In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lauper said that she had to alter the lyrics from Hazard's original. "It was originally about how fortunate he was 'cause he was a guy around these girls that wanted to have 'fun' � with him � down there, which we do not speak lest we go blind," she said.

A frequent contender at karaoke, and anthem for girls everywhere, the song received two GRAMMY nominations for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1985 and was ranked by Rolling Stone and MTV as, respectively, one of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs and the 100 Top Music Videos of all time. The video features her mother alongside pro wrestling manager Lou Albano as her father.

An '80s anthem, the song has survived the test of time. Most recently, 10-year-old viral sweetheart Sophia Grace released her debut music video, which is an ode of sorts to the song. Called "Girls Just Gotta Have Fun," Grace mimics Lauper's music video dance party.