In 1983, Cyndi Lauper spent 20 minutes transforming an old demo into a hit that has since been streamed 1,800,000,000 times

Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” turned Robert Hazard’s earlier demo into a globally recognised pop song. Lauper changed its viewpoint from a man’s complaint about women’s dating preferences to a celebration of women’s freedom and a criticism of how they are treated.

Hazard wrote the original in 1979 and recorded a demo, which producer Rick Chertoff later found while seeking material for Lauper’s debut album. Lauper met Hazard and revised the lyrics, retaining many of them while reshaping the message; the article says the song has since been streamed 1.8 billion times. Its video also featured women with varied appearances, reinforcing Lauper’s aim to make the anthem inclusive.