184. Cyndi Lauper, "She’s So Unusual"

 


If you were of a certain age in the 80s, and I was certainly of that age, the songs on this album are as indelibly etched into your brain as reruns of "The Brady Bunch" or being a latchkey kid (only if you were one of the lucky neglected kids with plenty of time to pursue your own artistic interests like reruns of "The Brady Bunch").  As bright and splashy as the color scheme of the era, Lauper's voice was like no other and these insanely catchy songs sold millions and millions of albums and absolutely dominated radio play, the way most people received music.

They were also a natural fit for MTV, which was just becoming a force.  The video for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," featuring wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano, Lauper's own mother, and a bunch of label employees moonlighting.  It's pretty great:


Just a stellar pop song.  Originally written and recorded by Robert Hazard, who I'm sure enjoyed the royalties he got until his death in 2008, it's hard to imagine another song so completely connected to a particular artist.  That one song would have made Lauper a star, but there were a ton of them on this album!  "Money Changes Everything," the lead track (another cover, of a song by Atlanta band the Brains - check out the original, it's also great, in a very different way) got to number 27, and "She Bop," Lauper's ode to masturbation (co-written with future touring member of Cinderella Gary Corbett, among others) reached number 3.  If I had to describe all these songs, I would say they're "fun."  They're fun songs!

There are more somber, introspective songs as well.  "Time After Time," co-written with Rob Hyman of the Hooters, is a promise to be there for someone, a gorgeous song that's rightly been recognized as one of the great pop songs of the 80s.  "All Through the Night" is also great, built on a sparkling synth riff and a stunning vocal by Lauper, culminating in a held note at the end that had me gasping for breath.  It's one of those songs that has a melancholy undertone that you can't quite put your finger on.  I love those songs.  (It's another cover, of a Jules Shear song.)

I think this album has been looked down upon by music intelligencia and snotty hipsters like me because it was thought of as disposable girly-pop, not fit for Serious Discussion.  But listening back to it now, there is so much heart and spirit and verve in this record that it still shines lo this many years later.  It's a great album and I'm glad I got to encounter it again.

Does this album deserve to be in the Top 500? Definitely.

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