Time After Time

Chertoff insisted that Lauper and Hyman record one more song. They worked at a piano. Both were going through difficulties in their relationships, and Hyman contributed the line about a suitcase of memories. The title came from a TV Guide listing for the 1979 film Time After Time, which Lauper had intended to use only as a temporary placeholder. Pitchfork reported that Chertoff's watch had become demagnetized and ran its machinery backward, which found its way into the first verse. They first wrote it as an uptempo, ska-inspired groove before settling on a gentler treatment. Epic wanted it as the lead single, but Lauper feared a ballad would pigeonhole her.

It was released in March 1984 and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in June, spending two weeks at number one, and reached number three in Britain. It was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1985 Grammys. Miles Davis recorded an instrumental version for You're Under Arrest in 1985 and kept it in his sets. Lauper said that being covered by him was the most honored she had ever felt. Other versions include INOJ in 1998, Eva Cassidy in 2000, Quietdrive in 2006 and Sam Smith in 2021.