"She's So Unusual" by Cyndi Lauper
80s Week concludes with a special 40th anniversary celebration!
Programming note: It’s 80s week! I'm spotlighting some of my favorite records released between 1980 and 1989. Like previous decade-themed newsletter posts, I've selected albums that cover multiple genres and deliberately avoided the well-worn titles that top all "best of" lists for this decade. In other words, no Thriller, Purple Rain, and so on.
Hope you enjoy it!
Hello! 😊👋
Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick marks the 40th anniversary of a star-making debut from an 80s pop and new wave icon.
Genre: Pop, New Wave
Label: Sony Music
Release Date: October 14, 1983
Vibe: 💃
One of the joys of writing this newsletter is discovering the different sides and shades of an artist’s persona. They may be known for a particular sound or hit single, but when you take a closer look under the hood, you come across gems that make you stop and ask, “Why wasn’t this a No. 1 single, too?” Case in point for She’s So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper’s sparkling debut record that’s more complex and, at times, subtle than it gets credit for. Most casual music fans will know the chart-toppers here, including the bubbly feminist dispatch “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and the lovelorn “Time After Time.” Still, this album is more than a vehicle for those greatest hits selections. The tracks combine the best of new wave, synth-pop, and even whispers of early riot-grrrl energy to showcase Lauper’s vocal range and her clear desire to be taken 100% seriously as an artist.
The opener, “Money Changes Everything,” is ostensibly about a woman who leaves her man for someone with a fatter bank account, but it can also be read as a slap in the face to a music industry that, at the time, had nearly left her for dead despite enormous potential. The upbeat guitars and synths belie its cynical center, held together by Lauper’s powerful vocal performance. “When You Were Mine” hits similar emotional notes, wrapping lyrics about a doomed relationship in gated drums and a funky bassline. Even the somewhat dated 80s material in the back half, like “All Through the Night” and “I’ll Kiss You,” are infused with a fun, vibrant earnestness that helped her attain pop superstardom and set the bar incredibly high for every LP she’s released since then.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