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Cyndi Lauper is forever linked to the early 1980s, but her talent is such that her career has weathered the subsequent decades well. Bright, sassy and brimming over with goofball charisma, Lauper never hid her Brooklyn-accented street smarts, and she's smiled publicly through career ups and downs. Lauper's 1984 debut, She's So Unusual, became one of the defining albums of the "leg warmer and shoulder pads" era with such hits as "Time After Time," "She Bop" and the irrepressible "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." If anyone else had sung "She Bop's "proud to practice self-abuse" lyrics during the early-'80s it would have caused major controversy, but Lauper's emphasis on good cheer instead of overt sexuality defused any potential public outcry. Her cartoon pop take on new wave may have hurt her career as times changed, but most of her subsequent recordings sound better and have sold more than most people would guess. Lauper also has a parallel acting career, and she's starred in movies with two of cinema's greatest eccentric talents, Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum. She's also won an Emmy for her recurring role on the '90s sitcom, Mad About You.
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About Cyndi Lauper
b. Cynthia Anne Stephanie Lauper, 22 June 1953, Queens, New York City, New York, USA. Starting her career as a singer in Manhattan's clubs, Lauper began writing her own material when she met pianist John Turi in 1977. They formed Blue Angel and released a self-titled album in 1980 which included raucous versions of rock classics as well as their own numbers. She split with Turi and in 1983 began working on what was to become her multi-million-selling solo debut, She's So Unusual. It made number 4 in the USA and provided four hit singles - the exuberant "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" (US/UK number 2), which became a cult anthem for independent young women; "Time After Time" (US number 1/UK number 3, later covered by Miles Davis on You're Under Arrest and by the jazz duo Tuck And Patti), "She Bop" (US number 3, which broached the unusual subject of female masturbation) and "All Through The Night" (US number 4, written by Jules Shear). The album also featured Prince's "When You Were Mine". At the end of 1984
Billboard magazine placed Lauper first in the Top Female Album Artists and she was awarded a Grammy as Best New Artist. Her image was one that adapted, for the American market, something of a colorful "punk" image that would not offend parents too much but at the same time retain a sense of humor and rebelliousness that would appeal the youth. Pundits in the UK claimed to have seen through this straight away, yet they acknowledged Lauper's talent nonetheless. True Colors did not have the same commercial edge as its predecessor, yet the title track still provided her with an US number 1 and a Top 20 hit in the UK. The follow-up, "Change Of Heart" (written by Essra Mohawk and featuring the Bangles), reached US number 3 in November 1986. In 1988, Lauper took a role as a beautician in the poorly received film, Vibes. She made a brief return to the charts in 1990 with the US/UK Top 10 single "I Drove All Night" from A Night To Remember. Another lackluster film appearance in Off And Running was not seen in the UK until two years later.
Seen in some quarters as little more than a visual and vocal oddity, Lauper has nevertheless written several magnificent pop tunes ("Time After Time" is destined to become a classic) and, in 1985, boosted her credibility as a singer when she performed a stirring duet with Patti LaBelle at LaBelle's show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Lauper was joined by her former writing partners Ron Hyman and Eric Bazilian for Hat Full Of Stars, a successful mix of soul/pop/hip-hop with a smattering of ethnic/folk. A reworked version of her biggest hit, retitled "Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)", reached number 4 in the UK charts in September 1994. The singer gave birth to a baby boy on 19 November 1997. The following year she recorded the seasonal album Merry Christmas " Have A Nice Life. A lengthy hiatus ensued before the release of the covers collection, At Last, in 2003.
