She's So Unusual

Do you like 80s music well if you do you might like this album. I like this album because i think its very fun and hip. What i also liked about the album is how its very different from other women music artists and i also like her tone of voice. I do recommend this to people who have a big personality.

decent '80s pop album with all the hits, and ? [EDIT: I do like "All Through The Night" though..]

Cyndi Lauper’s voice has always been like nails on a chalkboard to me and listening to a whole album of it should be a war crime. Time after time is a great song though

And you say, "Well, who can you trust?" I'll tell you, it's just nobody else, it's money the instrumental arrangements feels kinda boring to me tho, just a kick snare kick snare thing going on for all the songs but her voice has got a really distinctive personality

Very top heavy, loses momentum in the second half. Sounds dated because of when it was made but the bangers still bang!

Прослушивание 1: Обзор на треки : 1 Ну типичная попсня для конца фильма 2 А почему это хит? ну и попсня! 3 Норм синтезаторы, но всеравно попсня 4 Красиво поёт)))) но посня.... 5 Гитара классная, но пепсня посня... и что за бобы? я не шарю? 6 Очень хотелось скипнуть песню, какая же она скучная.... попсня..... 7 Может заставить дрыгать ногу, аккуратно. Мотив отдалённо напоминает кантри. А контри говно! Как и попсня! 8 Что за межпланетная попсня. Эти синтезаторы с космическими звуками надоели! Но вторая половина чатично норм...... 9 Ладно.... нет слов... а зачем это тут? Опопсеть можно... 10 Ачё, звучит попсово! Я даже добавлю этот трек :) единственный с альбома правда..... Прослушивание 2: На фоне слушать сложно, но можно! Очень сильно бьёт в голову, не делайте песни громкими. Песня 4 заставляет задуматься..... едешь в закат на воей фуре и не понимаешь что происходитт то вообще.... как ЕГЭ сдать.... как сказать матери, что куришь.... сложно.... Альбом явно не должен быть в этом топе, слишком он посредственный. Возможно для тех лет это прорыв, но сейчас это звучит ужасно. Добавил 6, красиво, погорячился). Переслушивание 3: не могу... я не дослушал.... Вывод: Устаревшая попса на любителя. Понравится тем кто любит красивый голос, или старые синтезаторы. Я бы такое слушать не стал, но некоторым друзьям порекомендую. 2/5 или 4/10 или 4,8/12

Not much stood out. Side note: Cool pic for the cover art. Also, only a year after Papyrus released and she already had some weird look-alike font in use lol. // Favs: All Through The Night / He's So Unusual Score: Decent 2

zzzzzzzz

The 80s are strong with this one and I really don't feel like this album has aged particularly well. I've heard covers of Cindy Lauper songs in somewhat different styles which I really enjoyed. The originals I don't enjoy, as it turns out.

The kind of pop that I really don’t vibe with. Some songs are fun in a “sing along road trip” kind of way, but not something I’d listen to on my own time. Gotta say though, All Through the Night was kind of a bop.

The 80s were a hard time for music. Technology was making a lot of new sounds possible and it seems that very few people stopped to wonder if they SHOULD use those new, blippy-bloopy, zip-zap synths just because they could. The end result is a lot of music that's just not good. This album among them. "Time After Time" is a fairly well-written song and Cyndi Lauper is a pretty talented vocalist so the album is saved from a failing mark ... but only just.

I don’t think I can do this. It’s just a pop album right? I know as a man, this probably isn’t targeted towards me, but I mean it’s starting with a song that would have a 10am slot on a light rock radio station. Money changes everything. I wish it changed the chorus. I’ve never heard this next song. Girls? Having fun? Nah I’ve heard this song actually. In every gas station, roller rink, shopping mall, grocery store, dentist office, tv show, bus depot, and terrorism hostage video since I was born. It’s not for me. I actually don’t hate this one. It’s got that sort of melancholy 80’s tone that appeals to me at times. It’s kind of nice to start. Although the lyrics are dumb and again the repetition is just so gratuitous. It wears out its welcome. Pass. Every tv/movie prom scene ever. Man this album had the hits. Again, what can I say? I hate this song. I really don’t understand the appeal. It’s pop. Is this supposed to be a “great work” like the Beatles stuff we’ve heard or even fun like Boston? These are driving to work radio ballads that are kept on low volume. OH GOD MAKE IT SHE-STOP. This is BRUTAL. That chorus is poison. What is happening. Is she drunk? Off kilter schmaltz with garbage lyrics. Nah. Reggae guitars. The worst genre of music ever to exist seeping into an already bad pop album. This is a mess for me. This one sounded kind of interesting for a second. Kind of driving and cool, but it just devolves into her vocals and other garbage. The weird techno driving is a little cheesy and dated but better than literally anything on this album. Guys. This is kids music. Is this comedy? I’m embarrassed to be listening to this. It’s all too dumb. The lyrics are childish and rote. This album is not good. I get that people have fond memories or really like dim, catchy pop music. Hey I like dumb stuff, but please don’t attempt to make it high art. It’s dumb. End of story. This was unlistenable and made me feel embarrassment, misery and eventually anger that my Spotify algorithm has been ruined by allowing mainstream nonsense to be played. 1 HIGHLIGHTS: None

Hot Garbage

Two massively overplayed pop songs, neither of which I care for surrounded by a collection of lifeless filler

very repetitive lyrically, not much variation in the music and veryyyy 80’s. generally not a fan, but there were a few likeable songs, though they were too long since it was just the same over and over again.

I absolutely loved this album when it came out. I played it all the time. Pop wasn't my favorite genre at the time, but she just blew me away with the subtle (and not so subtle) tweaks at the patriarchy and societal norms of the day. And it was so freaking fun to listen to! I was very excited to listen again today, as I hadn't in years. My recollection was that it started off great and tailed off a bit on the back half, and this was confirmed. The first six songs were total bangers. My favorites were and still are Money Changes Everything, When You Were Mine, and All Through the Night, but the other three are great as well. It did tail off some in the final four songs, but not to an extent that it ruined the experience at all. They are fours instead of fives. This remains a fantastic album.

Haven’t listened to this in years but still know all the lyrics.

The iconic Cyndi Lauper. I wish I had gotten to see her perform live, but this album will always be special to me! An anthem for all the girls who love to have fun!

My preferred 80s pop diva (sorry, Madonna). Cyndi Lauper is a total original. No manufactured, super-polished sound and image. This album is just a lot of fun and full of some timeless songs.

Epic.

6 single releases 5 making the top 5 on Billboard 100. What more can you say....

Another 80s classic. Vocals, attitude, aesthetics... she has basically everything--the full package. Favorites: Time After Time, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Money Changes Everything, When You Were Mine, She Bop

Quintessential!

Saved the album 30 seconds in, so many classics on there

10/10 what can i say cool 80's girl vibe i love the vocals, the instrumental, the flowing energy everything about this album.

A truly unique vocal, feel, vibe, and pop star who deserves so many more flowers. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN / TIME AFTER TIME/ AND A PRINCE COVER. This rules.

Like someone wrote on a review for this album, "you can put Madonna up on your arse". I'm on the same page, if I had to choose between Madonna or Cyndi Lauper I would go with Cyndi all the way - absolutely brilliant masterpiece for a debut album ;-)

Сара 5 Марко 5

Iconic. I be she bop-ing

An excellent album filled with fun, personality and great music from start to finish. Cyndi Lauper's unique voice gives the record a strong identity. The album contains several of her most iconic songs and perfectly captures the energy and charm that made her such a distinctive artist. It is, without a doubt, one of her best album. ++ : Girls Just Want to Have Fun Time After Time She Bop

This kinda came out of nowhere for me. Like I did know a number of the songs on this album but had no idea who they were by. What an absolutely incredible album, perfect summer vibe. Also listened twice without noticing, in the best way.

There are a few tracks on here that really take me back to a time when I first remember paying attention to music. Time After Time is a track that always resonated with me and I enjoy it even more 40 years later. Overall i think the album is really solid too.

