She's So Unusual

1,5

🙂

Don’t know if she ever did anything else. But this is quite an accomplishment. 4 Boolean: True

Iconic 80s pop

I always had a soft spot for Cyndi Lauper and this album does not disappoint with some timeless classics, including Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night, Girls Want to Have Fun, and Money Changes Everything. Really great pop songs from back in the day. I'm kind of stuck in my grading between 4 and 5 and feel like it just falls short of a 5-star album just due a few "mid" tracks at the end. Am I being picky? Yes, but a 5-star album for me has to be one you can feel comfortable dropping the needle and letting it spin all the way to the end. This is awesome but feels like a 4.45 out of 5.

I'm surprised that this is actually good! I don't like pop and I'm not a Cyndi Lauper fan, but I do like what I know of the person. There is actual quality here, especially in the first four songs.

This sounds like th 80s in the best way. When you were mine, time after time and girls just want to have fun would make this great on their own, but the rest of the album is solid the whole way through.

Extra star because the singles go so hard. Rest is forgettable

First half sensational, second is a drag

I think this was the third album I ever bought. I don't know if any record has aged as well as this one. Heard it many, many times over the decades and it finally landed. Damn, it's really good.

One of my favorite 80s pop records. If it didn't have "I'll Kiss You" on it, I'd consider it close to perfect. The record is very front loaded and kind of fizzles out at the end of side two.

Great voice. Very bright pop sound but lots of personality.

Wasn't really fond of the first half as besides Cyndi Pauper's vocals, it felt a bit generic. I enjoyed the second half a lot more though. There is this annoying babyish voice that's used throughout which is really grating, that's preventing me from giving a 4 Highlights: I'll Kiss You, She Bop, Time After Time

Not as bad as I recall it when the singles invaded the airwaves, but still shrill.

a fun time

Girls just want to have fun and this is way fun. Unique voice, upbeat music and very good writing with variety and nuance.

Some all timer pop songs on here

Very good album, a classic I enjoyed

Fire album I love it heard a few before (girls just wanna have fun) and the rest is just as fire

Two big hits. Not sure about the rest. Hesitant 7/10.

holy shit 3 women in a row this is unprecedented This was so fun! I definitely wish I listened to it on a run or something instead of while doing work, I feel like this would really boost my mood otherwise lol. I really liked all the synths and twinkling kind of sounds that 80s pop music has. Overall I think I would definitely listen again, this is a pretty great feel good record that I think would go hard while getting ready for going out (which I don’t do but anyway). A 3.877/5

Some really great bops on this one.

This would’ve been a 5⭐️album if it weren’t for the last 2 songs

Muito foda todas as músicas clássicas dela estão nesse album

The hits definitely carry this one, the rest is decent enough pop. Her voice gets annoying sometimes but the songs are still catchy

Her voice grates on me but there are some bangers on this. 3/5

the rise and fall of a north east princess

está fixe

Never thought I would enjoy this album as much as I did!

Classic

85

Cyndi's best album. Memories of Wrestlemania and her appearances. Time after Time is the true banger on this album. This album definitely stands the test of time for it's place in history and launched her career massively. 5/5

Catchy poppy goodness. Ironically the only non-bop was called She Bop 4

Hated it. The electronic instruments sound really dated and I hated her voice

Good fun to reminisce about this one -- great tunes thereafter. Time after Time is, of course, an all-timer. I hadn't heard the back half of the album in a loooooong time, and there's some interesting stuff there, from the faux reggae of Witness to He's so Unusual. Also, this was the last time Papyrus font looked good on an album cover.

listened

Rätt tråkig musik. + för pipan.

I liked some of the songs, especially the most famous ones, which sound even better in the context of the album.

Okay, there was a surprisingly amount of songs that were familiar and the album was overall alright when I had it playing in the background. I feel like it's a bit meh nowadays but it's overall still pretty nice.

Puro suco dos anos 80, em plena thread no insta com o filtro. Álbum legal, Cyndi Lauper realmente tinha algo especial nela, com uma voz contagiante e estridente. E que contém um dos maiores hits dos anos 80 de todos os tempos: girls just wants to have fun. Bom disco

After listening to this I think I need a Laup-otomy.

She’s so fun

Repeat listen

I doubt I have it in me to write much of a coherent review, without it suddenly pivoting into wild fan-girling, but I'll try my best. I can absolutely see her voice being a bit polarising. An acquired taste, so to speak. But it is a taste which I have well and truly acquired. Here, we've got ten songs (or technically nine songs, and an intermission track) of pure, unadulterated fun. All sorts of fun. Synth-pop is undoubtedly one of, if not my absolute most favourite genres of music. And Cyndi Lauper's contributions to the genre are immense. This album gave rise to so many absolutely wonderful tracks, sounds, and musical themes - which are well and truly still shaping music today.

Really great album. Almost sounds like the epitome of the 80s and New Age music. There's some absolutely great songs on here, like Time After Time, which is always just a great song to sing to.

A few bangers in there, but otherwise fairly forgettable 80s pop

Cyndi's voice grates after a while, but there are so many great songs on here that not only defined the 80's but are still popular today. This is probably not getting promoted into my daily listening rotation but I was happy that it came up and it's a fun listen.

6. septembar 2026. 14.43h iconique GJWHF kao jedna od the pjesama i moj cesti karaoke go to best: girls just wanna have fun, when you were mine, time after time njeni gg i bones cameos <3

Admin knows when it’s Friday. Sometimes, music tells you something. I play in a men’s baseball league, and they asked us for a walk up song for playoffs. Girls just wanna have fun was among my choices, but I was torn. Then this album showed up, and I felt it was a sign. Aside from that, I thought it was good — fun, but just good. To be a debut album and include two anthemic songs that are still her two top rated today is pretty impressive, but it also kind of feels like a debut — theres some swinging and missing and slightly off center attempts. I’m also very much not a child of this era, so maybe I don’t have the full perspective. I did like I’ll kiss you, that’s a jam. Still probably gets good points just because the two heavy hitters are so good, but shoutout to her. I know she was a Taylor swift or Rhianna or whomever adjacent figure in her day, so a legend in her own right without a doubt.

Never cared much for Girls Just Want to Have Fun, but the musical Kinky Boots gave me an appreciation for Lauper's songwriting. Overall fun album -- I love the 80s synth / new wave influence infused with the pop sensibilities.

It was fun to hear a full record of Cyndi at the forefront of 80’s pop and with a few classic bangers as well. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time

Should have owned this album back in the day.

Love Cyndi Lauper.

Solid but nothing amazing

Fun 80’s listen. Some of the songs got killed by playing too many times at the grocery store

The hits hit; the misses miss. Luckily, this album is stacked with Lauper's big hits. Kinda made me wish I was a gay guy in 1983, so I could be like, "Wow, she ended Madonna."

You guys know I have a thing for upbeat 80s pop tunes that are on the edge of being corny, and while this was somewhat enjoyable, it was no TOTO. I feel like the production didn't pop, and I don't know, it just didn't stand out to me too much. Maybe another listen would warrant giving this a 3. Edit: I don't think I have this album the attention it deserved, and I mostly enjoyed what I did pay attention to, so I think it deserves a 3

This one takes me back. It was released in October 1983, shortly after I moved to NYC for school, and it was (H)UGE (in New York, you don't pronounce the 'H'). When I first started thinking about this album, I thought of how this album, and Madonna's debut album (released July 1983), and then Prince's Purple Rain album (June 1984) helped -- in a small but not insignificant way -- to define the mid-80s for me, which were also my NYC years (fall 83 - spring 87). And Lauper being from NYC, I think, made her ascendance resonate with me even more. One thing that Lauper, Madonna, and Prince all shared was a strong sense of style, and so there was a way in which you heard their music through their style (or vice versa). I suspect the launching of MTV in 1981 had something to do with this. But, at least, with those 3, we got artists who weren't afraid to express their (idiosyncratic) personal styles, and sense of who they were, as artists. Anywho . . . the MUSIC, right, right. So, for me, another 'is it a 3 or is it a 4?' album — either a high 3 or a low 4. It had a number of hits, so may suffer a bit from over-exposure. On the other hand, I'm grateful (and remember, I think, being at least vaguely aware of being grateful, back then, too) that Cyndi Lauper existed, and produced this music, and (improbably? unexpectedly?) achieved great success in doing so. This album contains several cover versions of songs by others, including a Prince song, and a couple of songs by and/or with Jules Shear, but of course with Lauper's own artistic imprint. My favorite tracks are probably in the middle, tracks 4/5/6, Time After Time, She Bop, and All Through the Night. In terms of how much I like the music it's probably only a (high?) 3, but I'll nudge this up to a low 4 partly in recognition of its cultural impact (including upon me personally).

