"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single in March 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written or recorded. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).^[7]

Music critics gave the song positive reviews, with many commending the song for being a solid and memorable love song. The song has been selected as one of the Best Love Songs of All Time by many media outlets, including Rolling Stone, Nerve, MTV and many others.^[8] "Time After Time" was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 1985 edition.^[9] The song was a success on the charts, becoming her first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 9, 1984, and remaining there for two weeks. The song reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Although "Time After Time" would eventually become one of Lauper's signature songs, it was one of the last songs on her debut album to be recorded. While Lauper was still writing material for She's So Unusual in the spring of 1983, her producer, Rick Chertoff introduced her to American musician Rob Hyman, a founding member of the Hooters. Lauper had by then already recorded the majority of the album, including the songs "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "She Bop," but Chertoff insisted that she and Hyman needed to record just "one more song". Therefore, she and Hyman sat at a piano and started working on "Time After Time".^[10]

The inspiration for the song came from the fact that both songwriters were going through similar challenges in their respective romantic relationships; Hyman was coming out of a relationship, and Lauper was having difficulties with her boyfriend/manager, David Wolff. One of the early lines Rob wrote was "suitcase of memories," which according to Lauper, "struck her," claiming it was a "wonderful line," and other lines came from Lauper's life experiences. The song's title was borrowed from a TV Guide listing for the 1979 movie Time After Time, which Lauper had intended to use only as a temporary placeholder during the writing process. Although she later tried to change the song's name, she said that she felt at some point that "Time After Time" had become so fundamental to the song that it would fall apart with a different title.^[10]

Initially, Epic Records wanted "Time After Time" as the album's lead single. However, Lauper felt that releasing a ballad as her debut solo single would have pigeonholed her stylistically as a balladeer, limiting her future work and thus potentially killing her career. Wolff felt that "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" could become a successful pop anthem and was a better choice; ultimately the label agreed and released it as the lead single.^[10] "Time After Time" became the album's second single,^[11] released on March 27, 1984.^[12]

Written by Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman and produced by Rick Chertoff, "Time After Time" is built over simple keyboard-synth chords, bright, jangly guitars, clock ticking percussion, and elastic bassline.^[13] Lyrically, the track is a love song of devotion. Pam Avoledo of Blogcritics speculates that, "In 'Time After Time,' Lauper believes she is a difficult person, unworthy of love. She runs away and shuts people out. However, her devoted boyfriend who loves her unconditionally is willing to help her through anything. The relationship is given depth. The couple’s intimacy and history is apparent. They've been together for a long time. They love and have seen each other through every tough part of their life."^[14]

"Time After Time" is written in the key of C major with a tempo of 130 beats per minute^[15] in common time. Lauper's vocals span from G₃ to C₅ in the song.^[16]

The song received critical acclaim:

• Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised the track, calling it "the album's finest moment, if not Lauper's greatest moment period."^[13]
• Susan Glen of PopMatters also called it a standout track, naming it "gorgeous".^[17]
• Bryan Lee Madden of Sputnikmusic simply called it "a masterpiece" and "the best and most significant song she ever wrote or recorded."^[18]
• Brenon Veevers of Renowned for Sound labeled it "sentimental" and "gorgeous".^[19]
• Scott Floman, music critic for Goldmine magazine, described the song as "gorgeously heartfelt" and "one of the decade’s finest ballads".^[20]
• Chris Gerard of Metro Weekly summarized the song as a "beautiful and bittersweet ballad."^[21]
• Cash Box said that the song "is a gentle, reflective tune that displays the deep resonance of Lauper's vocal talents."^[22]

"Time After Time" became Lauper's first number-one single on the Billboard charts, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1984.^[29] It also reached the top of the Adult Contemporary^[30] and Canadian RPM Top Singles charts.^[31] In Europe, the single peaked at number 2, on July 9, 1984. In the United Kingdom, "Time After Time" debuted at number 54 on March 24, 1984, while peaking later at number 3, on July 14, 1984.^[32] In New Zealand, the song reached number 3,^[33] in Austria it reached number 5,^[34] in Switzerland it reached number 7,^[35] in France it peaked at number 9^[36] and in Sweden it reached a peak of number 10.^[37] In Mexico's Notitas Musicales or Hit Parade the song was #2 for a four weeks on June 15, 1984.

The 2005 version from the album The Body Acoustic featuring Sarah McLachlan reached No. 14 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

The video for "Time After Time" was directed by Edd Griles (who had previously directed the music video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun") and its storyline is about a young woman leaving her lover behind. Lauper's mother, brother, and then-boyfriend, Dave Wolff, appear in the video, and Lou Albano, who played her father in the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video, can be seen as a cook. Portions of the video were filmed at the now-demolished Tom's Diner^[38] in Roxbury Township, New Jersey, the intersection of Route 46 and Route 10, and at the Morristown train station. Portions of the video were also shot in front of Betty's Department Store in Wharton, New Jersey, which was a staple of the community in the 1970s. According to Lauper, "It was important to me that we were natural and human in the video. I wanted to convey somebody who walked her own path and did not always get along with everyone and did not always marry the guy." The video opens with Lauper watching the 1936 film The Garden of Allah and the final scene, where she gets on the train and waves goodbye to David, has Lauper crying for real.^[39]

European 12" single^[11]

1. "Time After Time" – 4:01 (Cyndi Lauper; Rob Hyman)
2. "I'll Kiss You" – 4:12 (Cyndi Lauper; Jules Shear)
3. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (extended version) – 6:08 (Robert Hazard)
4. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (instrumental) – 7:10 (Robert Hazard)

US vinyl, 7" single^[40]

1. "Time After Time"
2. "I'll Kiss You"

• Written by Cyndi Lauper, Rob Hyman
• Produced by Rick Chertoff
• Executive producer: Lennie Petze
• Associate producer: William Wittman
• Engineered by William Wittman
• Arranged by Cyndi Lauper, Rick Chertoff, Rob Hyman, Eric Bazilian

The song makes an appearance during the prom scene in the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite.

The song also appears in The Simpsons episode "Homer's Paternity Coot" where Homer is imagining who his father may be after finding out that Abe may not be his biological father.

• List of RPM number-one singles of 1984
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1984 (U.S.)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1984 (U.S.)
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1984