Loved this album, her vocal style is so unique but in a good way. This entire album is just pure 80s camp and I love it. 9/10

Such a fun pop album! Her attitude, the texture of her voice, all good. Honestly any album that kicks off with off kilter melodica is great in my book.

I am a happy owner of this album, so what else should I say? Well, let's begin with by saying that maybe Cyndi has not the best vocals (yet a very recognisable voice), but surely when she sings everything feels so fine. She knows how to make fun music, and also some pretty nice stuff too. And, it may be the only time I say so but, how can someone hate this album? I mean, you have to be a pretty boring person to not smile neither a bit when listening to this record. It's such a classic, and a very funny album too. It is so crazy at times and with such a range of different genres too that there is so much going on. And it's great! There is a bit of ska, also that amazing little piece called He's So Unusual, the 80's hits, ballads, a playful rock... And still it's all so unique that it could only be a Cyndi Lauper album. So, I must say I've loved this. Re-listening it for a time I have lost the count of, it has been so fun, playful and enjoyable. It's sad, on the other hand (and not talking about the album at all), that Cyndi doesn't seem to escape from people linking her to Madonna. I want to write about it mainly because I love both, and I think those comparisons are completely out of place. They are both very talented, and they have both made great albums. But their music is completely different. Comparing them just because they are women in the pop music genre that appeared at the same time is not fair when analysing their careers. We can enjoy both of them, or neither, whoever we want to enjoy, without having the need to compare. I guess that way music can be funnier. But, well, that's a little reflection of mine. As far as what concerns the album, again, it's excellent. Such a delight.

OH MY LITERAL GOD HOW ARE THESE SONGS ALL HERE? Perfection. Magic. Silly fun wild freak! Driving to and from the botanic garden with Greta so we got to really cackle as needed. I’ll Kiss You and She Bop biggest fun little surprises.

It’s unfortunate Cyndi Lauper is sort of forgotten and is only known for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, because she’s an amazing artist. I think this album is a good example of pop; it exemplifies what is so fun and catchy about pop. 5/5

Bop!! Loved this one.

# In-Depth Review: *She's So Unusual* by Cyndi Lauper (1983) ## Overview Released in October 1983, *She's So Unusual* stands as one of the most singular debut albums in pop history. On paper, it shouldn't work: half the tracks are covers spanning new wave, reggae, Prince, and blues, while the originals tackle everything from female masturbation to heartbreak. Yet Cyndi Lauper's four-octave voice, feminist reimagining of others' material, and unapologetic weirdness forged a record that became a beacon for outsiders and a defining document of 1980s pop . --- ## Lyrics & Songwriting Lauper's greatest lyrical achievement on this album is **reclamation**. She didn't merely cover songs—she hijacked them. - **"Girls Just Want to Have Fun"**: Originally written by Robert Hazard in 1979 as a sleazy anthem from a male playboy's perspective ("All *my* girls have got to walk in the sun"), Lauper rewrote the lyrics to center female agency. The bridge—"Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world / I wanna be the one to walk in the sun"—transformed it from a horndog romp into a universal feminist rallying cry . - **"Money Changes Everything"**: While staying faithful to Tom Gray's original, Lauper insisted on guitars that "sounded like London Calling," injecting punk aggression into what Greil Marcus noted made the original "sound compromised" by comparison . - **"She Bop"**: A tongue-in-cheek ode to female masturbation that managed to become a Top 5 hit while referencing a gay porn magazine. It's explicit without being crude, playful yet defiant . - **"Time After Time"**: Written with Rob Hyman during late-night studio commiseration about mutual breakups. Hyman's original version was a "jovial, reggae-pop number," but Lauper's lyrics made it "more bittersweet and deeper in its feeling"—transforming it into one of pop's most enduring ballads . - **"When You Were Mine"**: Lauper kept Prince's bisexual love triangle lyrics intact, a bold move in 1983 that caused mild controversy. Prince himself approved of her version after her 1985 American Music Awards performance . --- ## Music & Production Produced by Rick Chertoff at New York's Record Plant, the album is sonically restless. Rather than a unified "sound," it plays like a mixtape where every track occupies different territory: | Track | Style | |-------|-------| | "Money Changes Everything" | Clash-like power-pop/new wave | | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | Girl-group pop updated with MTV gloss | | "When You Were Mine" | Groovy funk-pop with layered synths | | "Time After Time" | Meditative synth ballad | | "She Bop" | Funky synth-punk | | "All Through the Night" | Laid-back synth balladry | | "Witness" | Reggae-affected guitar crunch | | "Yeah Yeah" | Horn-heavy ska-pop with Yoko Ono-esque vocalizations | | "I'll Kiss You" | Devo-esque frantic synth-pop | What holds this stylistic whiplash together is Lauper's voice—"coquettish in spots, plaintive in others, ferocious elsewhere" . The production leans heavily on synthesizers and drum machines typical of 1983, but the arrangements are muscular rather than thin: Anton Fig's live drumming, Neil Jason's deep bass lines, and Eric Bazilian's guitar textures give the electronics physical weight . The Japanese pressing reveals exceptional sonic detail—wide soundstaging, holographic imaging, and dynamic range that exposes the compressed mastering of original pressings . --- ## Themes **Feminism & Agency**: Beyond "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," the album consistently centers women's perspectives. "Money Changes Everything" retells economic betrayal from the woman's viewpoint. "She Bop" claims female sexuality without shame. Even the covers are filtered through Lauper's insistence that "no man speaks for her protagonists" . **Otherness & Misfit Identity**: The album title isn't just marketing. Lauper's persona—neon hair shaved on one side, thrift-store fashion, that unmistakable Queens accent—made her a heroine for "oddballs, misfits, and weirdos." The "Time After Time" video explicitly dramatizes ostracization for unconventional appearance, making the album a "beacon of hope" for those who didn't fit in . **Emotional Authenticity**: Whether belting about masturbation or whispering through heartbreak, Lauper never performs distance. The melancholy of "Time After Time" and "All Through the Night" balances the exuberance, creating an emotional arc that rewards full-album listening. --- ## Influence & Legacy - **Commercial**: The album spawned six singles, five of which reached the Billboard Top 5—unprecedented for a female debut at the time . - **Cultural**: "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" became a generational feminist anthem. "Time After Time" remains one of the most covered songs in pop history. - **Musical**: The reggae crunch of "Witness" is essentially the blueprint for later No Doubt . Lauper proved that pop could be weird, personal, and commercially viable simultaneously. - **Personal**: Lauper noted that iconic producers initially dismissed her work as "disposable music." The album's canonization proved them wrong . --- ## Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Vocal Performance** | Four-octave range with malleable, distinctive timbre—switches genres effortlessly | | **Song Interpretation** | Transforms covers into personal statements; makes others' songs feel autobiographical | | **Hit Density** | Six singles, five Top 5 hits—extraordinary batting average | | **Feminist Subversion** | Reclaims male-written material, centers female agency without sacrificing catchiness | | **Emotional Range** | From "She Bop" to "Time After Time," covers exuberance and melancholy equally | | **Cultural Impact** | Defined 1980s pop aesthetic while remaining weird; inspired generations of misfits | --- ## Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Second-Half Dip** | Some critics note the album loses steam after the opening run; "Yeah Yeah" and "I'll Kiss You" feel less essential than the first side | | **Dated Production** | Certain synth sounds and production choices are aggressively '80s; "She Bop" in particular feels "tied down to then-trendy New Wave songwriting tropes" | | **Vocal Polarization** | Lauper's nasal, squeaky delivery can grate on some listeners—"nails on a blackboard" to detractors | | **Cover-Heavy** | Half the album consists of covers, which may undercut perceptions of Lauper as a songwriter (though her transformations are arguably more creative than typical originals) | | **Inconsistent Pacing** | The stylistic jumps, while part of the charm, can make the album feel more like a collection than a unified statement | --- ## Verdict *She's So Unusual* is a **near-perfect debut** that shouldn't have worked but absolutely did. Its genius lies in Lauper's ability to take disparate material—other people's songs, multiple genres, contradictory moods—and unify them through sheer force of personality. The album is simultaneously a product of 1983 and timeless, a commercial juggernaut and a weirdo manifesto. While certain production choices have aged and the second half doesn't quite match the first, the highs are stratospheric. It remains essential listening not just for '80s nostalgia, but for understanding how pop music can be subversive, personal, and universally appealing all at once.