I knew "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time" from excessive radio play. They're excellent songs and I think I have even more appreciation for them in context. I didn't know who Cyndi Lauper was until now, though. Those were just songs that always existed for me, and it's cool to imagine this album coming out at the time. Because now it's so quintessentially 80's, but back then the style hadn't been defined. The past is frozen and the future has yet to spring forth. It's easy to take the past for granted, but surely this album didn't have to be made? I mean in a pre-destined sort of way. I'm getting too philosophical Because I don't love the 80's production sound, it's not a 5 for me. However I do like the use of synthesizers. It's also a very FUN record. Lauper's exuberance is the highlight. In the end I'm feeling a low four when the weaker tracks balance out the stronger half

Ein perfektes 80er Popalbum. Alles drauf was man braucht. 4!!! bekannte Tophits, besondere Stimme, gut abgemischt und Laufzeit 38 Minuten. Starke Platte. Natürlich steht sie auch in meinem Plattenschrank.

Short, sweet, full of bangers

супер фан, чомусь відчувається дуже підходящим для початку осені, back to school періоду зберегла собі і точно слухатиму ще!!!

'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' is one of the 2 or 3 songs that define the 80s, not just musically but culturally, aesthetically, even politically. It's generally era defining. It's also pretty overplayed and silly. Awesome to hear then that the album that it comes from is full of bops, full of energy, full of character, full of verve. Very very cool.

Interesting album, not sure I love all of it cause it is extremely 80's coded, and some of the synth work (like on all Through the Night) is ridiculous and crazy. But I don't mind it all that much, what I do mind more is that the second half is not as good as the first.

desde el minuto cero este album a sido increible, es pop perfecto

This is very pop and so very 80’s, but it impact and lasting footprint cannot be denied. This was everywhere when it came out, and for several years. Such a strong debut for an artist that was totally out of the box. Any girl that came of age in the 80’s, and for others as well, some of these hits are on the soundtrack of their lives.

With five songs on the charts it’s hard to deny the impact of this record. Wasn’t really a fan of it when it came out, but it was hard to escape how ubiquitous it was. No matter where you were you would hear the songs. Time After Time remains my favourite and is a really good song. I was always a bigger fan of her backing band who would go on to achieve their own success as The Hooters.

I probably liked this more than I was thinking. I haven’t listened to much Cyndi and was thinking very superficial 80s. Sure a lot of that but felt a little deeper and complex. But what do I know. Girls Just Want to Have Fun is probably a victim of its own success. Really cool song. Generational but can be a little tough to listen to because I’ve heard it too much. Time after Time is a great song. I thought the rest was good, kind of fell in the back. 3.5 and I’m struggling which direction to go. The round up would be purely on those 2 hits. But maybe needed another big moment to go up.

Real talk: I didn’t enjoy this as much as I expected I would. The two big hits are still great for what they are, but the rest of the album was meh. 3.25/5

hits hits hits

In between a 3 and a 4 for me. Unique voice, huge bangers and a nice cover of a Prince favourite

Great album! Very catchy!! :)

One of the most annoying voices in pop. Bit of a boring album.

Love love love so many songs on this. However, many tracks drag, and Lauper's voice, which works so well for so many of her hits, does not work for *every* track. 3.5/5

It would be a 4/5 if He's so Unusual didn't exist

Pretty good pop album. One overplayed song, but quite a few lesser knowns that was nice to know. Favourites: Time After Time, Shebop and All Through The Night

That squeaky voice begins to wear you down and then When You Were Mine makes you want to squeak back and tell her to shut it but then Time After Time gives a bit of relief from the rodent vibes and She Bop is pleasant enough as a pop ditty but then it gradually nose dives again. This should be nowhere near a list like this, unless you're aiming to die before you're 15.

This has got to be one of the greatest debut albums of all time spawning 4 Top 10 singles. I had the pleasure of meeting Cyndi a couple of times. Once when she had a TV performance on German TV and we had dinner afterwards around 1996? She shared her thoughts about Madonna which were quite amusing. The next morning we caught up for breakfast and shared a ride to the airport. I had this idea of producing a dance album with her (Madonna did this a couple of year later) with a German producers. She was totally onto the idea but EPIC records was not into it. Before that I saw her at a Sony UK conference where she confidently walked into a room full of records company, media and retail people and seriously talked to everyone most of which she remembered by first name! The last time I saw her was supporting Rod Stewart in Australia. She still has it. A remarkable artist! Love her!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time are good, but the real standout is All Through the Night. This is a pretty good album, but can feel generic to the 80s at times.

Original voice-great tunes. Possibly a bit dated? Or that just me?

A glorious collection of pop songs delivered with style and panache. She has an enchanting voice. Sadly my favourite song of hers, True Colors, will not feature in 1001, but still a 4* album.

A great 80’s album. Distinctive voice and a couple of bangers supported by strong album songs.

Thin voice and, singles apart, pretty weak songs. None of it is helped by the very dated drum-heavy production. Bags of personality though. 2*

some big songs on here but I'm not sure it'll be a regular listen

8/10

Nok et sted mellem 2 og 3. Tommel op for nogle tip top bangers tho.

*44 Jeg har simpelthen byttet rundt på Dolly og Cyndi Lauper i min rating. Heldigvis lander de karaktermæssigt ens. Jeg bør dog stadig blive kompenseret for svie og smerte for "She Bop".

Ret meget ved det her album irriterer mig. Der er nogle bangers, men det kan altså ikke komme over 2

Ærligt talt lidt svært at komme igennem. Jeg synes godt nok, hun synger lidt irriterende. Selve musikken bliver lidt generisk. De to bangers, der er på albummet, er også bare mærket af den vokal. 1.8

Var lige nået at blive pumpet helt op på en 80'er synth high efter de første 3 numre, men så er det som om, albummet (eller måske mig selv) taber pusten lidt. Jeg synes stadig, det meste er forbavsende godt - og fedt at få 'Girls just want to have fun' i den rette kontekst - det klæder virkelig nummeret. Desværre virkede det ikke for 'time after time'. Synes klart mest om den del, der er mere rocket end poppet, men overordnet er jeg rigtig godt underholdt. Synes dog ikke det bidrager med nok nyt eller anderledes til at forsvare et 4-tal så det bliver en stor 3

Le canzoni sembrano tutte uguali, forse si salva She Bop, per il resto sono tutte canzoni per teenagers americani di quell'epoca. Girls Just Want to Have Fun è una hit mondiale e che gli vuoi dire, il resto è da buttare, brividi.

She really was unusual, and continues to be....... This holds up surprisingly well after >40 years, with a bunch of really quite good singles to start off the album (even though 2 of them are actually covers), leading into some absolute crackers in the middle section - Time After Time will always have a place in sad-lands to go and mope after a lost love. The 80s production is about as 80s as you can get, but it doesn't get too over the top at any stage. Close to 4 stars, but I think it just falls away a little too much in the latter part of the album so I'll give it a 3 for now,

Co za cudowne płyta! Bardzo spodobała mi się wokal, energia Cyndi, temat tej płyty i niektóre aranżacje. Wyśmienicie się bawiłam.

She’s not like other girls

I don't understand the Billy Joel - Cyndi Lauper connection, it has to be more

I liked it

4 Really cool album, Lauper as such a unique voice. Does tail off a bit in the second half

The definitive 80s pop album. My displeasure of hearing blanketed pop music has been diminished a little bit the past ten years or so I've picked up synthesizers as my go-to instrument. Unfortunately it doesn't feel any different that this album is essentially music I wouldn't really ever want to hear because I hear the hits plenty of times in public spaces for better or for worse. She Bop rules, Witness is kind of dubby which was a surprise. Other than that, it's good music that is absolutely not for me. It's so 80s in some fine ways, but aside from a few songs that will outlive all of us on earth right now and be played for generations and generations of people to come, She's So Unusual is too cliche to stand the test of time as an album.

Standouts Girls Just Want to Have Fun Time After Time All Through the Night

VERY 80s (derogatory). “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” are classics. ending is super weird

Great songs. And a few hidden gems that understandably didn’t make it on the radio.

80s Music all made by a computer.

A little too goofy at the end but she was a real treasure

pop-slop kinda idk

This is probably one of the most quintesstially 80s-sounding albums out there. I can't say I loved it all, but the highs are iconic enough for me to squeek this into a 4 for me.

Bien rétro vintage, très variété pas trop mon style à part quelques titres cools : 1. Time after time (if you’re lost you can look and you will find meee… time after time) 2. Girls just wanna have Fun

A fun listen and some 80s classics but a bit much for a whole album!

