True Colors ( Cyndi Lauper song ) - wikipedia True Colors ( Cyndi Lauper song ) `` True Colors '' Single by Cyndi Lauper from the album True Colors B - side `` Heading for the Moon '' Released August 28, 1986 Format 7 '' vinyl 12 '' vinyl Recorded March 3, 1986 Genre Pop Length 3 : 46 Label Epic Songwriter ( s ) Tom Kelly Billy Steinberg Producer ( s ) Cyndi Lauper Lennie Petze Cyndi Lauper singles chronology `` The Goonies ' R ' Good Enough '' ( 1985 ) `` True Colors '' ( 1986 ) `` Change of Heart '' ( 1986 ) `` The Goonies ' R ' Good Enough '' ( 1985 ) `` True Colors '' ( 1986 ) `` Change of Heart '' ( 1986 ) Music video `` True Colors '' on YouTube `` True Colors '' is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper 's second album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help write. `` True Colors '' spent two weeks in the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and was the last single from Lauper to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Contents 1 Song information 2 Tours 3 Charts and certifications 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 3.3 Certifications 4 Official versions 5 Phil Collins version 5.1 Charts 6 Kasey Chambers version 6.1 Track listing 6.2 Charts 7 Other covers 8 References 9 External links Song information Billy Steinberg originally wrote `` True Colors '' about his own mother. Tom Kelly altered the first verse and the duo originally submitted the song to Anne Murray, who passed on recording it, and then to Cyndi Lauper. Their demo was in the form of a piano - based gospel ballad like `` Bridge over Troubled Water ''. Steinberg told Songfacts that `` Cyndi completely dismantled that sort of traditional arrangement and came up with something that was breathtaking and stark. '' Other songs they wrote for Lauper include `` I Drove All Night '' and `` Unconditional Love '', of which the former went on to be covered by Celine Dion, the latter by Susanna Hoffs. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, three in Australia and New Zealand, and 12 on the UK Singles Chart. `` True Colors '' also became a standard in the gay community. In various interviews, Lauper elaborated that the song had resonated with her because of the recent death of her friend, Gregory Natal, from HIV / AIDS. Years later, Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund, a non-profit dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness. Tours Lauper embarked on a True Colors Tour in 2007 with several other acts including Deborah Harry and Erasure. The tour was for the Human Rights Campaign to promote LGBT rights in the US and beyond. A second True Colors tour occurred in 2008. Charts and certifications Weekly charts Chart ( 1986 - 87 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) Ö3 Austria Top 40 12 Canada RPM Top Singles Canada RPM Adult Contemporary French Singles Chart 49 German Singles Chart 18 German Airplay 6 Ireland Singles Chart 6 Italy Singles Chart Japan Hot 100 59 Netherlands Singles Chart 14 New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 8 Norway Singles Chart 10 Swedish Singles Chart Swiss Singles Chart 17 UK Singles Chart 12 US Billboard Hot 100 US Cash Box Top 100 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 5 Chart ( 2008 ) Peak position Norway Singles Chart 17 Year - end charts Chart ( 1986 ) Rank Australia 19 Canada RPM Top Singles 19 US Billboard Hot 100 41 US Cash Box 29 Certifications Country Certification Sales Japan 11,240 Canada Gold 50,000 United States Platinum 1,000,000 Official versions Album Version Phil Collins version This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2016 ) `` True Colors '' Single by Phil Collins from the album... Hits B - side `` Do n't Lose My Number '' `` Take Me Home '' Released October 26, 1998 Format CD Genre Pop rock smooth jazz R&B blue - eyed soul Length 4 : 34 Label Atlantic, Virgin, WEA Songwriter ( s ) Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Producer ( s ) Babyface Phil Collins singles chronology `` The Same Moon '' ( 1997 ) `` True Colors '' ( 1998 ) `` You 'll Be in My Heart '' ( 1999 ) `` The Same Moon '' ( 1997 ) `` True Colors '' ( 1998 ) `` You 'll Be in My Heart '' ( 1999 ) In 1998, the song was covered by Phil Collins for his compilation album... Hits. The version was a smooth - jazz - influenced version compared to the original. R&B singer Kenneth `` Babyface '' Edmonds produced and provided backing vocals. The track peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2004, a live rehearsal version was released on Collins ' Love Songs : A Compilation... Old and New album. Phil Collins -- drums, vocals Michael Thompson -- guitar Cornelius Mims -- bass Greg Phillinganes -- acoustic piano & Wurlitzer electric piano Babyface -- keyboards, drum programming, backing vocals Sheila E. -- percussion Eric Rigler -- Uilleann pipes Charts Chart ( 1998 ) Peak position Dutch Singles Chart 73 German Singles Chart 35 UK Singles Chart 26 US Billboard Hot 100 Singles 66 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Kasey Chambers version `` True Colours '' Single by Kasey Chambers Released April 2003 Format CD Genre Pop rock country pop Label EMI Music Songwriter ( s ) Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Producer ( s ) Nash Chambers Kasey Chambers singles chronology `` If I Were You '' ( 2002 ) `` True Colours '' ( 2003 ) `` Hollywood '' ( 2004 ) `` If I Were You '' ( 2002 ) `` True Colours '' ( 2003 ) `` Hollywood '' ( 2004 ) In 2003, Australian singer - songwriter Kasey Chambers ' cover of `` True Colors '' became the theme song for the 2003 Rugby World Cup. The song peaked at number four, was certified gold and went on to be the 76th best - selling single in Australia that year Track listing `` True Colours '' `` If I Could '' ( Live ) `` Lonely '' Charts Chart ( 2003 ) Peak position Australian Singles Chart ( ARIA ) Other covers The song has been covered by many artists. In 2009, Jenna Ushkowitz performed it in the television program Glee, and it was released as a single `` True Colors ( Glee Cast Version ) ''. The version was included in the compilation album Glee : The Music, Volume 2 released on December 4, 2009. The single charted on Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 15 in Ireland, number 35 in the United Kingdom, number 38 in Canada, and number 47 in Australia. In 2012, Artists Against Bullying ( often styled as `` Artists Against '' ), an agglomeration of seven Canadian musicians re-recorded the song. It was released during Bullying Awareness Week. The project was inspired by the increase in teen bullying and cyberbullying, especially the Amanda Todd case, with proceeds being donated to Kids Help Phone - a Canadian counseling service for children and youth. The artists involved in the recording were Lights, Pierre Bouvier ( from Simple Plan ), Jacob Hoggard from Hedley, Fefe Dobson, Kardinal Offishall, Alyssa Reid and Walk Off the Earth. The song entered the Canadian Singles Top 100 chart at number 10 the week it was released. In 2014, Shane Filan of Westlife released it as a promotional single for his debut album You and Me. In 2016, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick performed a cover of the song for the animated film Trolls and its accompanying soundtrack. References ^ Jump up to : `` True Colors by Cyndi Lauper ''. Interview with Billy Steinberg about `` True Colors ''. Songfacts. Retrieved April 9, 2009. Jump up ^ `` Cyndi Lauper ''. 26 October 2011. Jump up ^ Burnett, Richard ( April 4, 2014 ). `` The true colours of Cyndi Lauper ''. CurtainsUP. Retrieved April 21, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Mission Statement ''. True Colors Fund. Retrieved August 7, 2015. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992 ( Illustrated ed. ). St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. p. 173. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and June 19, 1988. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. Jump up ^ RPM 100 Singles, November 8, 1986. Jump up ^ RPM Adult Contemporary, November 8, 1986. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. lescharts.com. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. germancharts.com. Jump up ^ Hitparadeitalia ( 1986 ). `` Chart ''. Hitparadeitalia Charts. Retrieved February 5, 2012. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` charts.org.nz - Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors ''. norwegiancharts.com. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Cyndi Lauper - True Colors - hitparade.ch ''. Jump up ^ `` CYNDI LAUPER - full Official Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. ^ Jump up to : `` Cyndi Lauper - Chart history ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts -- 1980s ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2016. Jump up ^ `` RPM Weekly - Top Singles of 1986 ''. Library and Archives Canada. December 26, 2017. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2016. Jump up ^ Billboard Top 100 Hits of 1986. Jump up ^ Cash Box Year - End Charts : Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1986. Jump up ^ Canadian Certification Archived November 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ US Certification Archived June 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : `` Phil Collins - Chart history ''. Billboard. ^ Jump up to : `` Phil Collins - full Official Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Phil Collins - True Colors ''. Jump up ^ `` Bubbling Under Hot 100 : Apr 17, 1999 - Billboard Chart Archive ''. Jump up ^ `` Various -- True Colours : Official Album Of Rugby World Cup 2003 ''. Discogs. Retrieved 10 December 2015. Jump up ^ `` ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003 ''. ARIA Charts. Retrieved December 10, 2015. Jump up ^ Hung, Steffen. `` Kasey Chambers - True Colors ''. australian charts. Jump up ^ `` Chart Stats -- Glee Cast ''. Chart Stats. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Glee Cast Album & Song Chart History ''. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved February 25, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Glee Cast ''. acharts.us. Retrieved February 25, 2010. Jump up ^ `` November 12, 2012 Archives ''. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015 -- via www.chymfm.com. ^ Jump up to : 12, News Desk More from News Desk Published on : November ; 12, 2012 Last Updated : November ; Est, 2012 5 : 48 Pm ( 12 November 2012 ). `` Artists Against remake True Colors ''. Jump up ^ `` True Colors by Artists Against Bullying - Music Charts ''. External links True Colors Second Hand Songs Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Cyndi Lauper version Cyndi Lauper singles She 's So Unusual `` Girls Just Want to Have Fun '' `` Time After Time '' `` She Bop '' `` All Through the Night '' `` Money Changes Everything '' `` When You Were Mine '' True Colors `` True Colors '' `` Change of Heart '' `` What 's Going On '' `` Boy Blue '' `` Maybe He 'll Know '' A Night to Remember `` I Drove All Night '' `` My First Night Without You '' `` A Night to Remember '' `` Heading West '' `` Primitive '' `` Unconditional Love '' Hat Full of Stars `` Who Let In the Rain '' `` That 's What I Think '' `` Sally 's Pigeons '' `` Hat Full of Stars '' Twelve Deadly Cyns... and Then Some `` Hey Now ( Girls Just Want to Have Fun ) '' `` I 'm Gonna Be Strong '' `` Come on Home '' Sisters of Avalon `` You Do n't Know '' `` Sisters of Avalon '' `` Ballad of Cleo and Joe '' Merry Christmas... Have a Nice Life `` Early Christmas Morning '' Shine `` Shine '' At Last `` At Last '' `` Walk On By '' The Body Acoustic `` Time After Time '' Bring Ya to the Brink `` Set Your Heart '' `` Same Ol ' Story '' `` Into the Nightlife '' Memphis Blues `` Just Your Fool '' Detour `` Hard Candy Christmas '' `` Funnel of Love '' Other singles `` You Make Loving Fun '' `` We Are the World '' `` The Goonies ' R ' Good Enough '' `` Hole in My Heart ( All the Way to China ) '' `` Another Brick in the Wall '' `` The World Is Stone '' `` Disco Inferno '' `` A Christmas Duel '' `` Girls Just Wanna Set Your Heart '' Phil Collins songs Discography Face Value `` In the Air Tonight '' `` I Missed Again '' `` If Leaving Me Is Easy '' Hello, I Must Be Going ! `` Thru These Walls '' `` You Ca n't Hurry Love '' `` I Do n't Care Anymore '' `` Do n't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away '' `` Why Ca n't It Wait ' Til Morning '' `` I Cannot Believe It 's True '' `` Like China '' No Jacket Required `` Sussudio '' `` One More Night '' `` Do n't Lose My Number '' `` Take Me Home '' Buster `` A Groovy Kind of Love '' `` Two Hearts ''... But Seriously `` Another Day in Paradise '' `` I Wish It Would Rain Down '' `` Something Happened on the Way to Heaven '' `` That 's Just the Way It Is '' `` Do You Remember ? '' `` Hang in Long Enough '' Serious Hits... Live ! `` Do You Remember ? '' ( live ) `` Who Said I Would '' ( live ) Both Sides `` Both Sides of the Story '' `` Everyday '' `` We Wait and We Wonder '' Dance into the Light `` Dance into the Light '' `` It 's in Your Eyes '' `` No Matter Who '' `` Wear My Hat '' `` The Same Moon ''... Hits `` True Colors '' Tarzan `` You 'll Be in My Heart '' `` Strangers Like Me '' `` Son of Man '' `` Two Worlds '' Testify `` Ca n't Stop Loving You '' `` Come with Me '' `` Wake Up Call '' / `` The Least You Can Do '' Brother Bear `` Look Through My Eyes '' `` No Way Out '' Going Back `` ( Love Is Like a ) Heatwave '' `` Going Back '' Featured singles `` Do They Know It 's Christmas ? '' `` Easy Lover '' `` Hero '' `` In the Air Tonite '' `` Home '' Other singles `` Against All Odds ( Take a Look at Me Now ) '' `` Separate Lives '' `` Somewhere '' Other songs `` The Man with the Horn '' `` You Ought to Know... '' Book Kasey Chambers Discography Awards and nominations Studio albums The Captain Barricades & Brickwalls Wayward Angel Carnival Rattlin ' Bones Kasey Chambers, Poppa Bill and the Little Hillbillies Little Bird Storybook Wreck & Ruin Bittersweet Dragonfly Campfire Extended plays Ai n't No Little Girl Singles `` The Captain `` Not Pretty Enough '' `` Million Tears '' `` If I Were You '' `` True Colours '' `` Hollywood '' `` Pony '' `` Nothing at All '' `` Luka '' Related articles Shane Nicholson Dead Ringer Band Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=True_Colors_(Cyndi_Lauper_song)&oldid=855998325 '' Categories : 1986 singles 1998 singles 2003 singles Cyndi Lauper songs Phil Collins songs Kasey Chambers songs Marina and the Diamonds songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Pop ballads RPM Top Singles number - one singles Songs written by Tom Kelly ( musician ) Songs written by Billy Steinberg 1980s ballads Kodak LGBT - related songs Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hAudio microformats Articles needing additional references from March 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano ქართული Nāhuatl 日本 語 Português Русский ไทย 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 22 August 2018, at 06 : 35 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sang the original version of true colors
Answer: Cyndi Lauper