CUNTY

One of the better albums of the 1980s and one I'm plan to own on vinyl - Side 1 is about as good as pop comes and Side 2 is pretty good too.

10/10 no notes

Good

So much fun balanced with more calm songs. A travel back in time.

good

My love for Cyndi Lauper and this debut album knows no bounds.

It's a 5 based on the singles alone - with the filla not being too bad either (other than He's so unusual which sucks). Absolutely love girls just wanna have fun - it triggers this weird 80's Americana nostalgia vibes within me. Good times. Shame the song from Goonies not on this album.

80s pop, teen, sunny shopping mall day, cali, big hair, gum, convertible

A complete generational defining experience. Quirky charm, choice in fashion, pure vocal ability...this album landed at the right place and the right time.

Perfect pop album. If I'd been a teen when this came out, I would've listened to it on repeat. I'm certainly not a teen any more, but I still listened to it on repeat!

peak 80s pop right here! pretty much all bangers. wall to wall synth pop excess. i love it. it's just so *fun*, which is incredibly fitting for the famed "girls just want to have fun" off this album. it's sonically all over the place but somehow it all meshes anyway. tracks like "i'll kiss you" feel like direct inspiration for chappell roan's "hot to go" which is just great. really love her voice. for a debut album, to me this is damn near perfect. put this on blast and start dancing.

For some people Peak 80s pop is Madonna, and I get that, for me it's Cyndi Lauper's She's so Unusual. This album sounds amazing, the synths here rock. The range on display here is quite suprising, Time After Time and Girls Just Want to Have Fun are 1 song apart from each other! Its all helped by Lauper's unique voice and incredible range. Time after Time has to be highlighted here, I love the writing of the song "The second Hand unwinds" and "The drum beats out of time"- just excellent. It feels weird to rate an album thats so unabashedly a pop album as a 5, its not like its trying to be anything more then a good time, but my god it does such a good job at what its aiming to do.

5/5

the Joni Mitchell’s Blue of wanting to have fun

A classic from the early 80s. Lauper's voice is so, well, unusual that you know her within the first couple of notes of any vocal. Her boldness was remarkable at the time — she was a bit like Madonna but without needing to be overtly sexually provocative in order to get the listener's attention. I love this. Until "Time After Time" started, I had forgotten how much The Hooters contributed here.

I have to go for a 5; it's not a classic but so much better than Madonna's that is on the "Best 100 Albums" list of Apple Music.

maravilloso, colorido, luminoso, poderoso

Me encanta, es pop ochentero PERFECTO! Time after time favorita obviamente y descubrimientos favoritos Money changes everything y All through the night

40 minutes straight of Cyndi Lauper might be a bit much for me. But. This album slays. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a classic for a reason, She Bop has been a favorite of mine for years and Time After Time is one of the few ballads I like. I had never heard Money Changes Everything or Yeah Yeah and I'm better off for having heard them now. The sound texture on this album is so quintessentially 80s it's almost painful, but like y'know. In a good way. 5/5 no notes, unexpectedly loved it.

This was so much fun to listen to. Cyndi has an incredible voice and every track here is, or should be, a hit.

Two of her most iconic songs on this album. The rest is also okay to listen to

This album smells like cheap gin... I love cheap gin.

This was perfect down to the Betty Boop interlude

Another LP that launched an amazing career. I love this record.

Wow! What an insanely strong debut. I try not to hand out 5 stars willy-nilly, and if we could do half stars this would probably be 4.5, but I'm rounding up on this one.

Absolutely fantastic. It’s rare to see an album so full of catchy pop, but this is one of those albums. I listened to this three times!

I obviously knew all of the singles and knew they were infectious and fun and poppy. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the album, it's so much more than just the pop singles. There's moments that feel so contemporary, like Money Changes Everything feels like something an alt rock band would have put out in the last decade. Which makes me think that a lot of the women I listen to likely cite Cyndi as an influence. And what a voice, so big.

Iconic! Gotta love Cyndi Lauper!

I could almost give this the same review I gave Kate Bush - though I had more confidence that the rest of this would be quality. Her voice is enchanting and definitely carries my enjoyment of the album. It probably deserves a 4, but I couldn't resist handing out three 5's in a row. (How you like me now, Jason?!)

5/5 - A wonderful 80s pop record; one of the best of its kind. The album title says it all with Time After Time ending the A side and She Bop leading off the flip side. Lots of joy here, and it gets genuinely weird towards the end. Iconic album cover.

10 out of 10, no notes

La nostalgie fait son effet

#299/1001. The record which defines the 80s, or at leadt one of those albums. It is sort of surprising hiw some of these songs still hold their charm, and are still so much fun even though they constantly are playing on tv, radio, online etc. I admit that I own 2 copies of this, since I had forgotten that I had already bought it. It is easy to bump into in fleamarkets and 1-2 € bins so grab a copy or two as well, and jive to she-bob!

A masterful pop record with quintessential 80s vibes and genuine punk undertones. I had forgotten about “All Through The Night” until it hit me with a wave of irresistible idyllic nostalgia. “Time After Time” is my mom’s all time favorite pop song because she’s Buddhist and thinks it’s about reincarnation. “She Bop” is a truly subversive celebration of feminine sexuality. Bonus points to CL for her role in the 80s wrestling boom.

HELL YEAH, A MULHER DO POP DÉCADA DE 80 PEDRADA ATRÁS DE PEDRADA, parece um Best Of. Muitas saturadas pela rádio, mas não diminuem. ela é única, she's so unusual indeed. 9/10

This went way harder than I was expecting

Perfection

maybe this just hit me at the right time on the right day, but god damn it's almost perfect

If you are unfortunate enough to have a brain like mine, you will occasionally find yourself thinking "What if Madonna was good?" Well wonder no longer, strange new friend, for the answer is "Cyndi Lauper". Honestly that is doing her an injustice, but I thought it was funny so I left it in. This album is so far removed from anything I would usually listen to, that the fact I loved it so much says a lot. Cyndi Lauper is an under appreciated talent. A fantastic and unique voice, straddling Kitsch Pop, New Wave, Synth and Art Rock and doing it all admirably. There are danceable party tracks and tender ballads. Four top five singles from this one album. It helped define the sound of it's decade, but it doesn't feel too dated. More nostalgic than old fashioned. It doesn't hurt that Cyndi is by all accounts a great person to boot, and I think if I had been around in 83 I would have fallen in love with her based on the album cover alone.

Perfect Pop

This album surprised me. I thought I knew 2 of the songs before listening but it turns out Cyndi Lauper's hits were more than just "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". What really caught me off guard was the bit of punk that shines throughout the album. A definite classic that I didn't realize was a classic. Color me impressed.

Side 1 is one of the greatest pop songs in a row of any album. Own this on vinyl and it will never be traded in.

probably another perfect record, another one from my childhood cassette days, but i've not listened to it for at least a decade, probably when the 30th anniversary edition dropped. i had forgotten that she covers "when you were mine", and it is a pretty great cover. google's gemini claims that prince wrote it for lauper, but he wrote it for _dirty mind_, which came out 3 years before SSU. also, "time after time" is still one of the absolute best pop songs ever. still love that dirty synth bass in " she bop". i had totally forgotten that "all through the night" was a hit single, but how could i have forgotten? it was all over the place. and some skank-y guitar for "witness". i do love that there's no "she's so unusual" song title, but there is the "he's so unusual" skit. and the b-52s adjacent "yeah yeah" ends the album. yep. still perfect p.s. why wasn't "right train, wrong track" included on the album? it probably worked better as a b-side (and she does howl a lot like cindy wilson, so maybe the b-52s were already referenced one time) to "girls...", but it is such a good song

Album bien ancré dans les années 80 mais avec une voix unique. Avec des chansons de légendes, ce projet a su rester un bonne redécouverte aujourd'hui ! Cyndi Lauper a su produire un album intemporel. Les instrus sont très fun à écouter et plusieurs morceaux sont allés dans ma playlist. Note : 5 À réécouter : Oui

Great album

I really liked this one. A classic.