Quite fun, got a bit samey fairly quickly

Sounds super dated to me - in a way that most other 80s music doesn't somehow. Didn't love most of it, but Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and Time After Time are good songs. Hell, Time After Time was even covered by Miles Davis in the 80s.

I know both big hits coming from this album. Well probably everyone knows them. But I never listened to the entire album before. Well I must say I was surprised how good this one is. Not a bad song on it. Well in my humble opinion of course. So: 4/5

Time after Time and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun on the same album? We are spoiled.

let's gooooooooo I used to sing girls just want to have fun on sing star in middle school. good times. thoughts: - I dig the country/americana vibe of money changes everything. kinda reminds me of a springsteen song? - the vocals on when you were mine??? woahhhhhhhhhhhh!! - yeah yeah sounds like a halloween track, no I will not elaborate standouts: time after time, ofc

Ah, heard several of these before.

Muutama puhkisoitettu jättihitti ja ihan ok pop-levy mutta koko albumi täysin aikaansa jäänyttä kasaripoppia on vaan liikaa. 2/5

This whole album is a guilty pleasure 4/5

Lauper walked so Courtney Love could run. I couldn't help but hear the influence throughout this album. I honestly liked it more than I expected.

Time Machine Pop! Wonderful 80s album. Way more depth than you’d perhaps expect if you only know Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Just the right balance of quirky and commercial. Easy 4 for me.

Album was pretty good, honestly I think it’s best when Cyndi really leans into her weirdo punk aesthetic instead of being rlly slow, time after time is rlly boring dreck but girls just wanna have fun is so poppy and catchy for example Favorite tracks are she bop, girls just wanna have fun, witness, and yeah yeah

Only heard the singles before. My controversial opinion is that I never really cared for Cyndi even if her aesthetic was peak 80s. Sometimes Girls Just Wanna Have Fun annoys me even. Some of the songs here that weren't singles actually were pretty interesting. But the album still wasn't great for me. Also the last song was so anticlimactic I anticipated another song after it when it ended 2/5

Just not really my jam. But solid

fun

Not bad. The obvious hits are bangers. The rest is ok pop music.

So much more than the radio hits. Also a great album to run to.

Classic in the sweet spot of my main music listening days. I may have even owned this record at one time. Even the lesser songs are known well to me.

Outside of the hits, thus just didn’t do it for me

This album was implausible to me as a 13 yo who only spoke the language of classic and hard rock. But hearing Cyndi Lauper so many years later, I can only admit that she was the boss. This is “power pop new wave,” and it’s the new wave that makes it completely cool. But as you go song by song, bird by bird, you hear her talent expressed as through a prism. I can even buy into the classic, heavy rotation ballad “Time After Time” because her vocals bring such character, energy, and urgency - which they do to every dang song on this album. No wonder it produced so many hits when I wasn’t looking. Credit where credit is due. 5/5 despite one song (“Witness”) trying to drag it down a notch.

I can imagine a different universe where Cyndi Lauper (and her band) end up on a more new wave hero than an 80s pop icon. All the non hits actually have that feel and are solid in their own right. I would have loved to see her push that side of her work over the commercial pop side of things. Regardless, this album stands up quite well on its own and deserves respect!

2.78

Natalia: Overall Rating: 6.8/10 Favourite Track: She Bop Least Favourite: All Through The Night Notes: Didn’t feel very excited at the thought of this album as the 80s is my least favourite music era. However, I was pleasantly surprised with some tracks, namely She Bop - a saucy number which I found out is about female pleasure - pretty groundbreaking for the time. I already had Time After Time locked and loaded to put as my favourite but after two listens of She Bop I was hooked! The album starts strong with some deserved nostalgic classics that I’ve heard many a time at family doos, GJWHF and TAT. The lyricism of her songs surprised me and some were more experimental than I expected. The audio clips of Betty Boop in He’s Unusual were a delightful treat and really lend themselves to Cyndi’s faux childlike persona. When You Were Mine showed me a different side to her, a more emotive and desperate way of singing which I loved - why did singers stop doing that? Overall the first five songs were nice and strong but the latter half of the album loses itself to basic nothingburger tracks. I love how she’s so happy to sound a mess, she really lives up to the album name and I absolutely love that. Cyndi explores themes of money, love, girlhood and having fun which really sets the tone for how the 80s was beginning to be defined at the start of the decade. Probably wouldn’t listen again but will take She Bop with me. Toheed - Overall Rating: 8/10 Favourite Track: When You Were Mine Least Favourite: Witness (but I wouldn’t call it bad) Notes: Omg. Didn’t know how I was gonna react to this one as I rarely listen to music from people who cannot sing. So naturally I was unfamiliar with Cyndi Lauper, but this album was fierceeeee. The first 4 songs had an amazing run on them, just a perfect opening to this album. ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun ’ and ‘Time After Time’ are two standout classics and load-bearing pillars responsible for conveying the “New Wave Synth Pop 80’s Independent Girl Boss” moment that began Cyndi’s legacy. I imagine it must have taken a village to make this album, considering it’s her solo debut, and it definitely shows to me. How they managed to take her shrill, strident voice and use it to her benefit is beyond me, but I shall always applaud hard work, and I did enjoy it in the end, too! Her cover of ‘When You Were Mine’ was so good and lowkey; it has a quality that the original lacks for me. Still prefer Prince’s version tho. Noticing now, after Otis Blue, the girls used to cover their peers’ songs for their own albums, which is so cute to me, and I wish everyone would do this more again. Unfortunately, the album lost its nerve for me after ‘Witness’ and followed up with a few middle-of-the-road songs. If I were alive at the time, I probably would’ve gagged for those songs too, but I wasn’t. All in all, it’s not particularly an album I’d listen to altogether. Or one I’d run to if I had that 80’s pop craving. But individually, some of the songs are really good and trailblazing, so I have to respect it. I’d put this on while cleaning or ironing to have in the background, or it could be a fab road trip album, but not one I'd pick and choose to listen to all that regularly. Jamie: Overall Rating: 7.8/10 Favourite Track: She Bop Least Favourite: Witness Notes: This album was really fun and camp and I enjoyed listening to it, especially ‘Girls just wanna have fun’, ‘Time after time’ and ‘She Bop’. The first half started off really strong, but it fell off towards the end for me. Cyndi Lauper created a vibrant album full of life and personality and I still enjoyed it overall. a great example of good pop music from the 80s <3 Aiyra: Overall Rating: 6/10 Favourite Track: When You Were Mine Least Favourite: He’s so unusual Notes: I’ll listen to this album when I am a girl who just wants to have fun

better

To Classic Bangers! Resten var helt OK. jeg liker kreativiteten til Cindy, men var ikke så mange andre sanger jeg ville ha hørt på enn de to. Cindy blir også litt masete etterhvert.

Ikonisk. Beste sang: Time after time

What a fun album

Вот примерно так в моей голове звучат 80е, чудесный саундтрек для правого поворота - пусть мир летит в ад и мою душу приватизируют крупные корпорации, но хотя бы под хорошие песенки

Альтушка поколения 80-х. Помимо двух больших хитов, что-то интересное было, пусть и не все, но до 4 дотянула

Мой топ песен всех времен и народов 1) squeeze - up the junction 2) cyndi lauper - girls just want to have fun 3) daddy yankee- gasolina Одна из этих песен на этом альбоме. Поэтому 5.

норм альбом, 2 бэнгера топовых, остальное ровно средне - 3.5

very fun!

