Rob Hyman Sang Back-Up In Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" But Did He Actually Make Any Money?

Posted by Reinaldo Massengill on Monday, August 5, 2024

Highlights

  • "Time After Time" is one of Cyndi Lauper's most beautiful songs.
  • Rob Hyman, who collaborated with Lauper on "Time After Time" and also sang on it, likely made good money.
  • The success of "Time After Time" helped both Lauper and Hyman become financially comfortable.

Along with True Colors," "Time After Time" is one of Cyndi Lauper's most beautiful songs. She may be known for the faster-paced single "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," but her ballad has become a memorable part of pop culture. In 2020, Sam Smith sang a cover of "Time After Time," and it was fun to hear Smith's rendition of it.

Cyndi Lauper has been a vibrant part of the music industry ever since her debut album "She's So Unusual" was released in 1983. Rob Hyman, a songwriter who is part of the band The Hooters, also sang on "Time After Time." Here's whether Hyman made money from the beloved song.

Did Rob Hyman Make Money From Cyndi Lauper's Hit Song "Time After Time"?

While Cyndi Lauper was involved in a bankruptcy lawsuit once, she currently has a net worth of $50 million, and she seems to have done very well over the decades.

In the early 1980s, she teamed up with Rob Hyman, a songwriter who has had an incredible career. That collaboration led to the unique and special song "Time After Time."

While exact figures aren't available, fans can guess that Rob Hyman has made good money from "Time After Time." He not only sang on the tune, but he also co-wrote it alongside Lauper.

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Songwriters earn cash through royalties and Rolling Stone reported on royalties for some hit songs. Rolling Stone explained, "Every time a track or record sells, all the songwriters receive a total of 9.1 cents in mechanical-royalty payments." Of course, these numbers vary quite a bit. For some artists, though, they can make millions of dollars in royalties.

According to Rolling Stone, Mark Foster, who wrote the popular Foster The People song "Pumped Up Kicks," made $406,861 due to royalties.

The publication gave the example of the Whitney Houston song "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Misunderstanding." According to Rolling Stone, the songwriter, Nick Lowe, made $1.547 million because 17 million copies of the song had been purchased.

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Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time" was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks starting on June 9th, 1984. This suggests that it was incredibly popular at the time and that both Lauper and Hyman earned money from the track. Since they co-wrote it, it's possible to assume that they have split the songwriting royalties.

There's also the fact that "Time After Time" was in the 1997 movie Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow co-starred as Romy White and Michelle Weinberger, close friends who want to get revenge on everyone who made fun of them when they were teenagers. The characters dance to "Time After Time" at the reunion, which has become the most well-known moment in the entire film.

It seems likely that Cyndi Lauper and Rob Hyman earned money from this. According to ascap.com, a movie producer will talk to the music publisher and get the rights to the tune. The producer then needs "a synchronization or broad rights license" and they will also pay in order to use the song. The music publisher then makes sure that the writer of the song gets some money, which is called the "synchronization fee."

While Rob Hyman's net worth is unknown, there's no doubt that he and Lauper both became very comfortable thanks to the success of "Time After Time." It must be incredibly satisfying for artists to pour everything into a song and then see it take off like this one did.

What Is Cyndi Lauper And Rob Hyman's Song "Time After Time" About?

There's no doubt that many people have listened to "Time After Time" and been able to relate at least once. It's a moving song about heartbreak and still caring a lot about someone, even though the days keep marching on. The lyrics are poetic and they have real staying power.

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Rob Hyman talked about "Time After Time" in an interview with Songfacts.com. He described the song as "a little more bittersweet and a little deeper in its feeling and a little more poignant."

Hyman said of Lauper, "We talked and right from the jump she was so unusual. She was definitely different and striking and creative. One thing led to another - she saw our band, we got a chance to hear one of her demos. She came down to Philadelphia and was staying with a friend. She worked with us in our rehearsal studio and did a bunch of demos, so it was really a tryout period - we also tried out some drummers and bass players, but it ended up being Eric and myself doing most of the guitars and keyboards, and Rick producing. We became her band for that album."

Hyman also explained in his interview with Songfacts.com that they were vulnerable with one another since they didn't know each other super well when they penned the tune together. It sounds like it was a wonderful artistic experience.

He said of writing "Time After Time," "It's almost one of those things where you can open up to a stranger or a more casual acquaintance than a deep friend or family member. Sometimes you meet someone at a party and you start saying things about yourself that you might not say to your closest friend. I think with the things we were both going through - for me it was a relationship that was just breaking up and for Cyndi with her manager, which was also a personal relationship - I think the song reflected that mood."

Rob Hyman and Cyndi Lauper seemed to love working on "Time After Time" together, and it was great for both of their careers.

Hyman received a Song Of The Year Grammy nomination in 1985. While "Time After Time" didn't win, this is proof that people have loved this song for several decades now. Every time fans hear the song, they can't help but feel a lot of emotions.

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