Every song is a banger.

I mean this is what an 80s album should be!

This is pretty great 80s pop. Some undeniable hits here (Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time) and some others here that are great in their own right. My favorite on the album was probably All Through the Night, which has a great 2 part chorus, a funky bassline, and sick synths. I liked this a lot, great album.

Four absolute bangers on one album

No. 96 terrific production and great performance by her, what a moment in time.

Album is a banger, at least 4 or 5 singles off this one

Amazing album. While the production sounds very 80s,lots of recent albums now sound similar so in many ways it sounds modern. Really easy to hear how this has had a big influence on kids of indie artists. Will definitely seek this one out, although perhaps a best of given the second half can't hold a candle to the first

THE GOAT!!!!

The album that taught us, it is ok to be different! An all-time original and classic!!

Track to track, a pop delight. Cindi's 4 octive range shines on classics, and her cover of Prince's 'when you were mine' is a perennial favorite. A perfect pop album.

Bright colors, big feelings, and a brain that never sits still. Rating: 4.6/5 Short Review: This album is playful on the surface and quietly emotional underneath. Pop that sounds fearless, a little unhinged, and way smarter than it lets on. Favorite Track: Time After Time. Soft, sincere, and still devastating when it sneaks up on you.

AGAIN, finally some good fucking food. It's weeks at a time that something interesting turns up on this list. Devastating.

yes! fun pop!

Was expecting this to be around 3 stars. Why the fuck is this SO GOOD

Love it. Perfect pop album. Of its time, but in the best possible way.

Cyndi 💕

Close, really close to a perfect score here. The album is upbeat, fun to listen to and Cyndi Lauper has a pleasant singing voice to listen to. There are some absolute well-known classics on here but the other tracks aren't much worse. Why am I not giving this five stars? I don't know, let's give it 5 anyway. 5/5

Such great songs, absolute BOPS all round, great for a Friday morning drive to work

obsessed with each one

Almost shockingly well-rounded and distinctive for an artist's debut record, regardless of age or gender, 'She's So Unusual' made Cyndi Lauper an overnight star, and it's not hard to see why. On an unabashedly boisterous album laced with unforgettable hits fortified with sincerity, Lauper's creativity, nerve, and distinctive voice were impossible to tie down. It almost seems stranger than fiction that her cover of Robert Hazard's 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun', was not only the world's introduction to Lauper, but by subverting the original rendition's male gaze through taking pride in her rebellious irreverence, it also cemented her as a feminist pop icon for years to come. 'Girls...' stands the test of time as a brazen, defiant pop-rock revolution delivered in under four minutes. A musical mission statement if ever there was one, this track is an undeniably camp and raucous plea, a truly electric romp ignited by effusive synth stabs and a plethora of eccentric pops and whistles. Lauper's irrepressible hedonistic urges were front and centre elsewhere on the record too. From the top of 'She Bop', a sparkling, synth-heavy New Wave ode to masturbation coiled inside undeniably catchy, nonsensical lyrics, accented with coos and barks, to the bottom of the final track, 'Yeah Yeah', a kooky synthpop frolic within lust and desire, punctured with funky sax and Lauper's Boop-like quips and trills', her ebullience is contagious and captivating. Lauper also has ample room to showcase her candid and vulnerable side. The aptly-name 'Time After Time' draws the listener in with its timeless romanticism and Lauper's wistful rasp is truly magnetic, making this one of the quintessential Eighties' pop ballads. On another cover, the similarly dreamy 'All Through the Night', Lauper's voice is bathed in laser light inside this glittery synthpop ballad. Within a matter of months, 'She's So Unusual' almost accidentally found itself on a pedestal, but deservedly so. Intentionally or not, Lauper delivered a tenacious and effervescent ten-track proclamation of joy and conviction: one that would not only reshape the musical landscape for future artists, from Lady Gaga through to Chappell Roan, for years to come, but also inspire legions of young girls the world over to be self-assured, make a statement, and do something as bold and as simple as just have fun.

Cyndi became too popular in 1983 for most people when their debut album goes bonkers like this one did but she never really changed from the experience as far as I can tell. Her voice is amazing on this album I heard her live a few years ago and she can still rock.

Incroyable, musicalement bien recherché, la voix de Cyndi Lauper transmet beaucoup d'intensité et de corps à la musique, S-Tier

Banger after banger

Bangers

pretty fun and rad! She has a very recognisable voice and a bit of a David Bowie vibe in terms of the way she dresses.

Iconic pop all packed into one album.

Holy shit 10/10. I love her voice and the vibe

One of my favorite albums of all time. It is perfect, a true no skip album. Cyndi Lauper is immensely talented.

I’ve been working on this list of albums for over three years, and for the first time, I will get to review an album that I own on vinyl, on a day where I have the house to myself. Cyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual will be the perfect album for this occasion, because I plan to crank this album up as loud as I can, and let the pop perfection wash over me. I grew up hearing some of the singles off of this album pretty regularly, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I ever listened to it in its entirety. I love pop music from the eighties, and I would consider this album to be an all-time great when it comes to pop music. Let’s throw this bad boy… er, girl on the turntable! I thoroughly enjoy myself every time I listen to this album, and today was no different. Every song is great, and the whole album presents the listener with a feast of synth-drenched new wave. Even though the synths dominate the sound here, there’s still some great guitars, bass, keyboards, and melodica. Speaking of that melodica, when I was listening to “Money Changes Everything,” I started getting vibes of The Hooters. And wouldn’t you know it, two guys from The Hooters played on several songs on this album. I love learning new little nuggets like that. When I first listened to this album in its entirety, I was incredibly shocked to see that Cyndi didn’t write most of the songs on this album. But yet, every song here feels like its distinctly hers. I don’t know how much of hand she had in crafting the arrangements on this album, but each song has just the right amount of quirkiness to elevate her personality and put her fingerprints firmly all over this album. To be able to establish your identity and image so firmly with your debut album is quite a feat. I guess now would be as good a time as any to dive into the individual songs: “Money Changes Everything” might be in contention for my favorite song on the album. I don’t think I ever heard this until I was an adult, but it’s right up there with “Time After Time” and “All Through the Night” for me. The synthesizers are absolutely fantastic, and the main melody is perfect. The guitar playing is great too, and I love how well it complements the synthesizer melody. For a five-minute pop song, “Money” is worth every second. “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” is such a fun bop, even forty years later. As great and well-known as the synthesizers are on this song, the lead and bass guitar really do a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of the overall sound of the song. The vocals and lyrics are incredible too, but the synthesizer break about halfway through is excellent as well, giving this song just the right amount of quirkiness. I love Prince’s music, but “When You Were Mine” is all Cyndi’s. Her bubblegum voice is so perfect over these bright and swooning synthesizer tones. Like “Girls,” the guitars here are excellent as well, giving this song the perfect amount of bounce. Before listening to this album as an adult, I’d probably choose “Time After Time” as my favorite Cyndi Lauper song. The guitars and synths on this song are fantastic, the lead vocals are amazing (and the backing vocals on the chorus absolutely rip), but I just find myself obsessed with the percussion on this song. The bass drum beats, the clock-like ticks, and the hi-hat are so crisp, and they really help give this song its dreamy atmosphere. I just love the gentle sound here, and it's a perfect love song. Leaning fully into new wave, “She Bop” is one of the most fun songs on the album. The overall sound is great, but the chorus is where this song is its most fun musically. Lyrically, it’s certainly a bit of a departure from the rest of the album, but thematically, I think it fits right in with the feminist message of several of the other songs. Like “Time After Time,” “All Through the Night” is my other choice for my favorite Cyndi Lauper song. I love that tinkling synthesizer in the intro, and when the percussion and other synths kick in on the first chorus, it’s just perfection. Cyndi’s vocals are fantastic on this song too, and I love the ebb and flow in intensity between the verse and chorus. The synthesizer solo in the middle of the song is great too, giving this song some beautiful quirkiness. Shoutout to the bass line here too, because it absolutely crushes. Is there anything that Cyndi Lauper can’t do? “Witness” is such a fun ska-pop jam. The rhythms here absolutely crush, and I love the lead and backing vocals. Even though this is more of a guitar and percussion driven song, the synthesizers are still here to give it that Cyndi Lauper touch. “I’ll Kiss You” leans heavily into that new wave sound, and while this is one of my least favorite songs on the album, I still have to give some props to the excellent pre-chorus. There’s not so much to say about “He’s so Unusual,” but I have to say that this makes me want to listen to the Pee Wee’s Playhouse theme song. I’m not super into “Yeah Yeah,” but it’s still a fun new wave bop, and the chorus is a total jam. She’s So Unusual is always so much fun to listen to, and it was really fun to write about too. This album is one of my favorite pop albums of all time, and also one of my favorite albums of the eighties too. Cyndi Lauper is a pop icon and a trailblazer, and this debut album of hers is a must-listen.

