There’s something off about applause that arrives 30 years too late.
This year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will finally open its glitzy doors to Cyndi Lauper. And yes, the girl who just wanted to have fun earned it. No question. You could argue she should’ve been inducted before now, and you’d be right. But her long-overdue invitation isn’t the only story.
While cameras will flash, and industry types will slap backs and nod as if they saw it coming, there’s an ugly truth hiding in the lights: some of the greatest women in music history still haven’t made it into the Hall. Not because they lacked talent. Not because they lacked influence. But because the Rock Hall has a long, slow habit of forgetting the very women who built the foundation beneath its stage.
And if that sounds harsh, good. Because it is.
The Pattern Nobody Wants to Acknowledge
Let’s walk this backward. Stevie Nicks was inducted into the Hall in 1998, but only as part of Fleetwood Mac. Her solo work, which shaped the tone and texture of women-led rock through the 1980s and 1990s, wasn’t enough to get her in alone until 2019. That’s a 21-year wait for the most recognizable female voice in modern rock.
Tina Turner? Same story. She was dragged into the Hall in 1991 as part of Ike & Tina Turner, a duo whose history is marked by abuse and control. But her legendary solo career, the one that began when she left him and broke every rule about aging, gender, and genre, had to wait until 2021 to be honored. Thirty years later.
Cher? Her politics aside, the woman has conquered pop, rock, disco, film, and social media. She has an Oscar, a Grammy, and enough Billboard hits to flatten a Cadillac. She had to wait until 2024, after 60 years of impact.
And now, finally, Cyndi Lauper walks through, which is great. But if we’re honest, it feels more like the Hall is checking boxes than rewriting its DNA. Because if this were about true merit, the women wouldn’t be last. They’d be first.
The Math Doesn’t Lie
Let’s look at the numbers. Since the Hall of Fame was founded in 1983, fewer than 100 female acts have been inducted out of more than 1,000 total inductees. And that’s including group inductions, where a woman is acknowledged only when a man is beside her, like a chaperone at prom.
Worse yet, the Hall’s own rules and criteria include terms such as “influence” and “longevity.” Fine. But then you realize that Joni Mitchell, one of the most literate and groundbreaking songwriters of all time, was only inducted in 1997. Carol King? Not until 2021 as a solo artist, after being inducted as a songwriter thirty years prior.
So here’s the question: What do these women have to do to be considered “influential”? Reanimate their careers? Start from scratch? Write Springsteen’s lyrics for him?
The Names Still Missing
Let’s talk about who isn’t in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Carly Simon. The woman who wrote “You’re So Vain,” an album full of emotional depth and musical intelligence. Not in.
Alanis Morissette. Sold 33 million copies of “Jagged Little Pill.” Reinvented what female rage could sound like in a post-grunge world. Not in.
Suzi Quatro. The first female rock star to front a band while playing bass. No spot.
Mary J. Blige. Eight platinum albums. The undisputed Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. Still on the outside.
Diana Ross, solo. Yes, she’s in as a Supreme. But her solo work, from “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to “I’m Coming Out,” apparently isn’t “Hall-worthy” on its own.
Carol Kaye. Played bass on more hit records than most men in the Hall. You’ve heard her on Beach Boys tracks, Simon & Garfunkel, and even “Batman.” Never nominated.
Connie Francis. International superstar, multilingual trailblazer, and pop powerhouse. Still no invite.
And what about Björk? A genre-defying force of nature with influence in pop, indie, and electronic music across four decades. Ignored.
What do they all have in common? They’re women who made music that didn’t just echo through time. They bent it.
The Real Issue: Not Neglect, But Delay
This isn’t just about exclusion. It’s about timing. A man in a leather jacket who sold out Madison Square Garden in the ’80s gets inducted the moment he’s eligible. A woman who did the same? She waits. She gets overlooked. She maybe gets a nomination when she’s in her 70s. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a system.
And the Hall hides behind the numbers, behind the committees, behind the vague language of “impact.” But look at the pattern. Women get in late. Women get in posthumously. Women get in once they’re no longer a threat to the establishment.
The Hall didn’t see women as peers. It saw them as exceptions. And you can feel that in every delayed plaque, every missing name, every politely worded rejection.
Cyndi’s Moment Is Beautiful but Bittersweet
Cyndi Lauper will take the stage in Cleveland and remind everyone why she’s still here and that she was never just a one-hit wonder but a party anthem. That her music wrapped itself around anxiety, independence, heartbreak, and hope. She spoke for a generation of women who didn’t want to be boxed in.
But behind the celebration is a long, heavy silence. A silence filled with all the women who stood just outside the spotlight for decades. Those who didn’t receive the call. The ones who still haven’t.
Imagine a waiting room full of legends. That’s what the Rock Hall has created. A purgatory of unacknowledged greatness.
And Cyndi, lovely as her moment will be, walks into that room only after the Hall finally looks up and realizes maybe it’s time.
Final Thoughts
This shouldn’t be about retroactive credit. Or overdue apologies. Or check-the-box PR strategies that show the Hall “supports women.” It should be about fixing the rules of the game. And fast.
That means opening the door, not because it’s safe to do so, but because it’s right to do so. It means recognizing that if Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Alanis Morissette, and Suzi Quatro don’t belong, then the entire idea of “rock & roll” is a lie we’ve let the gatekeepers sell us.
Cyndi’s in. Finally.
Now open the floodgates.
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