8/10 - Peak 80s Pop

Child-me had “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” as a favorite song, so my mother says. And why wouldn't I have? The song is incredibly upbeat and catchy, the video was a color riot, and I, as a child, ALSO wanted to have fun, gender be damned! To this day I think 80s Cyndi and her girl gang would have been a blast to hang with. They'd probably have thought otherwise. The title comes from an old song, but back then, Cyndi's style COULD be seen as “unusual,” which doesn't ring as true now. A woman releasing this very album in 2026, with the same style, the same vocal quirks, the same history, making a name for herself in “pro” wrestling circuits as well as on the pop charts (peep captain lou albano in the Girls video)... that's not that weird. It would arguably come across as try-hard. But at the time it felt intentional but honest. This was Cyndi, whether she was belting out her signature, earnestly pledging devotion in “Time After Time,” probably one of the best heartstring-tuggers of the era, or giving a big middle-finger up to the prudes and the patriarchy with “She-bop,” it was a statement. She never WASN'T all three of those things. And the first side definitely earns its keep. Two mega hits, plus Money Changes Everything and a passable Prince cover in When You Were Mine. That's worth a dive in the used vinyl in and of itself. You could argue that one side is plenty enough of Lauper's unique voice, bubble-pop gasps and all, but you could barely ask for a better 80s pop A-side if that's all you could handle at once. But it's not like you wouldn't try side B when you recovered. “She Bop” is, well, a bop, and “All Through the Night” follows it solidly; it occurs to me around here that there is a thru-line from this to Chvrches, albeit Cyndi mercifully doesn't cede ground to a mediocre male vocal, and there was definitely legitimate instrumentation on this. This side does have the main shortfall, though, in I'll Kiss You, a bit too strutting mod-punk for the rest of the vibe, and a waste of what Lauper can do with a tune when she has a tune to sing instead of this, but the album picks up for the ending, blending the Betty-Boop of the titular cover (and certainly a self-aware snark at herself and at the inevitable critics) and blending it through a fun, if trifling, closing piece. This was a mega hit in an “alternative” idiom and as such made major inroads for women who didn't conform to the normal standard of femininity that pop music required of its stars. It was camp as camp can be (and yet people claim that there was no such thing as queerness in their day). How much of 80s iconography exists because of She's So Unusual? Hard to say from here, but if you had to explain the decade to an alien, and didn't want it to destroy us for allowing the Reagan era to happen, this would be as good a representation as there is. Realistically this is a high three for me. 3.8ish range. Which, for purposes of the project, i'll call ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ok 80s music can be kinda fun Obviously Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a classic that’s impossible to go a week without hearing, iconic in the best way. Time After Time is pretty solid too, definitely one of the most 80s songs of all time. Wouldn’t say there’s a ton of standouts outside those two for me but I liked the rest of this album, think she’s a good vocalist and the music itself is fun enough where you can kinda get over the relative lack of strong theming Like I said though, once you get past that initial wave of “oh these songs sound nice” there’s not a ton there. I wish there was like one more song where I thought “damn that’s good”, rather than kinda just being iffy on all the songs I wasn’t familiar with Still though, have said before I mostly listen to music for the sound rather than strong lyrics/themes, so I’ll happily take a fun (if shallow) album over one with strong themes but it sounds boring or awful. Fun music is fun music

Women

In an ideal world Cyndi Lauper should have had the same fame as Madonna. Lauper is the better singer, has better original music and is able to put a unique stamp on the covers. She was also willing to push the envelope more. While Madonna may have been wearing (for the time) revealing clothes in her early videos, Lauper managed to get a top-10 hit about the joy of masturbation with hardly anyone batting an eye. Part of Lauper's appeal (and, unfortunately, part of what limited her career) was her look and style. She made sure she stood out, with red hair, a mashup of thrift-store close and a Betty Boop voice. And this was probably where she hit the wall. Madonna eventually tried to fashion herself as the new Marilyn Monroe, where too many people ignored Lauper's talents and pigeonholed her as a cartoon character. Largely, her debut She's So Unusual has weathered the years and earned quite a bit more respect than it originally garnered. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was a major hit (and a cover, to boot), but "Time After Time" is the song that really caught my attention. "All Through the Night" and "She Bop" are also two of the better songsy, the cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine" and "Money Changes Everything" have received quite a bit of notice in later years as well. Where the album falls short is the second side, where Lauper tries to live up to the cartoon character side of her schtick. After "Witness" the album just falls apart. If she would have just decided to say "screw it" to the character and put some actual songs in to finish the album it would have received another star.

Enjoyable up beat album

fun 80’s pop!!!!!

Love this. It's easy to see why she's so successful.

Some really great songs, my favourite cover of Price's when you were mine.

vaca come back

Her voice gets annoying after a while

1. 3.5 2. 5 3. 3 4. 4.5 1. 4 2. 4.5 3. 3.5 4. 3 5. 2 6. 3

7/10

This album was full of 90’s vibes and from what I thought Cyndi Lauper was just some singer that my parents like… turns out that she is insanely gifted musician and sounds AMAZING. Every track on this album is special in its own way and I love that. Absolute no skip banger just amazing music and could listen to this forever. Thanks Cyndi for blessing my eardrums today. ❤️

8.5/10 A quintessential 80s pop album, there isn't a song here I don't at least enjoy a bit.

N,19 Not exactly my thing but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Fun, danceable and very 80s. I rate it 3,8

So interesting to learn about the songs on here that are covers she put a feminist spin on. It totally changes “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” for me. I used to find it a bit annoying, but the story of it got me on board. I like that her voice is unusual but after the full album it grated on me. There are definitely some songs that it works better on than others and I thought the first side of the album was much stronger than the second side. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the album as 80s synth pop is really not my thing, but I’m not sure I liked it enough to ever listen to the full thing again. Fav song: Time After Time Least fav: I’ll Kiss You

Two serious bangers on here but the rest were middling unfortunately. The baby voice also put me off a bit Specific rating - 3.9 Fav song - time after time Least fav - yeah yeah

The power that Girls Just Want to Have Fun has over me on a night out cannot be overstated- I could be having the worst time of my life and as soon as it starts playing I'm on the dancefloor. There are definitely some low points on the album but the highs are just so high! Favourite song: Girls Just Want to Have Fun Least: All Through The Night

too eighties for me

The singles are strong, the rest not so much.

If you're in any doubt about a good way to spend a Sunday morning, I'm going to tell you - it's listening to Cyndi Lauper. Going in, I only really knew Time After Time, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and (a bit) She Bop. What a bit of filth that song is by the way. I guess the best way of describing the song writing quality is that after a single listen, I felt like I'd known most of these songs for ages. It does dip fairly sharply towards the end, and becomes a tiny bit one-paced, but really, it's great pop, brilliantly sung and with a huge 80s production on it. Lovely stuff.

this is a great example of why i wanted to embark on 1001: matching faces to names. i wouldn't say this is exactly my kinda old school pop (more of a madonna slut myself) but there a couple bangers in here to be sure and im grateful to become better acquainted with an icon about whom i knew so little. tgif everyone

I expected to hate this, and mostly just disliked it. There are the two classic tracks, and She-Bop and Drive All Night aren't bad cuts. I'll Kiss You is also kind of funky. Going 2 on this, mostly because I'm just not into this kind of 80s pop. I could see why people into that like this though.

This was a fun listen. Lauper's singing style is idiosyncratic and won't please everyone, but I like it (in shortish bursts). The first six songs are all good to great but then the album loses a bit of steam at the end. There are no truly bad tracks here, although the sub-one-minute piece of filler "He's So Unusual" could've been left out.

64/100

80s pop just goes so hard. Lauper's voice is perfect and the production on this is excellent in all its synthy glory. Every song on this is electric and so fun, in no small part due to how much personality Lauper is able to convey with just her voice and a few ad libs. Having two absolute classics on one album like this is no small feat, with all of the less popular ones being just as good. That transition from He's So Unusual to Yeah Yeah jumpscared the shit out of me, but holy shit it's so good. Favorite Track: She Bop

Impressive that a debut album contains two absolute classics. The vocals are a bit hard to listen to in parts because of how all over the place they are, but some quite fun pop and synthy hits on this album.

This album came out on my birthday! How fun. Also the trickle from left to right earbud in the "girls just wanna have fun" opening was so delightful. I also sang this song in high school. So many wonderful 80s elements going on in this album. I think it's really fun, but also started to wear on me after a bit.

Album has a couple of bangers, a few really weird ones, and is quintessentially 80s. Happy to have heard those songs, don't need to hear them again for a while.

Honestly pretty surprising. 80's pop is more often miss than hit for me, but this record is actually very fun. It has some big hits, but the rest are actually pretty well made. As a vocalist Cyndi works overtime. It isn't easy to belt like she does on this record. The melodies are addictively catchy. If I was a teen in the 80's this would've defitively been my jam. It is just fun pop with not a lot of depth, but that's okay sometimes. Really makes me wonder why I haven't heard of her before while other 80's idols are more well known even though they often kinda suck. 8/10

A fun 80s pop album. not particularly groundbreaking for me, but it is well sung and the songs are good.

Good synth pop, I enjoy the bass. Lauper's vocals are an acquired taste, but the album doesn't quite outstay it's welcome. I kind of wish some of the insane personality from the last few songs were more present earlier in the album, because it for sure ended on a crazy note.

Banger after banger.

A well crafted 80s pop record. 3.75/5.

Would be a 3.5 if that was an option -- time after time is just an all-timer song, but alas I doubt I'll be returning to this too often, so a solid 3.

