Synopsis

Cyndi Lauper portrays a young woman caught between love and home. After spending time with her boyfriend, she becomes increasingly homesick and concerned about her family, ultimately deciding to leave. The story unfolds through quiet domestic moments, travel imagery, and scenes of Lauper moving through small-town New Jersey. At the Morristown train station, she boards a departing train and shares an emotional farewell with her boyfriend, giving the video a bittersweet ending centered on independence, family, and difficult choices.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video draws on Lauper's own life, with her mother, brother, and then-boyfriend and manager David Wolff appearing among the people on screen.

• Lou Albano, who played Lauper's father in the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" video, appears here as a cook.

• Filming took place at several New Jersey locations, including the Morristown train station, Betty's Department Store in Wharton, and Tom's Diner in Roxbury Township. Tom's Diner has since been demolished.

• The video opens with Lauper watching the 1936 film "The Garden of Allah," adding an old-Hollywood reference to the otherwise contemporary story.

• Lauper wanted the video to feel natural and emotionally human rather than present a conventional romantic fantasy. The heroine leaves the relationship instead of simply ending up with the guy.

• The song's video began receiving MTV airplay in late March 1984, shortly after the single's March 27, 1984 release.