"I'm Gonna Be Strong" is a song written by the songwriting duo

Barry Mann Barry Mann (born Barry Imberman; February 9, 1939) is an American songwriter and musician, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil. He has written or co-written 53 hits in the UK and 98 in the US. Early li ...

and

Cynthia Weil Cynthia Weil (born October 18, 1940) is an American songwriter who wrote many songs together with her husband Barry Mann. Life and career Weil was born in New York City, and was raised in a Conservative Jewish family. Her father was Morris Wei ...

. It was first recorded by

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

and released as a single on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. However, the song did not become a major hit until

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, when

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

released his version as a single. It was also a single released by the 1980 band Blue Angel, with lead vocals provided by future star

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

. This release was prior to Lauper's solo career; however, Lauper re-recorded the track and released it as a single in 1994. The song was also featured on 1982's ''

Quiet Lies ''Quiet Lies'' is a 1982 album by American pop-country star Juice Newton. It reached #20 on the ''Billboard'' 200, her highest position on the chart, and included three major hits, " Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me", "Break It to Me Gently" a ...

'' album by Grammy winner

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

. Though Newton never released the song as a single, her remake was later added as a bonus track to her first ''Greatest Hits'' collection.

Gene Pitney version

This version was a top ten hit on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song is Pitney's biggest UK solo hit, with only his duet version of "

Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" is a song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook (songwriter), Roger Cook. Originally recorded by David and Jonathan (band), David and Jonathan, and then Gene Pitney in 1967, the latter's version of the ...

" with

Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He ...

peaking higher.

Charts

Blue Angel version

It was also the most successful single released by the 1980 band Blue Angel from their album also called '' Blue Angel''. The vocals were provided by

. Like the album, the only country the single charted in was the

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, where it reached #37 on the charts. The artwork and track listing for the single varied depending on the country of origin. An Italian promotional 7" vinyl single with the same catalogue number and track listing as the German version was released with alternate artwork. The original 1980 Dutch release was re-released with identical packaging in 1984 after Lauper's solo success.

Track listing

* 7" vinyl (Netherlands) # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" – 2:50 # "Just the Other Day" – 2:42 * 7" vinyl (Germany)/Italian promo 7" vinyl # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" – 2:50 # "Maybe He'll Know" – 3:54 * 7" vinyl (Australia and UK) # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" – 2:50 # "Anna Blue" – 3:57

Cyndi Lauper version

Because "I'm Gonna Be Strong" was the most successful single of Lauper's early band Blue Angel, she went on to re-record the track for her first greatest hits album, '' Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some'' (1994), and subsequently a new single was released in 1994. The song shows off Lauper's singing ability, containing a challenging arrangement and notes. It peaked in the top 40 on the UK chart. This single was not commercially released in the US where it was only released as a promo.

Critical reception

David Bauder from ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' said the song is "among her strongest vocal performances". A reviewer from ''

Cox News Service CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...

'' stated that Lauper "still owns one of the most wide-ranging and dynamic voices in

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

." Ian Tasker from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote that the singer's voice is "arguably best displayed" on the single, describing it as "a highly emotional song of a relationship breaking down, it's unusual in as much as it doesn't really have a chorus – it just builds and builds, adding layer upon layer of pain and hurt as Lauper's majestic voice grows stronger and more insistent, higher and higher until it reaches a heartbreaking climax."

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a music writer and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worked on air ...

said in his weekly UK chart commentary, "This new single turns down the tempo and lets Cyndi's voice come to the fore with another of the overwrought

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s she is so fond of." A reviewer from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' viewed it as "a dramatic ballad

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

bears Lauper's trademark roar but doesn't perhaps have the hit quality of her more successful work. Gerald Martinez from ''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as ''The Straits Times'' on 15 July 1845. It was relaunched as the ' ...

'' called it a "

broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

style ballad", stating that "she's got a unique voice — too high pitched — with a vast range of dynamics, from a whisper to operatic crescendos. Just listen to her final note".

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "I'm Gonna Be Strong" was directed by Lauper herself. It features a lonely Lauper walking around in an old house. She wears a red dress and her hair is curly and strong-yellow, almost orange. In the beginning, the singer stands by a wooden table, making a cup of tea while she sings. The windows are covered with blonde curtains. Other scenes show her glancing out of one window, sitting on a bed or looking at herself in a mirror. The video was later published on Lauper's official

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel in 2009. It had generated more than 2,3 million views as of September 2021.

Track listing

* Europe 2-track CD single # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" - 3:46 # "A Part Hate" - 4:54 * Europe CD maxi-single / Australian CD single # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" - 3:46 # "Broken Glass" - 3:52 # "Dear John" - 3:40 # "A Part Hate" - 4:54 * UK CD1 # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" - 3:46 # "Broken Glass" - 5:31 # "Dear John" - 3:37 * UK CD2 # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" - 3:46 # "A Part Hate" - 4:53 # "Product of Misery" - 4:08 * Japan CD single # "I'm Gonna Be Strong" - 3:50 # "Sally's Pigeons" - 3:46 # "Feels Like Christmas" - 4:36

Charts

Other versions

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...

covered the song on her 1965 album ''This is Jackie DeShannon''.

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one '' Billboard'' hit " Runaway". In 1999, he was ind ...

covered this song on his 1965 album ''One Thousand Six Hundred Sixty One Seconds''.

Tim Rose Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002) (unofficial website by long-term correspondent of Rose's) was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in E ...

released the song as single with the B-side "I Got a Loneliness" (Columbia USA 4-43958, 19 Dec 1966) and on his selftitled album 1967.

included the song on her albums ''

'' (1982) and ''Greatest Hits'' (1984). Guitarist

Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morrison, Herbie H ...

created an instrumental version of this song on his ''

Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

'' album (1986). Dutch singer

Glennis Grace Glenda Hulita Elisabeth Batta (born 19 June 1978), known professionally as Glennis Grace, is a Dutch singer. In 2005, she Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, represented the Netherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, 50th editi ...

covered the song in 1994, peaking at 13 on the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 ( nl, Nederlandse Top 40) is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica ...

Buddy Miller Steven Paul "Buddy" Miller (born September 6, 1952) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, currently living in Nashville, Tennessee. Miller is married to and has recorded with singer-songwriter Julie Miller. ...

covered the song on his 1999 album ''Cruel Moon'', with

Joy Lynn White Joy Lynn White (born October 2, 1961) (also known as Joy White) is an American country music singer-songwriter. White was born in Bentonville, Arkansas but raised in Mishawaka, Indiana.

on backing vocals.

References

External links

Official Cyndi Lauper website
{{authority control 1963 singles 1964 singles 1980 singles 1994 singles Songs written by Barry Mann Frankie Laine songs Del Shannon songs Gene Pitney songs Blue Angel (band) songs Juice Newton songs Cyndi Lauper songs Columbia Records singles Musicor Records singles Polydor Records singles Epic Records singles Songs with lyrics by Cynthia Weil 1963 songs Song recordings produced by Roy Halee Pop ballads