Album: She's So Unusual
Artist: Cyndi Lauper
Release Date: October 14, 1983
Genre: New Wave Pop
Length: 0:38:42
Label: Portrait Record
Producer: Rick Chertoff/William Wittman
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2012): #487
Rolling Stone Top 500 (2020): #184
1,001 Album Book: Yes
An 80s mega-dome super smash hit...
The debut of Cyndi Lauper, She's So Unusual solidified Lauper as one of the greatest female artists in music history. With four singles from the same album reaching the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 (Lauper becoming the first female artist to accomplish this feat) and the vast amount of airplay the music videos received on MTV, this album eventually went on to achieve 6x platinum certification in the US and peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Easily one of the most distinctive voices in music, Lauper opens the album off strong with "Money Changes Everything" followed by her mega-hit "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Providing a much needed anthem for the women's movement that started in the 60s, Lauper not only motivated an entire generation of young women, but would also undoubtedly create one of the most iconic songs of the 80s. Utilizing the synth in ways that were still raw to the music scene, She's So Unusual finds a way to make something that is seen as a "cheesy" part of 80s pop music exciting.
Utilizing her impressive vocals in a powerful way, Lauper maintains her distinctive vocal sound throughout the album. While some songs showcase this in beautiful ways, there are some songs like "Witness", "I'll Kiss You", and "Yeah Yeah" that make Lauper's profound voice sound almost bothersome. In some songs such as "When You Were Mine" she inputs pterodactyl-like screeches in the middle, which dramatically decreases the character of her vocal performance which is sad considering how fantastic she sounds in other songs.
What would an 80s album be without a ballad? In this case, "Time After Time" could be considered one of the greatest ballads of all time. The chorus features a male background vocalist that accompanies Lauper's higher pitched vocals with a perfect contrast that adds a much needed bottom-end layer. "Time After Time" righteously was Lauper's first ever number one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
After what would be considered the "Side A" of the album, She's So Unusual takes a quality drop on the "B-Side". Starting with "Witness" and ending three songs later with "Yeah Yeah", the entire back half could easily be removed from the album as these four songs are less than stellar compared to the monumental synth-pop of the first half. Granted, these songs are not bad, but contrasted with the first half, these songs are just as dull as a 40 year old razor blade.
Most people know the hit songs on this album as they have made their rounds culturally since the release of She's So Unusual. These super-hits alone are reason enough to listen to the album as long as you warm up to Lauper's voice. Most of the time, it's beautifully unique, but sometimes it almost sounds like she's whining. I recommend you listen to the entire album, if you enjoy her child-like vocal charm, as there is a reason it was preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. If you can't warm-up however, I recommend strictly listening to the first half as those songs are culturally important and will cement Lauper as a feminist and 80s icon...
Favorite Songs: "Time After Time", "She Bop", "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"
Least Favorite Songs: "I'll Kiss You", "Yeah Yeah", (would be "He's so Unusual" but that is a cop-out as it's not really a song)
Production Quality:
Mix = 9/10
Innovation = 8.5/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 9/10
Lyricism = 8.5/10 (lyrics are immense and meaningful but most aren't written by Lauper)
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 8/10 (one of the most unique voices in history, but with some weird whining in the lower tier songs)
Instrumental Timbre = 9/10
Group Chemistry = 7/10 (mostly all studio musicians, not really any solidified band)
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 7.5/10
Overall Rating: 8.3/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!