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Cyndi Lauper

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Cyndi Lauper was born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in Ozone Park in Queens. As a child she listened to the Beatles and Judy Garland. At twelve she began writing songs on an acoustic guitar she was given by her sister. In 1978 she formed the band Blue Angel with the saxophonist John Turi. Their only album, Blue Angel from 1980, sold poorly and the group split up. After that she was penniless and sang in local clubs, until she got a contract with Portrait Records in 1981.

Music and breakthrough

Her solo debut She's So Unusual appeared in 1983 and became a worldwide hit. It was the first debut album by a woman to produce four top-five hits on the American Hot 100: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time, She Bop and All Through the Night. Lauper co-wrote some of the songs herself, including Time After Time and She Bop. She rewrote the lyrics of Girls Just Want to Have Fun into a song for young women. In 1985 she won a Grammy for Best New Artist. She also sang on We Are the World. The second album, True Colors from 1986, yielded two more top-five hits.

Influence

Her colourful hair and clothes were striking, as was her voice with a range of four octaves. Later she made Memphis Blues in 2010, which spent thirteen weeks at the top of the Billboard blues albums chart. In 2013 she won a Tony for the music of the musical Kinky Boots, the first woman to win that award on her own. She also campaigns for LGBTQ rights. In November 2025 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Time After Time and notice how her voice moves from soft to full in the chorus. Can you hear the long breath with which she carries the melody?

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists