I DROVE ALL NIGHT ~ CYNDI LAUPER

"I Drove All Night" is a song written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly for Roy Orbison. Orbison first recorded the song in 1987, but his rendition was not released until 1992, after the song had become a top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic for Cyndi Lauper in 1989. As '80s swan songs go, this one is quite respectable indeed. Lauper's last album of the decade, 1989's A Night to Remember, was not particularly memorable, but this sultry, driving rock tune certainly deserved its No. 6 pop hit status and projected a convincing if possibly belated image of the singer as a mature, fully adult artist. The sexually charged material alone thrusts Lauper into a different dimension, but the real highlight here is her complex, aching vocal performance, one that thankfully gets center stage from producer Phil Ramone, with minimal instrumental clutter. The song has been covered by Pinmonkey (2002) and Céline Dion (2003). John Waite recorded the song in 1986-87 while recording tracks for the CD Rovers Return but decided not to release it. American rock singer and former American Idol contestant, Carly Smithson, covered the song during the semi-finals of the show during a week inspired by the music of the 1980s.



Lyrics | Cyndi Lauper lyrics - I Drove All Night lyrics