  Cyndi (Ann Stephanie) Lauper was
born in Queens, New York on June 20, 1953.
Although Cyndi might be best known for her
wild costumes and video antics of the 80s,
she has shown that she wasn't just a fad of
the 80s. Her music has matured as she herself
as matured, and in the 90s, Cyndi Lauper
continues to bring her brand of music to
audiences around the world. Cyndi's talent
for music began at the age of 12 when she
learned to play the guitar and creating
lyrics. Cyndi eventually dropped out of high
school and starting singing in local clubs
and songwriting. She played with a few cover
bands (Doc West, Flyer) playing Top 40 music,
and in 1977, Cyndi severely
damaged her vocal cords. Cyndi had to spend a
year of "voice therapy" to regain
her vocals. Before Cyndi hit it big as a solo
artist, she recorded an LP in 1980
with the group Blue Angel. The group had some
marginal success in New York, but eventually
disbanded and Cyndi was forced to file for
bankruptcy. Cyndi continued to play local
clubs, but this time as a solo artist.
Cyndi signed with Portrait
Records and began work on her first solo LP.
 # 1
Singles Artist of the Year (# 1
Female Artist of the Year)
 Cyndi burst onto the music
charts with her debut LP, She's
So Unusual. Propelled by
outrageous and innovative videos and Betty
Boop-like style, the LP's first 3 singles
topped the pop charts ("Girls Just Want To Have
Fun,"
"Time After Time," and "She Bop").
Cyndi hit the Top 40 with "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun."
Cyndi hit the Top
10
with "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun."
 She's
So Unusual was certified gold.
Cyndi hit #1 for a week with "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun."
Cyndi hit the Top 40 with "Time After Time."
The single "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
was certified gold.
 Cyndi hit the Top
10
with "Time After Time."
She's
So Unusual was certified platinum.
Cyndi hit #1 for 2 weeks with "Time After Time."
 Cyndi hit the Top 40 with "She Bop."
Cyndi hit the Top 10 with "She Bop."
Cyndi #1 for a week with "She Bop."
The video for "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Female Video and was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Concept Video, Viewer's Choice, and Best Overall Performance. The video for "Time After Time" was nominated
for Best Female Video and Best Direction. Both videos were also
nominated for Best New Artist.
Cyndi hit the Top 40 with "All
Through The Night."
She's
So Unusual was certified 2x platinum.
 Cyndi hit the Top 40 with the
5th hit from She's
So Unusual with "Money
Changes Everything."
Cyndi won 2 American Music
Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock
Female Video Artist.
Cyndi won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and was nominated for Album of the Year (She's
So Unusual), Song of the Year (songwriter)
("Time After Time"), Best Vocal Performance - Female, and Record of the Year ("Girls Just Want To Have
Fun").
She's
So Unusual was certified 4x platinum.
The video for "She
Bop" was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Female Video.
 In addition to her Grammy, Cyndi
won an American Music Awards for Favorite
Female Pop/Rock Vocalist and Video. Cyndi was
also named Best New Artist and Best Female
Video Artist by Rolling Stone
magazine. The magazine also ranked She's
So Unusual as the 75th Greatest
Album of the 80s.
Cyndi also hit the Top 10 with
"The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" from
the film The
Goonies.
 # 43
Singles Artist of the Year
 Cyndi was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal
Performance - Female ("What A Thrill").
Cyndi's follow-up LP, True
Colors, was released and gave Cyndi
her fourth #1 hit, "True Colors" in
October. The LP showed more of Cyndi's softer
side which gained some fans, and turned off
others. Cyndi got some help on True
Colors from such artists as the Bangles,
Billy
Joel, and Aimme Mann.
The LP was also co-produced by Cyndi and
received a Grammy nomination for the title
track.
 True
Colors was certified platinum.
 # 29
Singles Artist of the Year
Cyndi was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Performance - Female ("True
Colors") and Best Rock Vocal
Performance - Female ("911").
The video for "True
Colors" was nominated for a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Female Video and the video for
"What's Going On" was nominated for
Best Cinematography.