Nem ouvi e já sei que é bom!!!!

Such an amazing listen. Very catchy album!

Banger of an album

Money Changes Everything: 4/5 Girls Just Want To Have Fun: 5/5 When You Were Mine: 3/5 Time After Time: 5/5 She Bop: 4/5 All Through The Night: 5/5 Witness: 4/5 I'll Kiss You: 3/5 He's So Unusual: Yeah Yeah: 3/5 Overall a great album, although some of the backing tracks were slightly lackluster.

Thank God, Cyndi got out of the karaoke bar

Yeah this was a lot of fun. Cyndi Lauper is quintessential 80s pop and it’s perfect. Time After Time is probably one of my all time favourite songs, just a straight up banger!

Not a single skip.

Nice vibe Girls just wanna have fun When you were mine Time after time She bop All through the night

A dream of a pop album: tough, melodic and sung to perfection.

I may Cindi once in the early 2000's and she was a B, so I thought I'd hate this album - it's great. I thought I heard some Madonna and Morisey influence, but based on timing, I think it may be the other way around. I'd listen to this over any Madonna album.

A classic for many reasons, "Time After Time" would be the number one for me. Then there's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and through in songs from Prince and Marianne Faithful, definitely a classic!

Starts strong and ends strangely but still enjoyable.

I have loved this album since I got the cassette tape in my Easter basket in 1984. Pure 80s pop perfection. Cyndi Lauper is an icon for the ages.

Wonderful.

Still underrated icon!!

Ett geni! Om hon varit man skulle den anses vara en klassiker en av 80-talets främsta plattor. Men jag minns åttiotalet – det var en annan tid – kvinnliga artister behandlas som sångerskor och kuttersmycken, inte som konstnärliga subjekt. Nåja, end of rant - det här är allt som var bra med åttiotalet! Femma!

Gøy! Veldig bra høydepunkt etter et langt jækla hav av mannealbum, så æ hørte på det to-tre ganger og hadde det fint.

WOW!!! Love love love this one! Really haven’t listened to Girls Just Want to Have Fun in a while and it’s so much better than I remember. Every song on this album is 80s banger after banger. Didn’t even realize GJWHF is a cover and Lauper flipped the script on the original meaning. Anyways, it’s a perfect 80s pop record. Favorite tracks: Money Changes Everything, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night, He’s So Unusual

u know what, fuck it - 5 stars - bangers throughout.

I like the betty boop interlude a lot

7 years old at my dad's. Hell yeah

such a fun album. Gives feminism a good name.

Peak 80s, stuffed full of bangers. Perfect Friday afternoon listening

Mysig 80-tal

we love this album

Eines der besten Pop Alben aller Zeiten

Great damn record. The songs and arrangements are all solid. The real genius is the interplay between the electronic and other parts. It doesn’t feel locked down by rigid sequencing, and all those parts bring energy and vibrancy to the whole record. It’s killer.

This is the soundtrack of my adolescence. I played the tape on repeat everyday for years. It’s etched into my DNA and hearing it again beings a swell of memories. The songs are full of energy, empowerment, and rebellion. It made me think of who I am today and this albums influence on my world view. I got lucky Cindy was my influence. Worth mentioning, this collection of songs and her have stood the test of time…time after time.

80s pop perfection! What more needs to be said?

She got some all-time bops in this album, idk how you rate this low imo. It’s not even bubble gum bs either, it’s the type of music that is everlasting. Never heard a full project from her and it’s cohesive as all hell. You can never go wrong with some 80s synth too and she floated on these tracks… Cyndi you kinda went crazy!

Just incredible 80s pop. Sublime.

It's been awhile since I've listened to this one and I'd forgotten how many great songs were on this brilliant album.

Cover 8 I didn't really listen to this album until s couple of years ago. 2022-ish. And I realized I really liked this album. It was on repeat for a month or two.

Awesome

Cyndi came out of the gate swinging and fully formed, this is one of the most competent debut albums I've heard in a bit.

Well Cindy - you've impressed me! Bop after bop!

I really liked it I knew basically all the songs and I liked that one of them was my dad's choir song

My favourite 80’s pop album not made by Prince. I have listened to this thing seems like a hundred times. Still gets a spin a few times a year.

Jo toisena albumina tuli levy, mitä olen jos kasarilla kuunnellut kasetilta. Biisit on siis tuttuja, kuten myös Cyndi. Tykkäsin levystä jo tuolloin ja edelleen. Levyllä soittaa suuresti arvostamani The Hootersin Rob Hyman koskettimissa ja Eric Bazilian kitarassa. Suosikki biisejäni on Princen ”When You Were Mine” ja tietysti hitit ”Time After Time”, ”money Changes Everything” ja ”Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.

Top tier 80's pop

What an amazingly defining LP. You can not think of the 80s and not think of her. The documentary about her, Let the Canary sing, is amazing

Girls just wanna have fun

What a fucking vision! She does it all on here. We've got party songs, ballads, comedy, covers, and it never gets old. She has a really unique voice and uses it to her full ability here. This is absolutely one of the most stunning debut albums ever.

This is the chaotic good part of the 80s. Cyndi Lauper is a true icon. This album is so bright and warm like the sun on a stroll through the park. The song order felt a bit out of sync but that just added to the chaotic energy.

Ooh go on then. Oh this is really fun and interesting. Like i knew there was more to Cyndi Lauper than the two pop bops but I didn't KNOW y'know? A lot of variety while maintaining a signature sound .... theres a full on ska track???? We respect it. I love She Bop... dont necessarily understand He's So Unusual, Baby Voice rarely does anything more than annoy me, but the slam into Yeah Yeah is sickkkkk I can see why they're that way round. Not 100% on it mostly for the baby voice but im probably gonna buy this. Or see if my dad has it. Solid 4.5 and im gonna round up bc im in a good mood and i like her hair.

Hit after hit after hit. Hits I'd forgotten about, hits on my kitchen playlist, hits you hear in the drugstore, hits I don't particularly like. The pinnacle of 80s pop, making the highest and best use of the synths and drum machines that plagued the charts. I'm particularly fond of All Through the Night, which will support the underappreciated Jules Shear for the rest of his days. (For extra credit, to fully grasp Cyndi's artistry, listen to the originals of the 3 songs that had been recorded previously: Prince's When You Were Mine, The Brains' Money Changes Everything, and Shear's All Through the Night.)

"The perfect '80s album doesn't exi-"

Pure 80s nostalgia. Loved it. 4.75/5 stars.

Incredibly cheerful, synthesizer-heavy 80's pop. So many good songs, almost all of which are very well known due to them being absolutely incredibe. I was rather surprised by the last three songs within the album, which are the only ones I have not heart before. These three songs differ quite a bit from the rest of the album.

Never listened to this whole album (or any other whole Cyndi Lauper album) and I did not realize how stacked this album was, especially for a debut album. Those first six songs are relentless. Time After Time is pure gold. And I have a deep deep-cut fondness for When You Were Mine and Money Changes Everything. I feel like there is another memorable song in there at the beginning but it's not coming to mind. The last third is forgettable but I'm hard pressed to think of many better Side 1's than this.

