Behind the Album: Cyndi Lauper’s ‘She’s So Unusual,’ One of the ’80s Most Iconic LPs

Many like to take their shots at 1980s music, but it’s hard to think of any era where a larger batch of unforgettable, inimitable artists rose to the fore. With her 1983 debut album She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper took the pop music world by storm and became an icon with practically the first piercing note folks heard her sing.

That she was even able to get to that point was a true underdog story. Once she made it there, Lauper proved how much she belonged, by delivering as a singer and songwriter with oodles of talent.

Unusual Beginnings

Cyndi Lauper was 30 years old when She’s So Unusual was released in October 1983. By that age, most pop stars of the time had already established themselves, especially in the MTV era. Lauper had already been in a band, become embroiled in a lawsuit, and gone bankrupt, so at least she had the life experience edge on some of her younger competitors on the charts.

What she also had was an incredible voice, one that was not only rangy and powerful, but also dripping with her lively personality. Her look and fashion sense also helped her stand out from cookie-cutter chanteuses. All she needed was a chance to record again.

David Wolff, who signed on to manage her, helped secure her a record deal. Producer Rick Chertoff proved invaluable as well. He had the savvy to know how best to showcase Lauper’s voice. And his connections with an up-and-coming Philadelphia band called The Hooters gave Lauper access to Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian, a pair whose writing, singing, and playing helped shape She’s So Unusual.

Even after putting together an album that had the goods, Lauper still struggled at first to get any traction with lead single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” The video for that song included Lou Albano, who was known at the time as a personality in the World Wrestling Federation.

Lauper and her management decided to lean into those connections. She started appearing regularly on the WWF broadcasts, even going so far as to get involved in some of the wrestling storylines. Her timing was great, as wrestling’s popularity was starting to boom, and it helped break She’s So Unusual in the process.

Looking Back at She’s So Unusual

Unorthodox marketing techniques aside, She’s So Unusual stands out because of the quality of the work. And it starts with the one-two punch of the first two singles. Lauper fought for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” as the lead single, even though she’d co-written the equally worthy ballad “Time After Time” with Hyman.

In the end, she really couldn’t go wrong with either, and they ended up showcasing her multifaceted nature as a performer. Lauper transformed “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” from its original, somewhat dismissive perspective on women into a feminist anthem, all with just a few lyrical tweaks and her irrepressible vocal.

“Time After Time” showcases her more sensitive side, as she sinks deep inside the meaning of the lyrics with help of Hyman’s harmonies. That kind of dichotomy is all over the album. “She Bop” is cheeky and mischievous, while “All Through the Night” lets her belt out an earnest anthem. Her interpretive skills allow her to take songs by Jules Shear (“Money Changes Everything”) and Prince (“When You Were Mine”) and make them completely her own.

Lauper used the album as the springboard to a long and successful career, during which she’s become one of the most beloved figures to emerge from the ’80s. She’s So Unusual, her striking debut and accomplished masterpiece rolled into one, still stands as one of the finest full-length statements of purpose of that or any other era.

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