Cyndi Lauper‘s smash hit “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is officially a billionaire — if you count YouTube views, that is. The video for her 1983 debut single officially reached the billion-views mark in less than 13 years.
According to an official press release, the clip was first uploaded to YouTube in October 2009 and, to date, is Cyndi’s only video to amass over a billion views.
In reaction to the honor, the pop singer said in a statement on Monday, “A lot of people don’t realize this but ‘Girls’ is really a political song. When I got my feminist hands on it, I knew I wanted to make it into an anthem for all women. Sonically, I wanted the song to be uplifting and joyful.”
Cyndi added that she made sure the music video highlighted “women from every walk of life” so it would empower women and girls everywhere. “I wanted us to be a community,” she said, noting she saw the impact of her song when attending a women’s march years later.
“I saw all types of women and girls carrying signs saying ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun-damental Rights,'” Cyndi recalled. “And now here we are at a Billion views.”
She closed by noting, “Back when we made the video there was no YouTube, so when you think about it it’s really extraordinary. The reach that this song has. The longevity. That people still purposely seek this video out and press play. Wow. I’m really grateful.”
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was released in September 1983, and was the lead single off her debut album, She’s So Unusual. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA after selling over a million copies in the U.S.
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