Cyndi Lauper's She So Unusual has been oddly written off by time. Whether it's the fact that it's really the only album she released that's listenable front to back or the fact that people just focussed on her style or people just heard "Time After Time" far far far too often over the years, it's been written off almost entirely. The album, Lauper's first, came out almost 30 years ago. The singles, especially the first four that were released, are indelible parts of the pop culture landscape. Thanks to the resurgence of synth based pop the album has actually aged surprisingly well. Having a singer as talented as Lauper at the front doesn't hurt either.
The first track, "Money Changes Everything" acts as a declaration of intent for the rest of the album. On the surface, there are big synth heavy pop hooks, and Lauper belts the lyrics with her trademark nasally enthusiasm. There's some serious stuff going on though and underneath the fun candy coating is actually a really bitter song. I always love a secretly dark pop song, and She's So Unusual is chock full of them.
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" comes next, the first single to be released before the album came out. I've long said that "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is one of the best pop songs ever written. The lyrics are great, the melody is unforgettable and that guitar riff is instantly recognizable. Also, if you ever doubt just how talented Cyndi Lauper actually is, check out Robert Hazard's demo version of the song.
Enough has probably been said for the big hit singles that you don't need to read any more about it. "She Bop" is great in that same subversive way and "All Through The Night" is the sort of amiable dreck that litters the radio. I've never held any reverence for "Time After Time" but I understand that many people do. Okay, got those out of the way.
More interesting are the other songs though. "Money Changes Everything" was released as a single, but never really went anywhere, unfortunately. Even more unfortunate was the fact that the next single, "I'll Kiss You" never even hit the Hot 100. Lauper's insane vocal gymnastics are just great fun to listen to while the synths freak out in the background. It's one of those songs that you can tell the artist had fun making.
She's So Unusual is daring in a way that pop albums just aren't anymore. From the sheer darkness of many of the songs to the crazy annoying voice Lauper adopted for "Witness" (later, she'd also use the voice in her live shows) it's just something that's not done these days. It's also a complete album, something not a lot of pop acts can boast. Also, it has "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" which I think I'll just listen to on repeat for a few hours now. And try to forget about Captain Lou Albano.
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