So much fun. Banger after banger

A fun and boppy album, really capturing the 80s sound

iconic story

This was absolutely fantastic. While a lot of 80s music sounded in this vein, she perfected it. SO many good tracks - oh, and also six singles. Loved it.

Це зразковий поп 80-х, але особисто я таке не надто люблю. Проте це все ще дуже добре

This is manufactured pop music at its finest. First time active listen, but there's so much going on here for a casual headphones listen. It's strangely compelling even though many tracks are intimately familiar. This is a joyful listen and has aged incredibly well.

an 80s classic

p509. 1983. 5 stars. Betty Boop discovers synths :) There was a time in the 80s when Cyndi was a serious contender for Madge's crown. She's got a better voice, had better songs and a great image. The world should have been hers. There is some filler here, but on the whole this is fine work. And it has one of the rare instances of a Prince cover that is better than the original.

Funny i like it. She bop be bopdebeebop

I am certainly a little sick of the two big hits of this album, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the other tracks! The instrumentals are really tight and fun, and though I almost wish it was someone other than Cyndi who got to sing over them, it still worked for me. This was exactly the kind of 80's girl pop that I enjoy, as it has just enough edge to it that I'm not rolling my eyes from it being overly saccharine. Favorite tracks: Money Changes Everything, When You Were Mine

A fun pop/glam rock album with typical 80s synth. Cyndi Laupner’s voice is great in this album, even if it gets mashed with some cheesey 80s music, it’s a decent album that goes through different moods. The album drops a little on the second half, but I quite liked the closer Yeah Yeah. For all of the crap produced in the 80s, this is quite clear from that, albeit not an all timer for me or necessarily a game changer.

I didn't know she had so many classics on one album. Girls just want to have fun, Time after Time, and all through the night. The rest of the album was just ok tho.

god that A side is so good it could keep u up at night. the B side has a lot of predictable relative weaknesses, theres not a lot of magic there in terms of the raw melodic material, but honestly its impressive that even thru that cyndi herself continues to just fill the whole room with bubbles...and honestly theres also still a lot of rly smart and surprising navigation of the toolkit of The 80s Pop Studio. but thats just ur steady baseline which those opening four tracks vault into the stratosphere, huge and distinct , often imitated never replicated. what even Is that sound that starts popping up partway through girls just wanna have fun. elemental pop music with a genuinely eccentric, specific edge to it....its not as good as a prince album but its no shock to me at all he pops up in the credits here.

This is the 80s summarised as an album.

(3/5) Ms. Lauper is iconic in a very specific time and place. She has remarkable control over her voice, she has good musicians behind her, and she had a pretty clear vision of the type of performer she wanted to be. I can say she achieved that. Now, what that **is**, is where I take issues. Her infantile, 'Betty Boop' voice and party-girl image locks her and her music very specifically in the 'Goonies' 80s. Her hits are great, but an entire album of this stuff? I'll take a pass. 30 minutes in and it's shrill and annoying. I'm thankful the hits are in the front. She should have rationed that out better rather than perpetually locking herself into it. "Time After Time" is a glimpse, IMO, of what she did best and should have leaned harder into. With the benefit of hindsight it's easy to declare that song as the best track here. The rest? If you can tolerate that performance for that long, more power to you.

As a child of the 80s, this one really scratched an itch. In my memory, Cindy had reached real Madonna heights around the time of this album, and was almost seen as the wholesome alternative, with near constant appearances and video play on Mtv (often with Captain Lou Albano in tow). The highs here are incredibly high, but the b-sides are relatively forgettable. It's a very solid and welcome 4/5 from me that's gets multiple plays.

158. She's So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper (1983) 7.30.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 5 = 4.4 rounded down to a 4 "If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting (I will be waiting)" Cyndi Lauper is an artist I have very fond childhood memories of. The hits from this were all over the place and still get regular radio play to this day, she provided the catchy as hell single for The Goonies movie, and she was involved ( somehow) in the rise of the WWF as a cultural phenomenon. On top of all of that, she proved to be a fun personality in interviews, and seems to be a genuinely decent human being to boot. Who doesn't love Cyndi Lauper? Well, I'm guessing probably a lot of people who probably see her stuff has VERY dated to this odd time period when synths dominated the airwaves, capitalism ran rampant and our country was being ran by greedy fascists... Wait a minute, she might be more popular than ever now. We'll see in the reviews later, but for now let's revisit some what I like to think of as some prime "comfort food" listening. THE TRACKS Side one "Money Changes Everything" - This is one I do not remember hearing as a kid. Despite being released as a single, it was low on the totem pole and failed to crack the U.S. charts apparently. It's still pretty great, though I can definitely see how it got buried by the enormity of the giant hits. It's very much closer to a traditional rocker compared to stuff that was on teh charts or about to be. For me it's in the Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart mold of tastefully incorporation of synths into rock, and compares favorably to something like Stewart's "Young Turks" or Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" style-wise. And it's always one of those "oh yeaaaah" tracks you forget is as good as it is. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - Man, this was UNESCAPEABLE in the 80s, and had a very long shelf life existing almost as a marker of the 80s in tv and movies for decades after. It's one of the big undeniably big 80s songs for good reason though, with it's exuberant chorus, and it's joyful upbeat message, and it's essentially one long melodic hook for the entire run time. And as catchy an universally loved as it was, it still has some dark nuggets buried within the lyrics - "Oh, mother, dear, we're not the fortunate ones" and "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". It's no wonder it became the feminist anthem it did, and I think always existed as more than just a party song. The guitar is iconic but it's that FUNKY ass syncopated ( finger picked I think?) bass line. Just wow. The textures of that and the echoey two note repeating synth, and that bubble popping synthesized marimba that comes in are the spice in this concoction. This is the Pop Music( caps for emphasis) ideal in my opinion. Effervescent, beautifully produced ear candy in a small very sellable package that can tug on the emotions juuuuuust a tiny bit and maybe even inspire some thought. It's the opposite of the "YEAH, BABY, BABY, YEAH!" mode of pop. Crunchy, and tasty, but not entirely empty carbs. "When You Were Mine" - There are plenty of Prince penned songs that are mainly associated with the artist who covered them. "Nothing Campares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor is obviously the most successful and notable of those. This one though, is my favorite. Well, second favorite - there's a cover of "I Would Die 4 You" by Mariachi El Bronx that's my personal favorite, but Cyndi Lauper's "When You Were Mine" is I think a better song, and outclasses the already great Prince original by a good measure, from the arrangement, to the extra instrumentation, to the added vocal emphasis. It becomes so much more emotional as delivered by Lauper, and she gets the hurt across much better than Prince, who mainly feels resentful. It becomes an actual love song in Lauper's hands. That echoey guitar at the end of each line, even the instrumental breakdown with the weird whistling synth line, is all pretty damned sublime. This song exists up in the clouds with equally beautiful stuff like "Space Age Love Song" by Flock of Seagulls as perfect songs that failed, for whatever reason to capture the mainstream imagination like they should have. Underrated for sure, and it might have been the true heart of this album in my opinion, if not for the next track. "Time After Time" - One of the prettiest, most emotionally affecting pure pop love ballads if the 20th century in my opinion, and the first Lauper co-penned track, which is proof she's not just a great interpreter. Everything about this works at 100%, form the pretty synthlayer underneath the verse, to the massive bass that still manages to recede into the background, to the onomatopoeic "tick, tick, tick"-ing percussion, to the backing vocals provided by co-writer Rob Hyman, of the Hooters - it all hits. And HARD. It's super sweet, and delicate, and more than a little sad in the recognition that love's not all flowers and sunshine. And it's got one of the great forgotten music videos from the era, that was probably too straightforward and plain to stay afloat amidst the giant productions from savvier artists who had bigger pocketbooks behind them. Check it out, it's earnest and corny and I love it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdQY7BusJNU&list=OLAK5uy_nhtkx55x9GLPWYSS1HZsFc6UEWo-X3A3k&index=4 Side two "She Bop" - Speaking of music video budgets, it seems they spent most of it on the one for this - a pretty grand, if purposefully cheezy and fun production with a very dreamlike feel that I vaguely remember getting play MTV later in the decade when I would have been old enough to be watching ( or maybe it was relegated by that point to VH1?). Either way, it serves the barely disguised subject of the song well, and makes anything that might have been construed as more innocent as explicitly as it could have at the time. I'm very curious how anyone could have doubts about the intention, especially after seeing that video. Anyway, the song itself is maybe the most dated thing we've heard so far, very simple and maybe even playing off of the similar sounding "White Wedding" form the year before, it feels completely stuck in 1983 unlike the better tracks. That said, it's still catchy as fuck, and a lot of fun. "All Through the Night" - I think this one, as much of a minor hit as it was compared to the bigger ones, is maybe seen as "Time After Time" part 2, and it does share the same pretty, sweet take on a love song. It lacks much of the other song's inherent sadness tough I think, and ends up being a bit less bittersweet. Instrumentally it's got a lot of different stuff going on as well, including that awesome watery synth solo, than I could easily imagine landing just as well if it were an accordion ( maybe this has been done on an acoustic cover somehwere?). The same watery synth accents the end of most lines as well, and along with the great melody ( written by Jules Shear - check out his Jules and the Polar Bears albums btw as they are brimming with great melodies) makes this one disctinct, and JUST under "Time After Time" as far as emotionally affecting songs on this album go. Original by Jules Shear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lovdp792NaY Cover by Oberhofer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op2YOKrX6oQ "Witness" - One might think Lauper was maybe covering an early Police track here with it's reggae/ rock hybrid style, or at the very least taking inspiration from them instrumentally. I'm willing to bet a TON of 80s ska bands had a cover of this in their back pockets. This is most definitely a lesser effort than literally every track before it ( the frontload on this album is crazy) but it's still very catchy stuff. "I'll Kiss You" - If "All Through the Night" kinda sorta feels like "Tie After Time" part 2, then this very much feels like "She Bop" part 2, feeling even more stuck in time than that one. "When You Were Mine" shows that Lauper definitely had an interest in Prince, and this is maybe the closest thing on here to Lauper herself trying to imitate his style in pastiche form, from the scratchy funky guitar, to the infectious vocal delivery. Maybe she was hoping the Purple One would return the favor? "He's So Unusual" As fun as this is, it's barely worthy of mention in the company of the other tracks on here as it's clearly an interlude. The Betty Boop impersonation is on point though. "Yeah Yeah" - The Betty Boop-isms carry over a bit into this track as dialogue over top of the actual song. It's a bit distracting, but doesn't entirely detract from the catchy, driving rhythm of the thing. The ska touches from "Witness" are echoed here in the horns. HIGHLIGHTS - "Money Changes Everything" - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" - "When You Were Mine" - "Time After Time" - "She Bop" - "I'll Kiss You" MIDLIGHTS - "Witness" - "Yeah Yeah" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS Though there was nothing even approaching unlistenable on here, I have to admit I was disappointed in how light the side two was in comparison with the absolutely perfect side one. But even those middle of the road tracks are a lot of fun, and I doubt I would ever want to completely lose them from the experience. The strength of the best tracks on here are more than enough to carry this into a very safe 4+ territory, but I'll have to concede that it's ultimately an perfectly imperfect album. And I think side two is more or less her second album, True Colors, writ small, in that it is very enjoyable, but lacking that extra something special. The title track is an all-time classic, but everything else pales in comparison, and it's even lighter on the back end than this one. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - If one were so inclined, they could drop those two midlights and add in The Goonies 'R' Good Enough and end on "True Colors" and you'd have Frankesteined a near-perfect album in to existence. FURTHER LISTENING - Watch Dog by Jules Shear - Beauty and the Beat by the Go-Go's - Kim Wilde by Kim Wilde - Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar - Like a Virgin by Madonna - Heartbeat City by the Cars