Wow really liked this

An emotional album overall, including solid pop ballads in "Time after Time" and "All Through the Night" (minus the weird synth interlude), and exploring musical themes, drifting from ballads to pop anthems to new wave/rock-leaning tracks. Cyndi's vocal range is impressive, highlighted by the A#5 in her cover of Prince's `When You Were Mine`

Bop after bop

terrific production and great performance by Cyndi What a moment in time.

Classic

Soooo fun

IF YOURE LOST YOU CAN LOOK AND YOU WILL FIND ME

Great album. Some classics on this. Too many good songs to name. Easy 5

Sometimes the level of positive energy improves the final product, and Lauper dials it up to eleven on this album. Because of/despite her classical training, she does some unusual things with her voice; and the synthesizers, while prominent in every song, are adjusted often to create unique sounds; add to this the female empowerment/challenge of sexual norms and we have a true 80s winner.

💗

The first half of this album is perfection, Somehow she reveals emotional depth and longing while appearing to be a pixie pop singer. It’s quite an empowering feminist feat. I think the album lags a bit on the second half but she pulls off iconic performances without sacrificing her identity.

So weird. I love.

Pure pop perfection. So many hits. And it has my favorite Prince song! Or is it a Cyndi Lauper song? Who cares, loved this cover to cover several times through.

Think I’ve gotta go with a 5 here. A lot of hits for a debut. I’d never heard Money Changes Everything before but that was a banger and my favorite. The Prince cover was great. Whole thing had that consistent new wave sound that I’m looking for in something like this.

Gotta go 5 here. This was really fun to listen to (except for "he's so unusual" which I assume was annoying on purpose. The massive pop hits fit along nicely with the rest of the album, and the Prince cover was on point. It also aged quite well for an 80s album!

10/10. No Notes

One of the best performances of the 80s. Kicked a career off including wrestling career. Went on to have the fun and exciting times of the 80 s MTV generation

One of the best pop albums of the 80s, Lauper cleverly reimagines material by other artists, adding her own spin to create a result that is consistently enjoyable and stands the test of time.

She’s So Unusual is such a fun, personality packed burst of energy, and her cover of Prince’s When You Were Mine is a total highlight that she completely makes her own. 5 stars

Time after time is an amazing song.

Wasn't expecting such a bop. 80s pop at its absolute best.

I’ve actually been meaning to listen to this for awhile and wow, I was not disappointed. This is pretty much banger after banger. Really good songwriting, unique vocal style, new wave sound….nothing not to like here as far as I’m concerned. Really a great album.

Awesome

cyndi lauper is an icon. this album is a great listen.

So many stellar songs! And her vocals aren’t really as, erm, winsome as the stereotype suggests. I wish, I guess, that she’d written more of the songs. But her taste was exquisite, and she made the songs *hers.* I could listen to this over and over.

hammeralbum, auch nach über 40 jahren immer noch frisch und mitreissend - we just wanna have fun!

Love this album. Such a good 80's classic

Büro, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Fantastisch!

Really dug this.

Some amazing hits

4.5

A coming of age album for both the artist and listener. I was surprised to learn that this was Lauper’s debut album, because it contains most of the work that I define her by. It’s fun to hear her experiment with that 80s synth sound throughout the album, and use her vocal chops (hello breath control!) to drive a song home. Girls just wanna have fun will never get old for me, and has never wavered in being a uniting, feminist anthem while keeping its sense of whimsy. Further reading: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is also a delightfully cheesy teen dance movie from the 80s starring SJP. By no means a cinematic feat, but was frequently rented by me at the local blockbuster.

LOVED IT

Wow, that is a classic pop album! It is kinda 80's dated but it is good in a way because it shows well the production and the sound of the time. Most of the songs are pleasant and I love Cyndi Lauper's voice. Some of her classics also present. Definitely will revisit it

This album is the definition of all killer no filler. Money Changes Everything is a phenomenal intro that leads into Girls Want To Have Fun, perfect songs to pair. When You Were Mine is a pretty take on Prince's hit, and Time After Time is a gorgeous 80's time capsule of a ballad. Side B might start with filler if you don't bop, but the bubbly synths in All Through the Night are pristine pop. Witness is one of those songs that I'm sure everyone in the world skips, but I love it, her vocalizing with the super jagged and colorful instruments that are playing a ska-type beat, I feel like Paramore calls back to this on their song called Now. I'll Kiss You? Yeah the party's starting to end, but it ends on a very fun Helen Kane impression, and it sounds just as amazing start to finish as it always does.

Two Billion play songs on the same album (Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time.) This album was so impactful on the 80s and beyond,

A gem from a decade that had some amazing music and a lot of junk as well. This album has stood the test of time with a surprising amount of songs that ended up becoming modern day classics. Amazing instrument playing when compared to most of the pop playing at the time. Beautifully crafted and performed songs.

I have two original pressings of this album on vinyl. Time After Time might be one of my favorite songs ever. This one is a no brainer for me. Cyndi should have been as big as Madonna (and was at least on par with her there for a minute). She's more talented, and she has such a powerful voice. Plus, we all needed more Captain Lou Albano in our lives. 5⭐️

This is a solid four because of all the hits, but I have to give it a five because of girls just wanna have fun. That is a generational tune.

♫ Listening to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper (She's So Unusual, 1983) ♫

An essential 80s Pop/Pop-Rock album. The songs are memorable and fun, they don't drag for a single second. I've never went further than 3-4 songs by Lauper, but this is an incredible album with two of her signature tracks.

Did not think I'd be ready to give Cyndi Lauper a 5 but here we are - this is perfect 80s pop infused with a punk sensibility, some great ska-like horns on some songs, crazy and unique voice, dense with bangers. I've had to listen to a lot of 80s pop for this list and will have to suffer a lot more but this is the best.

bangerz

This album is so stacked with great 80s pop. Even the non-singles are bops. Favorites: When You Were Mine, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night Would I listen to it again: Yes

5 just for poignant Time After Time alone, a song that followed me through an ill-fated romance in my early 20s and then later used in the iconic (in Australia) 1990s Strictly Ballroom movie from Baz Luhrman. The rest of the album is quite good, too, if like this sort of pop.

Bra,, 4 stjärnor kanske tom 5!!

A true 80s classic. Light to decent 9

Great album again heard it before always a good listen

Cheesey but oh so good.

LITERALLY A NO SKIP ALBUM. SHE'S GETTING ALLLL 5 BABE

Hadn't listened to a lot of these songs, but they're mostly great! For some reason, Time After Time is one of my favorite songs ever. I also really liked Money Changes Nothing, She Bop, All Through the Night, and I'll Kiss You. She's a really energetic singer and the songs are 80's pop perfection.

Oooh, for some reason I wasn’t expecting Cyndi Lauper on this list, but this is such a good pull. Excited, to say the least!! Very, very fun!! And also very influential within the pop world, I’d say. The best songs are otherwordly; I mean, Time After Time is for sure one of the greatest songs of the 80s. Such a strong album.

For what she did for pro wrestling makes her a legend to me. But this album is just nonstop fun. Hit after hit.

Love Cyndi, but never heard anything except singles. But the album is really great

Excelent record!

Such a great album. Time After Time is an absolute classic. I know this on the album, but when I listen to this, I can basically feel myself on my couch in the 80's watching a VHS of The Goonies with Cyndi Lauper playing on the soundtrack. Good times...

In her debut, Lauper showed that she is a free and rebellious spirit. Here she served and continues to serve as inspiration for other artists in the genre on how to make a good pop album. This isn't an album that's just about "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"; many tracks here stand out and prove why Cyndi has become a pop culture icon. Never mind that she didn't achieve the same success in subsequent works; the impact of "She's So Unusual" will echo for decades and influence many other artists.

