Cyndi Lauper
She's so Unusual - Epic 1983
Tracks: 1. Money Changes Everything / 2. Girls Just Want To Have Fun / 3. When You Were Mine / 4. Time After Time / 5. She Bop / 6. All Through The Night / 7. Witness / 8. I'll Kiss You / 9. He's So Unusual / 10. Yeah Yeah
Comments:
It is hardly too much to call Cyndi Lauper's debut album from 1983 a 1980s pop classic.
No less than six of the ten tracks were issued as singles and most were huge successes. Lauper has since shown that she is not just a pop girl, but an artist who deserves to be taken seriously. That this is the case is obvious with Lauper as a songwriter on the great "Time After Time". Here in particular she shows herself to be a great songwriter in the making.
There is the characteristic 1980s drum sound on most tracks, which can be annoying, but here, due to the quality of the songs, it does not manage to spoil the overall impression.
The opening track "Money Changes Everything" is a good example of this 1980s sound; the strong Lauper vocal and the catchy melody save the track.
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" is perhaps Lauper's best-known track, and it was not surprisingly a huge hit all over the world. In every way, a fine and charming pop song with a nice girl-group chorus.
Prince's "When You Were Mine" is also a very nice pop song, and Lauper's version here does it a great deal of justice.
"Time After Time" is, if this is not already the case, one of Lauper's best attempts at an evergreen classic. Eva Cassidy, among others, has recorded a beautiful version of the song.
"She Bop" is unpretentious 1980s pop; catchy and charming with strong vocals.
Jules Shear has written many fine pop songs and "All Through the Night" is definitely one of them. Cindy Lauper here gives a nice and convincing version.
The album flattens out a bit at the end and three of the last four cuts are quite a lot more than typical 1980s pop-dance music. The short "He's So Unusual" is very funny - old-fashioned music hall - probably included as a little joke.
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