Pure 80s fun album. This entire production was a delight to listen to, I played it on my commute and cooking dinner, just dancing around the kitchen. Maybe that was inspired by watching “The Life of Chuck” the night before, though, to be honest. Cyndi Lauper was one of those pop culture fixtures of the 1980s that never felt embarrassing to look back on to me even when I aged up and the world seemed to move on. I remember her “I want my MTV.” bumper and her association with the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling part of the WWE (then WWF) boom of the time. Her colorful look and personality truly come through the speakers off this album. “Girls just Want to Have Fun” is a mainstay on our family playlist since I have daughters “Time after Time” is a beautiful song that never grows old to me. “She Bop” is probably the standout of the rest of the album but each of those tracks can be fun even though one or two feels like album filler to make the album long enough to justify its existence. Furthermore the music videos from this album that hit MTV are all worth a watch. This was album was a treat. Probably close to a 3.5 that gets a fun nostalgia bump from me. 4/5

Great fun and emotion and so unique! Glad to finally listen all the way through this Highlights: "When You Were Mine", "Time After Time", "All Through the Night"

8.5/10

Normal pero al menos familiar

girlypop

Not a fan of her singing, the hit song which some moms will use as their ringtone, or the other hit. Just not a fan 1/5

One of the greatest A-sides in pop history followed with a B-side that's pretty solid (with 'All Through The Night' being the main stand out). It all balances out to a pretty great pop album, unsurprisingly.

A guilty pleasure

Looooved this. Very fun with some absolute classics on here!

some absolute BANGERS on this one, but everything else falls kinda flat, which is really disappointing. 3/5

Kind of annoying voice, but a couple famous ones

Did you know that's Paul Reubens singing backup on "Time After Time?" He did it in thanks for Cyndi singing the theme song to "Peewee's Playhouse." Not to get all old man yells at cloud but I feel like if this record came out today it would have been a bit different. Like, some Disney subsidiary would have released it and erased all the idiosyncrasies for fear of alienating even one listener. And, yeah I know, this isn't exactly "Metal Machine Music," but you know what I mean, right? Cyndi Lauper's the real deal, and it shines through here. So kudos to her, and whoever produced this I guess too. I made that up about Paul Reubens on "Time After Time" by the way.

Strong first half.

Great debut album. So much talent and unique style.

Review - the songs you already know are very good, she's a good singer. A few you don't know might be good too. It's very of its time, slightly shock-rock adjacent pop music. Only big downside is the Prince cover is not a good version of the song. Score - 6.5/10 Need to listen? YES

Two big songs are obviously great but She Bop and All Through the Night in the middle of the album are absolute tunes as well. Very good wee pop album, enjoyed.

Yeah, this makes sense being here. Cyndi Lauper was huge in the 80s and this album was THE album of hers. I mean, this thing is practically a greatest hits compilation! It's kind of like Boston's first album in that regard. But is She's So Unusual better than the Boston album? No, but it's not too far off. This album's a good time! Cyndi's got good energy. She's got a very unique voice that fits these songs like a glove. Speaking of songs, this album's got some classics on it. "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is just one of those earworms that never really leave you after you hear them for the first time. It's perhaps the most iconic song to express the idea of "girls having fun by being girls" of all time, only rivaled by the likes of Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman." By the way, how the hell is Come On Over not on this list? Isn't that one of the best selling albums of all time? Whatever, I'm getting distracted. Speaking of time, "Time After Time" is another iconic single and it's great too. It's got more of a ballad-type thing going on and it's nice. Other songs like "Money Changes Everything," "She Bop," and "All Through The Night" are good times too. This is a VERY 80s album, but it reflects well on the time... mostly. "Witness" hasn't aged the best, but that's really it as far as poorly-aged elements of this album go. Other than that, this album is a classic of 80s pop. Is it the best album of the time? No. But is it one of the most representative albums of the time? Yes. It's good fun, okay? I like this album. Light 4/5.

Just kun puhuttiin siitä että ansaitakseen täydet 5/5 albumin pitää olla alusta loppuun täydellinen. Tämä on ainakin lähellä sitä. Legendaarinen laulaja jo itsessään, mutta en kyllä osannut arvata kuinka hyviä kappaleita sillä onkaan. Luokittelen Time After Time ja girls just want to have fun täydelliseksi kappaleiksi.

A really fun new wave/pop record. Cyndi's voice is mystifying, both childish and mature simultaneously. End of the album was kind of weirdly arbitrary and anticlimatic.

Such talent. Great songs.

She’s weird… really weird

the 80s was not a good time for music

7/10

I hate her voice but at least I know what's going on

Girls just wanna have fun is a banger as always. When you were mine reminds me of Tegan and Sarah. I like Witness.

I feel like this was only added for the two songs

Great 80s pop album. Simply great.