All bops. No notes.

i just had Van Halen's 1984 and I thought it completely failed the premise of this list: the only things on there that you could even potentially argue deserved to be heard before you die were the singles that almost every english speaker has probably already heard a billion times. this album is basically the complete opposite. yes, there are huge singles we've all heard over and over, but it turns out they come with a whole album of no skips! basically every song on here could have been a single for a lesser artist, which really highlights how good the big hits here are, for them to have risen to the top of this selection

flawless, beautiful, graceful, magical, adding songs from this to my rotation

Pre-listening thoughts: girls just wanna have fun is such a fun karaoke song and I’m not sorry about it Post/during listening thoughts: and what if pop music healed me tonight. This is exactly what I needed. I love you Cyndi lauper and all your quirkiness and your influence on pop artists today!! This is an album full of character and spark and joy!!! 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: lowkey. if you like pop music this is a foundational piece of it. Please listen!!! Fav tracks: I’ve recently tried to avoid saying “this is a no skip album” and just pick like 3-4 really good ones but man… Least fav tracks: n/a

A wonderful listen overall, fun vibes

Simply amazing from start to finish.

An insane album. So diferent, so creative, so varied, so fresh, so gooooood. Half the songs were hits, all should have been. A perfect autobiographical album that should be a staple in any collection.

Been a while since I got something I already have on vinyl

“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is the perfect pop song. “Time After Time” is also great. “I’ll Kiss You” and “When You Were Mine” are also fun. Lauper’s voice is a bit of an acquired taste and overall the record drags in the middle a bit (“She Bop” in particular). But still very enjoyable pop. Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars.

Flashback to 1983.

This album is full of bangers. This is excellent 80s pop.

Several songs that are iconic, and super good. The rest are still enjoyable. Time after time + girls just want to have fun + all through the night carry the album tho

What a feel good album, whether you enjoy her music or not; this album really hits the spot on a blue sky, sunny Friday. Released in ‘83, I’d argue it’s way ahead of its time, this album gets a high 9.3/10.

Uma voz extremamente energética e vibrante com uma composição musical tão influente agora como nos clássicos anos 80. Músicas como “Girls just wanto to have fun”, “Yeah Yeah”, “Time after time”, “Money changes everything”, entre outras. Um álbum fácil de ouvir que reflete a influência pop com algumas tracks feministas e românticas mas ao mesmo tempo dolorosas e verdadeiras.

Meilleur que The Kinks

So many hits and a sound of a generation, my generation.

I really enjoyed this. I grew up with Cyndi Lauper's music as background noise in the '80's, and never really listened to it because it was "girl music." But, now that I'm older, I really enjoy it. Her voice can be punchy and then sonorous in the same song, and the lyrics are great! There's a lot to recommend in a romantic way. Not so much in trying to woo someone, but rather in the way you do in a long term relationship. I also like the synthy and eclectic sound. I miss the experimental nature music had from this era. Music has become so cardboardy and uniform. We could learn a lesson from Lauper in trying new stuff and making music sound different but also appealing to a wide variety of people. Also, makes me miss Lou Albano and the Goonies...

As a child in the 90s, this was one of the cassette tapes my mom would play in her van often. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was our JAM when I was in elementary school. Listening now, I feel like this album has held up over time.

This album is a blast. Introducing it to my teenagers and having them love it too was also a blast.

Wow, what a debut! Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

i simply love cindy

Kickass 80s pop record. Really this is up there with Talking Heads’ output around the same time. Energetic, confident delivery and sound, a lot of authentic, fun weirdness, and great tunes. Must-listen #98!

This is actually pretty fantastic. Good energy throughout.

This one's a true gem, both the album and the artist. Lauper has so much force, talent, and an absolutely unique and impressive way to perform. Maybe that was a bit too much for that time to give her the credit she deserved. Time After Time is my favorite, followed by All Through The Night.

wonderful album

Holy shit, I had a feeling I’d like this but this is terrific. No skips at all. 80s vibrance at its finest. I feel it in my heart and soul. Hard to pick a favorite. Through the Night, She Bop, Money Changes Everything … and we haven’t even discussed the hits yet.

When You Were Mine

Cyndi Lauper can do no wrong.

Listened to this for the first time as a young girl. Mom was a big Cyndi fan. Definitely will enjoy re-listening.

Do you like old songs or recent songs? I like this album because it has a good beat and a good vibe. I would recommend this song because its a banger

I often find albums on this list that are way too long, but this is the first I felt was too short. That's not bad in any other way than that I wanted thisurprisingly sophisticated pop masterpiece to keep going. Oh well, one can always press «repeat».

pop music at its finest

Never realized what a great voice she has. Tons of hits just from this album. Absolutely loved it.

Fav tracks — Girls just want to have fun, When you were mine, Time after time

She’s So Unusual presents an alternative option for 80’s Pop that stylistically takes it’s cues from Punk and New Wave rather than the Funk, Club, and Disco that Madonna and is, as such definitely more unusual as Pop and as a social document. Lauper has a distinct sense of humour and a clear love and appreciation for both Vaudeville and classic R&B. It makes for a fun, infectious and occasionally heartbreakingly beautiful and sincere listening experince

The kicks ass. You can be the most masculine dude ever. But when Girls Just Want To Have Fun comes on, you gotta groove with it.

80's pop meets punk new wave. Cyndi Lauper makes it her own. SO much fun listening to this! What a voice!! BIG 5!!

Iconic. I can hear the colorful vision she had for her career and loved listening to this album!

Gloriosa música. Podrían cantarla Bruce o Tom Petty y serían aclamadas. Cindy les da no sólo energía sino un buen rollo que décadas después sigue funcionando como el primer día. 16 millones de discos sirven de tarjeta de presentación. Pionera en muchas cosas. Estilo inconfundible. Sin ella no habría Katy perry, ni Pink, ni Lady gaga, Tegan and Sara, Icona Pop... ni otras tantas. Este disco es apabullante. Apertura imbatible: Money changes everything (de The Brains) y luego una de la mejores versiones de la historia: la canción de los 80, Girls just wanna have fun. Toda una declaración de intenciones que hoy cobra aún mayor significado. No le busquen pegas, no las tiene. ¿Que no están True Colours, My first night without you o I drove all night? ¿En serio importa? Aqí están la eterna Time after time (que tanto le gustaba a Miles Davis) o la sensual She bop que son otras joyas. La versión de When you were mine (Prince) no está a la altura. Witness mete ritmo reggae en línea The Police, pero en su estilo particular. I´ll kiss you tiene ese punto pop-new wave a lo Material Girl solo que dos años antes que la ambición rubia... Como cierra el disco: yeah yeah!!!

Day345 - an icon. the first six songs are amazing, she’ll be in the rock and roll hall of fame in 2025 and it will be long overdue

It's a 5 based on the singles alone - with the filla not being too bad either (other than He's so unusual which sucks). Absolutely love girls just wanna have fun - it triggers this weird 80's Americana nostalgia vibes within me. Good times. Shame the song from Goonies not on this album.

Great cleaning music

God

I love how this album starts. The band strikes an excellent initial fun and energetic entrance, and then Cyndi Lauper's voice pierces through like a trumpet soloing on top of an orchestra. When the chorus of this first track lands, I'm already thinking about how this sound is so perfectly 80's; how so many other choruses and songs and acts all borrowed from this idea. "Time After Time" for me is one of those songs where when I start to hear it, I get stopped in my tracks and get a rush of warmth and nostalgia and just a bunch of feelings. I don't necessarily attach it to any specific moment(s) in my life, but it's just so good that I have to pause and appreciate it. In 1995 she performed it live on Howard Stern's radio show with a dulcimer and a basic Shure $100 SM57 mic. She has a violinist and an organist with her too, but this simple setup leads to one of my favorite performances of any piece of music ever. I don't know when I heard it first (I was 5 at that time so probably it was years later), but it was my first time hearing her and being like "I like this music". The climactic moment where she sings the high harmony "I will be waiting" is pure art magic. I really adore the lyrics of "Time After Time", they are simple and profound and I think that those are often the lyrics that resonate the most with me. More approach-ability and less verbosity for the sake of complexity. I love the visual imagery throughout with her weaving in and out of problems with the pace of a relationship and how it connects to time and an actual clock next to her bed. Thinking about a list of the most quintessential 80's songs, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is near the top. It's the sound of 80s energy, it's so lyrically apt for the 80's, and it must be one of the songs that the everyday person thinks of when they think of 1980's music. It's an amazing song and one of the most fun songs ever. "When You Were Mine" is a super underrated bop as well. I covered it with my friend Jake for a birthday party concert a few years back. There's nothing quite like getting to know a song by learning all it's ins and outs. "She Bop" is also a standout track that is easily forgotten about. I love this album art. I've written before on this list about how I love when album artworks captures some kind of "moment in time", and this is a great example. It's the early 1980's, fashion is starting to explode into crazy saturations, music is starting to shed it's warm timbres in favor of sharper and edgier synthetic sounds, and everything feels a bit more vibrant. I've gone back and forth about this being a 4 or a 5. At first I thought it was a strong 4 as I knew it had "Girls Just Want to Have fun", and then I noticed that this album also has "Time After Time" on it. For me, those tracks along with "She Bop" and "When You Were Mine" are just too good to not be a 5.