 # 69
Singles Artist of the Year
The singles "She Bop"
and "Time After Time" were certified
gold and "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
was certified platinum.
 A
Night To Remember gave Cyndi
the Top 10 "I Drove All Night" and the
emotionally driven "My First Night
Without You."
Cyndi hit the Top 40 with "I Drove All Night."
Cyndi hit the Top 10 with "I Drove All Night."
Cyndi was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal
Performance - Female ("I Drove All Night").
Cyndi married actor David
Thornton in a ceremony with participants Little Richard and Patti LaBelle. It was Cyndi's second
marriage.
She's
So Unusual was certified 5x platinum.
 Hat
Full Of Stars was released and did not
produce any Top 40 pop hits, but was received
generously by the critics as showcasing
Cyndi's talent. Cyndi had also co-produced
the LP, co-wrote all the LP's tracks and
directed several videos from the LP.
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
at # 22.
In between LPs, Cyndi has tried
her hand at acting. She has appeared in the
movies Vibes (1988) and Life
With Mikey (1993).
True
Colors was certified 2x platinum.
 # 185
Singles Artist of the Year
 A greatest hits compilation was
released called 12
Deadly Cyns... And Then Some. The hit collection
contained a modernized dance version of
"Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
that topped the charts in Britain a year
earlier.
Cyndi won an Emmy Award for her
guest appearance on TV's Mad About You.
She's
So Unusual was certified 6x platinum and 12
Deadly Cyns... And Then Some was certified gold.
 Cyndi released Sisters
Of Avalon. Again, the LP was warmly
received by critics but did not sell well
with music fans.
Cyndi toured some of 1997 with Tina
Turner's "Wildest Dreams"
tour and made appearances supporting her LP,
all the while pregnant with her first child.
In interviews, Cyndi has stated
that the reduced success her LPs have shown
is understandable but more of a concern to
her is being able to play the music she
wishes to create. "When I did Hat
Full Of Stars it was very difficult for me
because that kind of music wasn't being made.
And then Alanis
Morissette came along and she made it
possible for me to do the kind of music I
wanted to do. All of a sudden using drum
loops and playing harmonica - that wasn't
weird. It makes it easier for me. We all open
doors for each other."
Cyndi gave birth to a 9-pound
boy, Declyn Wallace Lauper. A spokesperson
for Lauper said the baby was delivered
"full natural... no drugs."
 Cyndi's next LP, Merry
Christmas... A Nice Life, was released.
Cyndi was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording ("Disco
Inferno").
 VH1: 100
Greatest Women of Rock & Roll includes Cyndi at # 58.
Cyndi talked with Jam!Music
about her gay fans: "I love the
community. I embrace it... You got to stick
by your friends and family and stand up for
them, because in a world that's run by fear
of anybody who's different, you got to be
there and have their backs covered... because
if you don't, all the fearful people take
over and everything is run by fear, just
because people are a little different."
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun"
at # 39.
 Rolling Stone
& MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "Time After Time" at # 66.
Cyndi appeared on the soundtrack
for Rugrats
In Paris: The Movie with "I Want A
Mom That Will Last Forever."
VH1: 100
Greatest Videos includes:
# 45
- "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun."
Cyndi sang with the
Boston Pops at the annual 4th of July concert
in Boston.
Cyndi took part in the
benefit concert 'Come Together: A Night For
John Lennon's Words & Music.'
 # 203
Singles Artist of the Year
Cyndi toured as
the opening act on Cher's farewell tour
throughout the summer.
Cyndi performed on VH1
Divas 2002: Divas Las Vegas.
 Cyndi released the EP - Shine.
Cyndi tripped and fell while
performing in Oklahoma. She fell 5 feet but
continued with her set before being carried
off from the stage.
Rolling Stone:
50 Essential 'Woman In Rock' Albums includes She's
So Unusual at # 41.
 The
Essential Cyndi Lauper was released.
VH1: 100 Best
Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Time After Time" at # 22.