A strong and slightly off-axis voice, Lauper is a real talent who doesn't crack our contemporary consciousness as consistently as some of her contemporaries. 'When You Were Mine' is decent and otherwise, the first side of this record is all quality. This isn't a masterpiece but it's really good. Lauper was a cut above many of her solo-female-singer contemporaries, particularly because she transcended the pop sphere. She also has writing credits on a number of the hits (including 'Time After Time' and 'She Bop'). 'Time' is the jewel of the collection, proving a motivational anthem even thirty years after the album released. The instrumentation isn't going to revolutionize the way you think of music and the production is most notable for not sounding like the reverb-y garbage heap that characterizes the 80's but there are many good songs here and the album is an enjoyable listen (remember those?). I'll go with a 3/5 but I could be convinced of a 4 by a compelling fan, I'm sure. Well worth stopping by 1983 for an 38 1/2 minutes.

gros banger, musique de mon enfance donc biaisé mais c’est fou. Mérite la même fame que Madonna à mon humble avis

Un pae de hits y nada más. Eso me generó el álbum. El timbre de voz de Cyndi Lauper tampoco ayuda. 3/10

Well, a short trip into the past. Was happy to get it acknowledged again, but actually, it was a reminder, that memory is sometimes the better version than reality. But I was actually glad, to hear her version of "When u were mine" again.

i mean its good but at the same time its a huge lot

Liked this more than I expected! Obviously the hits hit hard but there are some gems in the margins, even if this one can get a little bit grating. Would give 3.5 if possible

One of my top 10 all-time favorites, Cyndi is the best!

Album is an easy listen and would be good for it's time period, but not something I would listen too regularly.

I never really liked synths until now. I feel like most synth-y music I'd heard was melodramatic and self-serious new wave, but this actually felt fun. I really liked it.

This was a great moment where popstars just made more fun rock music. She's got such a good voice and the backing is so good sounds like The Cars or something. I feel like she was the 80s posterchild for vacuous pop but she's great (maybe vacuous but not more than any other 80s band). Do I like that she goes betty boop mode at the end? Of course I do!

I only knew the big hits, but there are a couple more great songs on this album.

хуета. начиналось как довольно мило-экстравагантное действо, но после двух первых песен уже заебался. в современности не слушабельно.

Some catchy tunes, but grating vocals make it hard to love.

Kooky 80's synth pop, mostly. I hear some B52s influence here which is fun. I actually like some of the deeper cuts like I'll Kiss You over the big hit singles. Seems like a lot of cover tunes for an 80's album, but she did make them her own kind of electronic songs. There are a couple tracks I could do without but for the most part it is a fun new wave album.

All of the hits are great, all the other songs are just good. Overall, a really nice and solid album. Mid 4.

Cyndi Lauper inspired the riot girl movement. That's my head cannon, at least

THIS IS HER DEBUT???!!! I went into this album knowing Cyndi Lauper as the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" lady. What I found surprised the hell out of me. She's crazy and I love it. This album overall seems to capture a more realistic 80s vibe than the other overhyped stuff of this era. "Money Changes Everything" has a great synth-rock sound. Punchy, but the chorus is a bit too simple melodically and the chord progression is super basic. Lauper's voice isn't totally convincing here. 6/10. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is iconic. Incredible musically and the history behind it is too. It must've been something fresh for the 80s. Unfortunately, this song has been played so much that even for a fan it gets tiring. Solid 8-9 if it was my first time, but drops to a 7 and into my secondary playlist. "When You Were Mine" I love the melancholic feeling of this song, it's gorgeous. The music is the best. The whistle singing is awesome. The synth coming in is great. This song kicks ass, and it has great range of emotion rather than being just punchy or sad. 9.5/10. "Time After Time" is amazing. I really like the double vocals in the chorus and the intimate sound of it. Great vulnerability and emotional build. The 80s synth is some of my favorite sound. The guitar riff is gorgeous. The faint percussion feels like a ticking clock and fits the theme. The bass is awesome, kinda like a rubber band. 9.5/10. "She Bop" imo has a drum that's wayy too loud. It almost stops the song. Love the topic though, even now you'll never hear a masturbation song charting. The double entendres make me smile loll. The riff is fun, the bass is great, and the choir chorus (just Lauper singing I hope He will understand) is so good. Very quirky. 8/10. "All Through the Night" has a gorgeous synth and a stunnin chorus. For some reason it made me want to cry? The synth loop works... very dreamy. The melody of Lauper's voice works so well here. Very intimate, vulnerable, ethereal. The solo is kinda silly though. 8.5-9/10. "Witness" has a funny, eerie synth loop that rlly reminds me of "Wonderful Christmastime." The rhythm is definitely pulsing... feels like my heart beating in my ears. Interesting bass layering. A bit too funky for me, but not bad. 6/10. "I'll Kiss You" has such a fucking funky beat, it made me giggle. Almost like a Pokemon gym leader theme. Very funky. The chorus is funky too. Very eccentric, a little too much, but funny and unhinged. The solo at the end is interesting. 6.5/10. "He's So Unusual" is a cute interlude. The old-timey sound makes you listen close to try to hear the lyrics, and then the transition into the next song is like the crack of a whip, literally whips you awake. Creative use of an interlude. 6/10. "Yeah Yeah" has an awesome sax (or whatever reed). The backup vocals are great, very high energy, really fun composition, great rock, very danceable. I just wish it had an actual chorus.... "yeah yeah" is kinda lame to sing along to. Also... I WANT SUSHI?? 7/10. This album is seriously awesome and I love it. Cyndi is so talented, I'm wondering how she isn't bigger. Her themes throughout this album are pretty radical even by early 80s standards. Big Fan Rating: 8.5/10

Some great tracks

I know girls just wanna have fun but when you hear the same thing, time after time, it just becomes tiresome. All sung with a voice which seems to have gone through a cheese grater.

it wasn't my thing but was super fun in sound, i just had to give it a 4

Okay, I knew the hits, didn't realize how thick this album was with them, and some excellent tunes I'd never heard. Fuck yeah. Four stars.

Banger of an album. Absolute 80's at it's core. Synth galore, happy and poppy. Enjoyed this one alot for the first listen. Fave songs: Girls just want to have fun (obviously), Money Changes Everything, When you were mine

favs: girls just want to have fun time after time she bop all through the night he’s so unusual yeah yeah rating 3/5

Favorite songs: Money Changes Everything, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, When You Were Mine, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night

fire

Супер прикольний, розважливий, танцювальний альбом. Мені сподобалось. Оцінка: середня-висока 7

perfect for 80's theme party

This is definitely catchy, even throughout the deep cuts, and there are some incredible gems (Time After Time and Through the Night) on it, but Girls Just Want to Have Fun's overplay and the butchering of a classic Prince tune keeps me from seeing this as a great album

I guess this could be better if it wasn't a Cindy Lauper album. Anyone who has heard Eva Cassidy sing Time After Time knows it's a great song. But Lauper's voice is torture to me, I can't help it. Also includes possibly the blandest cover ever of a Prince tune.

Peut être 3.5, de très bons morceaux mais certains datés

Too Synthy for me

She may not be the best vocalist or have made the best pop music of the 80s. But you can't deny that Cyndi Lauper made her mark on music and is a very important marker for pop music overall.

What the hell, 4.5 stars. A great combo of covers and originals. The production is of its time, but so timeless and well-done. Lauper has a wonderful, powerful delivery, and as person is amongst the greats. Another artist that I completely ignored in favor of more alternative offerings. So sorry about that! Late for the party, but still welcome I imagine. Great vibe - "punk in a prom dress" is the best comparison I've read so far.

I was well familiar with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” but I had no idea that these were from Lauper’s debut album. It’s an impressive feat, but it’s still hard for me to get past this degree of synth-pop production.

Pretty good, not bad, can't complain (but actually everything is just about the same)

Indeed, she is. <3

Wow! I loved this. I think girls just wanna have fun is so overdone that it never occurred to me I could like her other stuff. I was surprised that one and time after time are on the same album because they seem so different to me but I think she just has more range than I realized!

Me ha recordado al capítulo de Cómo conocí a vuestra madre en el que descubren que Robin era una estrella del Pop en Canadá. No me gusta el pop de los 80 y por favor ponedme discos de los 90 en adelante también.......

Bufff lo que me gusta a mí Cyndi Lauper. Que esto sea tu primer disco me parece una barbaridad, cómo vas a tener tantas canciones míticas en un disco de 10 canciones?? Tiene canciones para todos los gustos y todas me parecen bien, All through the night y Witness me encantan. Conclusión: hubiese sido una disfrutona de los 80.

Algunas canciones míticas (y alguna que no conocia que me han gustado como Witness) y el sonido mas ochentero que te puedes echar encima (bien). No soy especialmente fan de la voz eso si

Money Changes Everything 3.6 Girls Just Want to Have Fun 4 When You Were Mine 3 Time After Time 4.1 She Bop 3.5 All Through the Night 3.7 Witness 3.5 I'll Kiss You 3.3 He's So Unusual n/a Yeah Yeah 3.3 Score: 3.555555556

Day 24: 38 minutes of 80s pop with Cindy Lauper. The major hits from this album I remember well when I was in primary school. So there is some youth sentiment here for me, but I totally do not recognize the albumcover and never had the urge to listen to this album. It's not bad and has some catchy tunes but will probably never go back to it again. So a typical 3 start album.

