American singer
Cyndi Lauper recorded a version for her 1983 album ''
She's So Unusual''. Shear said he was surprised that his "folk song" was interpreted by Lauper as "a drum machine and techno thing". According to Lauper, she wanted it to be just like Shear's version, with a bit more of an acoustic sound. However, she changed her mind, saying that she wanted to remake it in her own style.
Composition For her cover version, Lauper
transposed the key up a
minor third to
A-flat major, and kept the tempo at the same 96 beats per minute as the original. The song is set in
common time.
Critical reception Reception for her version was mostly positive. Don McLeese of the
Chicago Sun-Times said that the song was the one that "showed her impressive range to best advantage."
Cash Box said that "Cyndi Lauper strikes again with a strong vocal performance" and praised the "hypnotic keyboard melody" and "emotion charged harmonies."
The Philadelphia Inquirer said that she had a "strong voice" in the song. However, another
Philadelphia Inquirer review said that the song was "a not terribly good version of Jules Shear's terribly good [song]." Richard Harrington of
The Washington Post believed that it was her most reflective song. Kevin East of
Sensible Sound said that the song was "a heavy, melancholy tune." Leslie Gray Streeter of the
Palm Beach Post said that the song was "lovely" and "delicate." Even Shear himself was a fan of Lauper's version, saying "The Cyndi Lauper thing where she did 'All Through the Night,' that was great because she did it so differently than the way I did. I liked that, too." However, the
St. Petersburg Times did not like the song, saying that it was a "pedestrian filler number" on the album.
Kurt Loder of
Rolling Stone said that Lauper "does an almost tasteful reading" of the song.
Billboard magazine called the song "another tug at heartstrings" after Lauper's earlier single "Time After Time". Sal Cinquemani of
Slant magazine said that the song emerged as one of "the greatest pop masterpieces of the '80s." Shear said that Lauper's version is his all-time favorite cover. The song was later re-recorded by Lauper, for her album
The Body Acoustic, an album in which she recorded acoustic versions of her favorite songs. This version included vocals by
Shaggy. Charles Andrews of
Audio/Video Revolution said of this version, "Acoustic guitar strumming continues into "All Through the Night" and then – whoa! – who's that toaster? It's Shaggy, ducking in and out with his own rapid-fire lyric take, an inspired bit of casting that turns the romantic ballad on its head." The song is also one of Lauper's more popular songs that she performs in live concerts.
Chart performance "All Through The Night" was released in the United States in September 1984. and reached a peak position of five in its 10th week, The week ending January 19, 1985, while it was moving down the Hot 100, it was the biggest free-faller, falling from #33 to #64. In Canada, the single peaked at number seven on the
RPM singles chart in December 1984, In the United Kingdom, the song did not perform as well as Lauper's previous releases. It debuted at number 82 on the
UK Singles Chart in November 1984, peaking at number 64, staying only six weeks on the chart. • "All Through the Night" – 4:33 • "Witness" – 3:40
Credits and personnel • Cyndi Lauper – lead vocals • Jules Shear – backing vocals •
Rick Chertoff – producer •
Anton Fig – drums •
Rob Hyman – keyboards, synthesizers •
Eric Bazilian – bass guitar • Lennie Petze – executive producer • Janet Perr – design, cover art concept Credits adapted from the album liner notes.
Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications ==Other versions==