Cyndi released an LP of
standards, At
Last. The set includes a duet with Tony Bennett on "Makin'
Whoopee."
Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 494:
She's
So Unusual.
 Cyndi was featured on VH1's Divas
Live.
As debate over gay marriage
began, Cyndi told The
Advocate: "When any two people love
one another and are committed to one another,
they should be allowed to marry. It's a shame
that our president is such a narrow-minded
person. He needs to be out in November."
Cyndi performed at the Great
Wall of China.
# 70 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Cyndi was
nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental
Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist
("Unchained Melody" with Steve
Gaboury and Don Sebesky).
 Cyndi appeared as herself on the
Showtime series Queer As Folk.
Cyndi released The
Body Acoustic. The set included many of her
previous songs revamped with guest
collaborations.
Cyndi made her Broadway debut in
the play The Threepenny Opera.
VH1: 100
Greatest Songs of the 80's included "Time After Time" at # 19
and "Girls Just Want To Have
Fun" at # 23.
 Cyndi released Bring
Ya To The Brink.
Cyndi topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Club Play chart with "Same Old
F****** Story."
Cyndi topped the Billboard Hot
Dance Club Play chart with "Into The
Nightlife."
 Cyndi was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic / Dance Album (Bring
Ya To The Brink).
Cyndi appeared as one of the
contestants on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Cyndi released Memphis
Blues and topped the Billboard Blues
Album chart.
 Cyndi was nominated for a Grammy Award for
Best Traditional Blues Album (Memphis
Blues).
Cyndi scored the play Kinky
Boots which earned 13 Tony Award
nominations. Cyndi won the Tony for Best
Score.
 Cyndi won a Grammy Award for Best Musical
Theater Album (Kinky
Boots).
Cyndi released She's
So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration.
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
She's So Unusual
 Released: January 24, 1984
US: 7x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 4
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Money Changes Everything" - "Girls Just Want To
Have Fun" - "When You Were
Mine" - "Time After Time" - "She
Bop" - "All Through The Night" -
Witness" - "I'll Kiss You"
- "He's So Unusual" -
"Yeah Yeah" |
|
True Colors
Released: September, 1986
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 4
Tracks: "Change Of
Heart" - "Maybe He'll
Know" - "Boy Blue" -
"True Colors" - "Calm
Inside The Storm" - "What's
Going On" - "Iko Iko" -
"Faraway Nearby" -
"911" - "One Track
Mind" |
|
A Night To Remember
Released: May, 1989
Billboard
peak:
# 37
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "I Drove All Night" -
"Primitive" - "My First
Night Without You" - "Like A
Cat" - "Heading West" -
"A Night To Remember" -
"Unconditional Love" -
"Insecurious" - "Dancing
With A Stranger" - "I Don't
Want To Be Your Friend" -
"Kindred Spirit" |
|
Hat Full Of Stars
Released: June, 1993
Billboard
peak:
# 112
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "That's What
I Think" - "Product Of
Misery" - "Who Let In The
Rain" - "Lies" -
"Broken Glass" - "Sally's
Pigeons" - "Feels Like
Christmas" - "Dear John" -
"Like I Used To" -
"Someone Like Me" - "Part
Hate" - "Hat Full Of
Stars" |
|
12 Deadly Cyns... And
Then Some
Released: July, 1995
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 81
Tracks: "I'm Gonna
Be Strong" - "Girls Just Want To
Have Fun" - "Money Changes Everything" - "Time After Time" - "All Through The Night" -