I was a bit sceptical at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I actually enjoyed this album. Three stars…

While this type of 80s sound isn't necessarily for me, the impact of the album is felt throughout the whole decade. I actually really fw the first half of the album - it gave me chills - but I realized that's because of the Prince influence. She even covers one of his songs. Second half was kinda a snore fest. Highlights: When You Were Mine, Time After Time

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!

Fun album! Especially good new wave feelings

Not in the mood to write anything meaningful here.

Very cool. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is such a big tune, but the rest of the album was unexpectedly class!

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.

Love the first track synth hook. So 80s with the gated snare and the LinnDrum machine. Listened through twice - really like it. Might have to buy it.

Restructured my brain. The 80’s revival makes this sound contemporary

She bop! I bop!

Also better than I was expecting. Some all timers on this fr.

Cool

Awesome album, pop isn't really my thing but this is nostalgic and most tracks are good. Cyndi has a fantastic voice

Classic "misunderstood girl." Everyone on planet Earth has probably heard one of Cyndi's songs at least once in their lifetime.

Good album but not my style. Girls just want to have fun is iconic. I relate quite a bit to When You were mine. Yeah yeah is fun I'll kiss you makes me feel regret.

A super impressive debut album and a great all-around pop album. The best songs are some of the best of the 80's. The rest of the tracks range from "not terrible" to "could have been a single".

Muy bien!

6/10 Cyndi Lauper is definitely cool. She’s cool in a way that other artists try to achieve by being quirky, or attempting to be outrageous, but for Cyndi, it seems that her coolness is just down to her being completely and unapologetically herself. Yes, she is quite a kooky character, but you never get the impression that it’s an act, and the fact that she still maintains that style and character 40 years on only goes to prove it. On this, her debut record, Cyndi picks up a bunch of covers, bends them to her point of view and then augments them with a bunch of originals to create a respectable and enjoyable collection of songs. I was obviously aware of the big hitters, a fantastic selection of pop hits, of which Girls Just Want To Have Fun and Time After Time are the absolute standouts, but there’s a decent amount of depth here too. While they’re less commonly played (at least in my experience), there are four top-5 singles, as well as a couple of other, slightly less successful releases. That’s pretty damn impressive for what is essentially a 9 track (plus a 40 second 10th) album. Unfortunately, as a record from 1983, this hasn’t all completely stood the test of time. There’s bits and pieces of synth work that has dated poorly and, while the best of the record works that early 80s production palette into high quality, if cheesy, pop fare, there are moments when things fall a little flat. The Prince cover, the synth reggae of Witness and the slightly rambling I’ll Kiss You are all a bit uninspired and on those less buoyant tracks, the of-its-time production does further drag down the work. It’s a bit of a shame really, because there is some really good stuff on here and I really wanted to like it more than I actually did, but a combination of it being a little too bubble-gum for my tastes and a not completely consistent selection of songs means that it was a fun little ride that I’m unlikely to return to. But you keep being you, Cindi. The pop world needs people like you. Money Changes Everything - Holy 80s MTV, Batman! In all seriousness, this is a lovely slice of 80s new-wave pop. Cool synth lines, a solid groove and swaggering bubble-gum pop attitude. I don’t completely love it, but I can definitely see the appeal and it’s a well produced slice of pop with a touch of bite. I’m not 100% convinced by the force of Cyndi’s delivery, but hopefully I’ll settle into it as the record progresses. Girls Just Want To Have Fun - It’s an 80s pop classic. The blend of rhythms across the different instruments creates a cool shuffling groove against the straight beat. There are bundles of hooks all over this, from the main guitar riff to the chorus vocal and the “They just wanna, they just wanna-a-a”, it’s a fantastic blend of songwriting and production, with great vocal layering to keep things fresh towards the end. It’s cheesy as all hell, but isn’t that what you want from 80’s pop music? When You Were Mine - A Prince cover now. It feels a touch on the rigid side from a rhythmical point of view, especially compared to the original, which feels more fluid and groovy. It’s a touch repetitive and instrumentally thin too and, while I actually quite like Cyndi’s vocal delivery, the rest of the track doesn’t match her energy. It’s a hard one to appreciate when the original is so much better. Time After Time - Another classic now. It builds really nicely actually, and I think the arrangement is pretty interesting, ebbing and flowing until we reach the first run through the chorus more than a minute in. The interplay between bass and guitar in the chorus is really nice and adds movement set against the vocal. The main vocal hook in the chorus is excellent and, while the production is über 80s, it works really well for the song. Lovely stuff. She Bop - We get a bit of a darker vibe to this one now, which is a nice change and an interesting start to side two. There’s a bit of a Kate Bush vibe to this, but way more synth heavy. Those synth layers bring a cool, weighty presence to the production and the chorus is very good. There’s something about this that doesn’t completely convince me, though. I do like it, but it kind of feels like it could have been developed further to add a bit more range to the song and push it up a level. All Through The Night - Some more cool 80s synth action now, but melodically, this is a touch flat, particularly through the verses. The chorus isn’t bad, but almost sounds like a pre-chorus that’s going to take us to a hookier pop chorus. The synth solo is terrible though. Kind of sounds like it was a placeholder that they forgot to replace before the end of production. The general tone of the mix here is nice enough, but ultimately, it’s a fairly bland effort. Witness - There’s almost a reggae edge to the rhythms here, with the offbeat guitar work and rolling bass. There’s a decent enough groove to this, but it feels a little bit jumbled musically, like not all of the parts fully gel together, with the lead vocal in particular not particularly sitting that happily with the slightly weak synth-reggae of the instrumentation. Some 80s synth-pop has aged beautifully. This less so. I'll Kiss You - Again, this feels a little bit rambling and unfocused. There are some decent bits in there and the verses have a Talking Heads edge to them, but the chorus doesn’t deliver on the promise. It’s all very one-paced and there’s some fairly sketchy early 80s synth work that hasn’t aged particularly well, although there are some cool synth parts too. This is one that feels like it could have been developed into something decent, but she hasn’t quite found it with this production, and the record does feel like it’s winding down a bit at this point. He's So Unusual - Cyndi does her best Betty Boop. It’s a little bit of silly fun but it’s fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Yeah Yeah - This is a decent enough new-wave pop song. It’s a little one paced, but the groove isn’t bad and the chorus, while being pretty basic, is a decent enough piece of pop-melodic hook writing. The layered vocals are nice, adding a bit of depth and variety to the track. It’s not the greatest track in the world, but it definitely picks things up again for a decent little album closer.

Witness and Ill Kiss You are awsome and She Bop is sort of groovy

Epic.

Obviously familiar with the hits. It felt very much like a cohesive body of work and crazy to think it was that early in her career. I find the voice a little grating at times but you can’t really deny how much fun she’s having and how at the core of it all, the music is good and relatable.

soso fun I liked

Fun, but not my cup of tea

Thought this one was super poppy and fun and could be close to a 4

Two incredible hits and a few pretty good tracks (She Bop and I’ll Kiss You) with the rest being okay

Det var et fint album, omend det var meget et produkt af sin tid. Jeg fik til gengæld lidt af en ny appreciation for "girls just wanna have fun".

What a fitting album title. 3.5

Moments of greatness and …filler.

maybe i don't like rock afterall

This is my first time listening to the pop-rock album from start to finish, and I wasn’t disappointed! No feeling that I wasted my time, I felt this atmosphere of the 80s. The voice of this lady is beautiful! The musical accompaniment surprised me with its diversity. It’s true that I didn’t like a couple of tracks, but it doesn’t stop me from commenting on the album. If you’re interested in this genre, it’s a great opportunity to start right there.

Very easy to listen to pop album with songs beyond the well known hits. Nowt wrong with this but personally I’m unlikely to revisit it

Enjoyable but forgettable. Liked that at the end it got a little weirder, would have liked that more the whole way through.

3/5. Like many 80’s pop albums, Cyndi Laupers “She’s so Unusual” suffers most from sounding extremely outdated at times, there is a handful of that 80’s cheese that tends to be an instant no-go for me. However, the production here is also much better than many other 80’s albums which somewhat saves it. That and when it hits, it has some great pop songs like the iconic “Time after Time.” Bit of a mixed bag on the whole, but there’s some great pop songs to be found on this record.

7 - GOOD

Happy pride month 🌈

A good, classic pop rock album. The fact this was her debut album is crazy and Girls Just Want To Have Fun is an all time banger.

pooper scooper

It’s raining men girl have fun with the hog