#184 Cyndi Lauper, 'She’s So Unusual' (1983)
Previously #487
A major jump for this record. To be honest, I had thought it had fallen off the list. Didn’t quite expect it to jump by 303 spots (incidentally, that’s the highest jump on the list so far and I can’t see anything surpassing that). Last time around I remember being surprised at first to see this on the list, but after listening, understanding why it was there. Cyndi Lauper’s previous band, Blue Angel, had released their debut album in 1980. The album was a complete flop. The band fired their manager, who in turn landed up suing Lauper for $80,000, forcing her into bankruptcy. She would spend the next few years singing in nightclubs in New York to try and make ends meet. She was discovered by David Wolff, who became her manager and got her a record deal, this time as a solo act. ‘She’s So Unusual,’ her debut solo record was released, and unlike her previous album with her band, this album was met with critical acclaim.
6 songs were released from the record as singles, the first being the iconic feminist anthem, ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun.’ The song went to #2 in the US and charted at #1 in Australia. The next single, ‘Time After Time, however, was her first US #1 single. Both songs were major worldwide successes for Lauper. She won the Grammy for Best New Artist, as well as one for Best Album Package. In total the record was nominated for 6 Grammys. There’s a great cover of Prince’s ‘When You Were Mine’ from his record ‘Dirty Mind’ (#326). My favourite song on the record, though, was ‘She Bop,’ the third single. This song charted at #3 in the US, her third consecutive Top 5. The song is about female masturbation and Lauper claimed that she recorded the vocals while naked. ‘All Through The Night’ was also Top 5, which made Lauper the first female singer to have four Top 5 singles from the same album. The album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
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