She's So Unusual

She's So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
Studio album by
Cyndi Lauper
ReleasedOctober 14, 1983 (1983-10-14)
RecordedMay–August 1983
StudioRecord Plant (New York City)
Genre
Length38:42
LabelPortrait
ProducerRick Chertoff
Cyndi Lauper chronology
She's So Unusual
(1983) 		True Colors
(1986)
Singles from She's So Unusual
  1. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
    Released: October 17, 1983[4]
  2. "Time After Time"
    Released: March 12, 1984
  3. "Money Changes Everything"
    Released: May 21, 1984 (UK)
  4. "She Bop"
    Released: July 2, 1984
  5. "All Through the Night"
    Released: September 3, 1984
  6. "When You Were Mine"
    Released: January 31, 1985 (Can/Jpn)

She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. It stands out for its commercial success, achieving four top-five singles—a pioneering achievement for a debut album by a female artist.[5] The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.[6]

In 1978, Lauper formed the band Blue Angel.[7] The band soon signed a recording contract with Polydor Records; however, their debut album, Blue Angel, was a commercial failure. The band parted ways after firing their manager, who sued Lauper for $80,000 and forced her into bankruptcy.[8] Lauper went on to sing in many New York night clubs, and caught the eye of David Wolff, who became her manager and subsequently got her signed to Portrait Records.

Six singles were released from the album, with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" becoming a worldwide hit and her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. "Time After Time" became her first number-one hit on the chart and experienced similar success worldwide. Lauper found success with the next two singles as well, with both "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" peaking in the top five. This makes Lauper the first female singer to have four top five singles on the Hot 100 from one album.[9] She's So Unusual was promoted by the Fun Tour throughout 1983 and 1984.

The album is primarily new wave-based, with many of the songs being influenced by synthpop and pop rock. Upon its release, the album received positive reviews from music critics, who noted Lauper's unique vocals. Lauper earned several awards and accolades for the album, including two Grammy Awards at the 27th Grammy Awards, one of which was for Best New Artist. She's So Unusual peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart and stayed in the chart's top forty for 65 weeks. It has sold over 7 million copies in the United States and 16 million copies worldwide. This makes it Lauper's best-selling album to date and one of the best-selling albums of the 1980s.[10][11] In 2003, She's So Unusual was ranked at number 494 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time,[12] and it subsequently placed at number 184 in a 2020 reboot of the list.[13] In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[14]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cinquemani was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 24, 2023. Her solo debut, She's So Unusual, stands as an all-time great art-pop collage.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Erlewine was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.
  5. ^ "She's So Unusual by Cyndi Lauper". Classic Rock Review. May 11, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  6. ^ Duerden, Nick (April 4, 2014). "Cyndi Lauper interview: She's still having fun". The Independent. London. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Green, Carl R.; Sanford, William R. (1986). Cyndi Lauper. Crestwood House. ISBN 978-0-89686-300-2.
  8. ^ "Cyndi Lauper". MTV. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
  9. ^ DeKnock, Jan (December 7, 1984). "Hall & Oates' smash hit 'Out of Touch' is their fifth No. 1 pop single in four years". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ^ Burston, Paul (August 2, 2008). "Cyndi Lauper is back, and the girl still wants to have fun". The Times. London. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  11. ^ Samora, Guilherme (June 24, 2008). "A linha do tempo na música de Cyndi Lauper" [Cyndi Lauper music timeline]. O Globo (in Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference RS2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference RS2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Andrews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).