"Change Of Heart" - "True
Colors" - "What's Going
On" - "I Drove All Night" -
"That's What I Think" -
"Sally's Pigeons" - "Hey
Now (Girls Just Want To
Have Fun)" - "Come On
Home" |
|
Sisters Of Avalon
Released: April, 1997
Billboard
peak:
# 188
Tracks: "Sisters Of
Avalon" - "Ballad Of Cleo &
Joe" - "Fall Into Your
Dreams" - "You Don't Know"
- "Love To Hate" - "Hot
Gets A Little Cold" - "Unhook
The Stars" - "Searching" -
"Say A Prayer" -
"Mother" - "Fearless"
- "Brimstone And Fire" |
|
Merry Christmas... A
Nice Life
Released: October, 1998
Tracks: "Home On
Christmas Day" - "Early
Christmas Morning" - "Rockin'
Around The Christmas Tree" -
"Christmas Conga" -
"Minnie And Santa" -
"Feels Like Christmas" -
"Three Ships" - "New
Year's Baby (First Lullaby)" -
"December Child" - "In The
Bleak Midwinter" - "Silent
Night" |
|
Shine (EP)
Released: July, 2002
Tracks: "Shine"
- "It's Hard To Be Me" -
"Madonna Whore" - "Water's
Edge" - "Shine" (Illicit
Remix) |
 |
The Essential Cyndi
Lauper
Released: June, 2003
Tracks: "Girls Just Want To
Have Fun" - "Money Changes Everything" - "Who
Let In The Rain" - "She
Bop" - "Time After Time" - "I Drove All Night" - "Hat
Full Of Stars" - "Change Of
Heart" - "Sisters Of
Avalon" - "All Through The Night" - "When
You Were Mine" - "True
Colors" - "Unhook The
Stars" - "The Goonies 'R' Good
Enough" |
|
At Last
Released: November, 2003
Billboard
peak:
# 38
Tracks: "At
Last" - "Walk On By" -
"Stay" - "La Vie En
Rose" - "Unchained Melody"
- "If You Go Away" -
"Until You Come Back To Me (That's
What I'm Gonna Do)" - "My Baby
Just Cares For Me" - "Makin'
Whoopee" (with Tony Bennett) -
"Don't Let My Be Minunderstood"
- "You've Really Got A Hold On
Me" - "Hymn To Love" -
"On The Sunny Side Of The
Street" |
|
The Body Acoustic
Released: November, 2005
Billboard
peak:
# 112
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: B
Tracks: "Money Changes Everything" (with Adam
Lazzara) - "All Through The Night" (with
Shaggy) - "Time After Time" (with Sarah
McLachlan) - "She Bop" -
"Above The Clouds" (with Jeff
Beck) - "I'll Be Your River"
(with Vivian Green) - "Sisters Of
Avalon" (with Ani DiFranco &
Vivian Green) - "Shine" -
"True Colors" - "Water's
Edge" (with Sara McLachlan) -
"Fearless" - "Girls Just Want To
Have Fun" (with Puffi AmiYumi) |
 |
Bring Ya To The Brink
Released: May, 2008
Billboard
peak:
# 41
Rolling Stone: - Entertainment
Weekly: B
Tracks: "High And
Mighty" - "Into The
Nightlife" - "Rocking
Chair" - "Echo" -
"Lyfe" - "Same Old F******
Story" - "Raging Storm" -
"Lay Me Down" - "Give It
Up" - "Set Your Heart" -
"Grab A Hold" - "Rain On
Me" |
|
Memphis Blues
Released: June, 2010
Billboard
peak:
# 26
Tracks: "Just You
Fool" - "Shattered Dreams"
- "Early In The Mornin'" -
"Romance In The Dark" -
"How Blue Can You Get?" -
"Down Don't Bother Me" -
"Don't Cry No More' - "Rollin'
And Tumblin'" - "Down So
Low" - "Mother Earth" -
"Crossroads" - "Wild Women
Don't Get The Blues" |
 |
Detour
Released: May 6, 2016
Billboard
peak:
# 29
Tracks: "Funnel Of
Love" - "Detour"
(featuring Emmylou Harris) - "Misty
Blue" - "Walkin' After
Midnight" - "Heartaches By The
Number" - "The End Of The
World" - "Night Life"
(featuring Willie Nelson) - "Begging
To You" - "Begging To You"
- "You're The Reason Our Kids Are
Ugly" (featuring Vince Gill) -
"I Fall To Pieces" - "I
Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart"
(featuring Jewel) - "Hard Candy
Christmas" (featuring Alison Krauss) |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
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