Six years ago, during a Decades series on the year 1983, I asked this about Cyndi Lauper: “So when will she make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?”
Well, the answer was 2025. Lauper was eligible since 2009 and was nominated once before, in 2023, before making the cut last year. Her long absence is indicative of the problem the Hall had (and still has, to a lesser degree) acknowledging the contributions of women.
As I reach my 23rd featured album from 1983, I’ve come to the conclusion that it was an exceptional year for new music. My Decades series always unearths gems, ones I was familiar with and ones I wasn’t, but 1983 has offered up a true bounty.
Add another album to the list of stellar ’83 debuts: Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual. This album landed four singles in Billboard’s Top Five, making it the first debut by a female artist to do so. Anybody who was alive in the early 80s can tick them off: ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun,’ ‘Time After Time,’ ‘She Bop,’ and ‘All Through the Night.’
[This week’s guest blogger, Amy, continues her exploration of favorite cover songs.]
When I saw Cyndi Lauper perform ‘Carey,’ two things happened.
1. My respect for Lauper grew exponentially
and
2. I became an instant fan of Joni Mitchell.
20 Best Songs of the 80s – #14
Cyndi Lauper is one of the few artists on this list who went on to do great things after the 80s — at least creatively. Unfortunately she never again achieved commercial success anywhere close to her peak in that decade.
But in the 80s, she was the bomb. ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun,’ ‘She Bop,’ ‘All Through the Night,’ ‘True Colors’ and today’s song were ubiquitous and her quirky fashion sense and cutesy demeanor made her an MTV favorite.
Meet Me In Montauk 