Date: June 9, 1984
Weeks: 2
When I reviewed Starship's "Sara," I complained about the song's inability to commit to being the soft rock song it wanted to be. Now, if you want to hear what a soft rock song in the 80s is supposed to be like, listen to "Time After Time."
The drums are clearly drum machines and most of the background music is provided by synth-keyboards, with only a little guitar in the bridge. The drum line is subtle. The artificially perfect sound of the synthesizers makes the song feel pure. And that's all there is to it. Other than some subtle accents, that's all that's going on in this song. There's no hard drum, there's no big guitar solo. This is a soft song that only wants to be a soft song, and it's great for it.
Cyndi Lauper has a really great voice for a song like this, especially during the chorus when she breaks out of the rhythm on the line "I will be waiting." It's genuinely emotional. A lot of singers try that sort of thing, but Cyndi Lauper's voice pulls it off.
The lyrics are well-matched to the music. It's about the emotional connection maintained between people who have split up. My original interpretation was that it was about people who have broken off a relationship but who sometimes still think about each other fondly. But after watching the video and researching a bit I realized it could also be about a runaway child missing their parents. The lyrics are pretty good, and I can't even find anything to nitpick.
My verdict: Like it. Now let's all celebrate with the goofy Romy and Michelle dance.
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