Great album! Quirky, yet accessible.

Always loved this album. Kinda bubble gum pop, but takes me back to good times. Favorite song: Yeah Yeah

Easy 5-star!

Masterful fusion of pop and new wave.

A blast of an album from start to finish. Brings back great childhood memories.

Eine wichtiges Album. Darum hat auch Miles Davis den Song Time after Time gecovert.

Probably an extra point for '80s teen nostalgia

If you can get past the familiarity, the hits on this album are so freakin' good. They're played a lot, but I think it's so well deserved. The music itself is really fun and a bop on its own, but then her voice takes everything to another level. She's so incredibly vocally talented. The end and fade out of "Money Changes Everything" is a prime example of her talent. The non-hits on the album are still bops but are just good and not great. Still a very fun album to listen to from beginning to end. Favorite Song(s): Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Time After Time, All Through the Night

Loved!

Geez, I love this album so much. I've loved it since my Dad got it when it came out in 1983, and I love it now. I was also a big wrestling fan as a kid, and the Cyndi Lauper/Capt Lou team-up was all a kid could ask for. Is it perfect? No, I find the last 3 songs on the album are definitely the weakest. However, I'm still giving it 5 stars, one for each hit on this album, +1 for the wrestling connection. :star::star::star::star::star:

Really? Do you need a review for this album. It's quirky, fun, party music with just the right touch of pathos. I mean, Girls Just Want To Have Fun is on this album. A versino of Prince's When You Were Mine done in the least Price way is on this album. The sad and soulful Time After Time is on this album. The ever so slightly dirty She Bop is on this album. This was an enourmous hit when it came out in 1983 fueled by the party atmosphere in clubs and MTV in general. Even today, Girls Just Want To Have Fun is a staple of anything 80s plus alt-rock stations. Teenagers today still listen to it and Time After Time shows up in Rom-Com movies. I could go on by why? You all know this album and why it's great.

Perfect 80s pop. Loved it.

An upbeat ride on the unusual bus

She's so good! I love this album. Her voice is amazing. All the big songs still hit me. I added the Prince cover When You Were Mine to a playlist earlier this year and love it whenever it comes on

Another great album by a female artist.

Some people can sing really well, some have a beautiful voice, and some have “ a sound” - Cyndi Lauper has all of those.

Bold and enjoyable 4.6

The cover of Girls Just Want to Have Fun is so known and kind of silly that you sleep on how good she is. This was so much better than I was expecting.

This album is Cyndi Lauper's legacy. Besides the title track from the follow-up album, TRUE COLORS, I imagine if anyone thinks about Cyndi, they're gonna think about this album--and its big hit more specifically. From the quick overview I did, it just seemed nothing else she did (besides "True Colors") could really ever compare to how big and explosive her debut was. Which I don't think is a bad thing, entirely. Like, if you're gonna have a legacy, this album is a pretty good one to have. For one, as overplayed as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" may be... It's still "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". It's one of the biggest and most iconic songs of the 80's, and not for no reason. It's huge, it's anthemic, and, dammit, it's just plain fun. And "fun" is the word I'd apply to the rest of this album. Sure, it's all pure bubblegum. No one's suggesting you should live off of it. Take it from someone who chews a lot of Juicy Fruit, though: it's really tasty gum. Produced in the most superbly 80's New Wave pop kinda way. Lauper sounds like she's having an absolute blast recording this thing. Add on top of that a pretty good of my favorite early Prince single... Honestly, I have a hard time thinking of any negative points I feel worth bringing up. Maybe the fact that "He's So Unusual" is hard-right panned? And then in that same ear on "Yeah Yeah" you've got this squeaky Harley Quinn voice? And "Witness" might be the weakest song? I'unno. None of that makes me want to give this album any less than a 5, anyway. It's just fun, and that's all I, a girl, want.

I’m at a very fun 5. I’ve known Cyndi Lauper was good – Girls Just Want to Have Fun & Time After Time are quintessential 80s tracks. I didn’t know she was this good. The first 6 tracks on this one may well be all-timers, even if 3 of them are covers. Money Changes Everything surprised me, mainly because I was fully expecting the tone of this album to follow the poppier synths of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, but she pulls off that Springsteen-esque style really fucking well. Her vocals get one hell of a showcase, and it sets the tone that this album doesn’t have to be all bubblegum and sunshine. Jumping ahead, the When You Were Mine cover is pretty damn good too. She Bop is pretty fun, but I couldn’t quite place why I liked it so much. Just catchy as hell. All Through the Night is the emotional peak of the album, and I’m genuinely stunned it wasn’t the last track on the album. Beautiful, beautiful track that I’d never heard until listening through this, but it stunned me. The album sort of falls down after that – Witness & I’ll Kiss You are both really fun with their own neat production tricks and stylization quirks, but after All Through The Night, they just sort of pale by comparison. The last two tracks are where it just sort of stumbles to a finish line – the Betty Boop stuff didn’t click as well with me for a sort of feminist-driven album and just felt backwards, and Yeah Yeah has a great transition, but the rest feels like it was produced super early on in the album, and Cyndi just didn’t want it to go to waste. Either way, those first 6 tracks are so fucking good they deserve a 5 on their own, and the album doesn’t collapse so badly as to drop it any lower. When I think of 80s pop and 80s synthwork, this sort of soundscape is exactly what my brain thinks of. To hear it fully encapsulated and properly executed throughout an entire album of the era feels super satisfying, and it certainly helps that most of the tracks are about as catchy and fun as I was hoping for. It’s an incredibly easy 5 for me, even if it does sort of stumble down towards the end. I really, really enjoyed that.

This album is kind of a 2 hit wonder but to be honest, I enjoyed the whole thing.

Album 552 of 1001 Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (1983) Rating : 5 / 5 One of those that made me smile real big when it was revealed as album of the day. We go way back. Freshman year of college. As a pop music fan I felt I had to choose between Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. It wasn't even close. I just love this album. No doubt I've heard it hundreds of times. I know every note of every song and enjoy it every time I hear any of them. Great vocals...fun vibe...awesome tunes...great memories. I also recommend the early album from her pre-solo years band Blue Angel...great tracks from the early 80s NYC Rockabilly scene.

She’s so talented. It’s no surprise she was top of the charts. She had a great voice! And she was backed by good songwriting and studio work. But her fame faded quickly. Maybe getting involved in the pro wrestling scene diluted her credibility? Can’t be sure. But after listening to the album and hearing not only the hits but the great singing that didn’t get airplay it’s disappointing that her career was fairly short.

perfect

Fun sound

The eighties called, and it wants to party! I give this five big beats on the drum machine and a gated snare.

4.5

im just a girl 👯‍♀️

Cyndi Lauper's debut album She's So Unusual start with a heavy punchy drums on `Money Changes Everything` to continue with the World known Hit song `Girls Just Want to Have Fun`. The style is set and the quality of the production alone is worth the listening. The album is pretty good overall, with a small dislike for the 2 ending title.

Loved it. Her voice is so unique. That intro to She Bop is.... *chef's kiss*.

Loved it, 80s pop perfection.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun. Cindy Lauper, the best.

80s vibes pur

What a fantastic and nostalgic album. I've always loved her unique vocals and spunky attitude. I didn't own this album, but I did have Twelve Deadly Cyns. I can't wait to see her live in a couple of months...it'll be a childhood dream come true.