering on as pleasure pierces the air. Then, the juicy electrical guitar springs into motion because the vibrating, fizzy synths awaken from their slumber, capturing out bursts of power and suggesting that the jamboree is now underway. The agency percussion coming in at common intervals and the regular beat create a dance rhythm that amplifies the jovial environment, with the sprightly tempo of 120 beats per minute and greater key including extra liveliness and dynamism to the scene. The glittering synth marimba electrifies the temper, and though Lauper makes use of a chest voice, her vocals are elastic and expansive; they sound luminous, radiating beams of power and making a spirited and feisty temper. As well as, many of the refrain and chorus, together with the strains “Women simply wanna have enjoyable” and “They only wanna, they only wanna,” are sung by a mess of voices. There is no such thing as a harmonizing, as everybody sings the identical melody, establishing unity and calling forth a motivational celebration chant. Practically all of the voices are feminine, suggesting that girls are banding collectively to reside it up, in distinction with Hazard’s lonesome pity celebration. The music video exhibits Lauper chanting and dancing with different ladies, and the digital camera pans throughout as every dons a pair of sun shades, reinforcing ladies’s solidarity and indicating that they’re prepared to partay.
The music and vocals’ jubilant celebration seeks to present ladies a protected place to let unfastened, and the lyrics additional these efforts to liberate ladies from oppressive social customs. Like within the authentic model, the narrator replies to her mom’s “‘While you gonna reside your life proper?'” and her father’s “‘What you gonna do along with your life?'” with “ladies they wanna have enjoyable,” however in contrast to the unique, it’s not used as an excuse. Lauper employs the road as an act of defiance, difficult social expectations for girls. Within the music video, we see the narrator’s mom and father in a standard house; her mom is sporting an apron and cracking eggs within the kitchen, bringing to thoughts the picture of a housewife. Thus, Lauper’s “ladies they wanna have enjoyable” may be interpreted as resisting conservative values confining ladies to the house, and the road “I come house, within the mornin’ gentle” (presumably after an evening out) emphasizes the narrator’s refusal to conform. Lauper additionally integrates extra casual, lighthearted language, utilizing “ladies,” “momma,” and “daddy” as a substitute of “ladies,” “mom,” and “father.” Though Hazard additionally incorporates “ladies,” his utilization is belittling and disrespectful in the direction of ladies, whereas Lauper’s informal language is empowering by rejecting propriety. She declares “to hell with being a prim and correct girl,” and her fanatical, wild dancing within the music video additional illustrates this defiance.
A serious structural change in Lauper’s “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” is the switching of the primary two verses. Hazard himself remarked, “She took the primary verse and second verse and switched them. Why, I don’t know. Melodically, it’s precisely the identical.” However here is a potential clarification: with this transformation, the narrator’s interplay together with her mom comes earlier than her alternate together with her father, bringing to the forefront the thought of “women first.” Hazard begins his tune with the daddy (traditionally the top of the household), a structural alternative that affirms male dominance and aligns with the narrator’s hostility in the direction of ladies. Lauper’s new verse association additionally makes “I come house, within the mornin’ gentle” the very first line, placing an act of defiance proper at first of the tune. This implies that girls are bored with ready; they’re going to combat in opposition to social expectations now, with out hesitation or reluctance.
Regardless of it being a canopy of Hazard’s 1979 recording, Lauper’s model of “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” is extensively accepted as the unique. Hazard’s demo by no means obtained vital publicity (if any in any respect), and it was Lauper’s 1983 model that shot up the music charts and garnered worldwide success. “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” turned Lauper’s breakthrough single, establishing, if considerably satirically, her legitimacy as an artist. It typically serves as the premise for different covers, with greater than 30 artists performing or recording their very own variations. As with many different in style songs, covers finally change into covers of covers, and the musical comedy-drama collection Glee‘s 2011 model is a becoming instance. Whereas it’s thought of a canopy of Lauper’s 1983 hit, Glee‘s rendition of “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” is extra particularly a canopy of American musician Greg Laswell’s model of Lauper’s cowl.
Within the collection, Finn (performed by Cory Monteith) sings “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” for Santana, who’s a closeted lesbian struggling to embrace her sexuality. He needs to guarantee her that he and the remainder of New Instructions (the present’s fictional glee membership) help her popping out and all care deeply. Due to its heartfelt and emotional context, Glee‘s cowl is a considerably stripped down model. Acoustic piano is the one instrument used, and the vocals represent the primary presence. Glee‘s model can also be a lot shorter than each Hazard and Lauper’s recordings; it incorporates three verses and two repeats of “That is all they actually need… / These ladies, they wanna have enjoyable.” The chorus doesn’t seem as many instances, and there are not any extraneous refrain-echoing strains akin to “they only need, they only wanna,” making this cowl considerably much less repetitive or showy. These stripped down components be certain that the tune is brief, candy, and to the purpose, exposing its tender core and making a extra naked and susceptible expertise. Glee‘s “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” thus serves as a spot of peaceable solace, in search of to soothe and consolation those that are struggling.
The a lot slower tempo of 66 beats per minute permits listeners to meander gently by way of the tune, with lingering strains like “Oh ladies, they…” and “That is all they actually need…” sustaining the relaxed tempo. The smooth acoustic piano and quiet, translucent vocals create a chilled tenderness, with the fragile layers of concord forming a halo round Finn’s voice and evoking a religious aura that continues to soothe. Within the context of the present, these components set up a protected place the place Santana can discover help for her sexuality, and, extra broadly, they foster a serene atmosphere the place the listener can search refuge and comfort.
Whereas the chorus “ladies they wanna have enjoyable” serves as an excuse in Hazard’s authentic and an act of defiance in Lauper’s model, Glee repurposes it as a reassurance to Santana that her sexuality is nothing to be ashamed of. Not solely that, with “enjoyable”‘s optimistic and sprightly connotation, Finn assures Santana that her sexuality is superior. Glee‘s model helps listeners and validates their anxieties, affirming that the listener is liked and deserves to love themselves. Glee‘s cowl additionally, in contrast to the earlier two variations, bridges the gender hole; all of the vocalists (Finn and the boys of New Instructions) are male, however they’re singing for and to a girl. The fellows are banding collectively to uplift ladies, a stark distinction to Hazard’s anger in the direction of them within the authentic.
The little-known authentic “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable” by Robert Hazard revolves round a defensive man who, unable to get a woman, throws a pity celebration for himself. The overwhelming instrumentals illustrate his mood tantrum at his “dilemma,” with the proliferation of excuses and whiny vocals revealing the narrator’s tendency to blame others (particularly ladies) for his personal shortcomings. 4 years later, Cyndi Lauper releases her model, rewritten to align with a girl’s perspective, as a cosmic feminist celebration in search of to liberate ladies from restrictive social expectations. The glowing instrumentation, dance rhythm, and luminous vocals set the scene for energetic festivities, with the chorus reshaped into an act of defiance. The structural adjustments in Lauper’s cowl place ladies’s defiance on the forefront, lifting them out of the abuse they confronted in Hazard’s authentic. A long time later, Glee featured a stripped down model of “Women Just Want to Have Enjoyable,” with the smooth acoustic piano and light vocals making a peaceable refuge, the place those that are struggling can discover consolation and solace. On this model, the chorus is repurposed as a reassurance, and the gender hole is bridged, with a group of men coming collectively to help and uplift ladies in solidarity.