I know that it was more than a week ago that Simon Cowell referred to "I Drove All Night" as "just not a great song" after Carly Smithson nailed it, but it’s still bugging me. Do you have to be a woman to love this track?
It was written by two men, who took it to Roy Orbison first, but Cyndi Lauper’s version has become one of the great odes to female sexual empowerment. (As opposed to Celine Dion’s sterile cover.) Maybe that’s all men can hear now. Simon’s comment got me wondering: are there songs that only one sex will "get"?
And which cut of "I Drove all Night" is best? You’ll have to write-in Celine’s, because your official ballot only includes:
Cyndi Lauper’s
Roy Orbison’s (hello, Jason Priestley and Jennifer Connelly!)
The Tubes’ “Drivin’ All Night”–a much better song.
I like Cyndi Lauper’s version best.
I like both but I think Cyndi’s is better.
A great song is a great song; doesn’t matter what gender you are. Don’t care for ‘I drove all night’ though; no matter whose version it is. The ‘two men’ in question are Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, who wrote a lot of songs of that period(the Bangles Eternal Flame and I believe Madonna’s Like a Virgin) for example. Just not a memorable song.
I prefer the pinmonkey’s version from the rest but I have never been a big Cyndi Lauper fan. After hearing Carly I went straight to my ipod to here theirs.
Cyndi’s vocals, Roy’s video.
I don’t know about individual songs, but I’ve found from experience that the band RUSH has mostly a male fan base. Don’t know why.
Roy Orbison’s a genius, but the Cyndi Lauper version of “I Drove All Night” is the better one. Everything from her beautiful, aching wailing to the opening, powerful strings. Excellent.
I don’t know but I think you nailed why I don’t like Celine Dion. She is completely without emotion. Sure she can hit the notes but who cares if doesn’t mean anything?
I prefer the Orbison version, mostly because Cyndi’s vocal tics tend to annoy me. Eric, you may be right about Rush – I like them but only after my husband spent years convincing me how good they are. In my experience, it’s the singer/band and not the song that divides the sexes…I don’t know one straight man who likes Celine Dion, for example, no matter what song she sings. Even “You Shook me all Night Long.”
Cyndi Lauper’s is the better of the 2 BUT I prefer Celine’s verion above all of them.
Cyndi Lauper’s is the better of the 2 BUT I prefer Celine’s verion above all of them.
Cyndi Lauper’s is the better of the 2 BUT I prefer Celine’s verion above all of them.
Cindy Laupers version of I drove all night is one of the Most Played songs on my Itunes. Tis’ the better one. But, I must ask. Is Jennifer Connelly a vampire? the girl’s been around forever and she still looks the same.
Cyndi’s version is the definitive to me. And I like Celine, but she has a way of sucking the life out of a cover. Heard her version of Heart’s “Alone” on her new album yet? Stunningly clinical and soulless and it may even be a single! She needs new people on her team—that husband of hers doesn’t have an ear to what sells now.