The 500 - #487 - Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

My plan. 

• 2 records per week & at least 2 complete listens.
• A quick blog post for each, highlighting the important details and a quick background story.
• No rating scale - just an effort to expand my appreciation.

Album # 487

Album Title: She's So Unusual
Artist: Cyndi Lauper
Released: October, 1983
My age at release: 18
How familiar am I with it: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix:All through the Night
Great Lyric:
"They have forgotten what by day they lack
Oh under those white street lamps
There is a little chance they may see"

This album arrived on the scene at a time when I was decidedly "anti-pop". My friends and I sincerely felt we had the corner on musical truth. Consequently, we deemed (from our intellectual high-ground) that anything that the "in-crowd" embraced lacked integrity...and was to be ridiculed mercilessly. 

In retrospect, I recognize that we were insufferable louts. I also know that, in the safety of our cars or homes, we would listen to Top 40 radio and secretly enjoy much of it. This is one of those records - full of catchy, interesting songs performed with unapologetic panache. My first high-school girlfriend, Maria, owned the LP and I begrudgingly listened to it many times...usually following a juvenile display of faux-displeasure.  

This was also the first summer of MuchMusic - Canada's answer to MTV. Lauper videos were a staple - and the cross-over with Professional Wrestling was appealing. Granted, my fascination with the WWF was another thing that I kept to myself. In retrospect, it's remarkable how much time I invested into building a public version of myself...when the real me was equally interesting, and far less neurotic. Alas, isn't that the stuff of youth.

In the summer of 1984, a friend of mine got married - he was 19 years old. It was the first time I had been invited to a wedding by someone I knew - and many of my friends were going. It was entirely surreal, as most of us were still in high-school. 

He held the reception in a Union Hall. I am always reminded of it when I watch the first half of The Deer Hunter. We smoked cigarettes and drank too much as we joked and laughed with earnest but unearned bravado.

Then, slicing through the hazy mist of this immature frivolity rang the keyboard swirl to Girls Just Want to Have Fun. There was a boisterous cheer and, in a flash, the dance floor was populated by women of all ages...sans-shoe swirling with joyous abandon. 

You have to realize, that song was inescapable in 1984. It was a monster hit...and on the charts for months. I had heard it so many times that it had become background noise. However, at that moment, I saw it in a new context. It was an anthem for women. It was both a call to action and, a statement of solidarity. However, it was wrapped in such playful, silly innocence that I had entirely missed that point.

The next week, I was visiting my friend Steve who had attended the wedding. When I went into his room, he had the cassette on display beside his stereo.

"You bought that?" I asked, incredulous.
"Yea." he smiled "did you see Cathy dancing barefoot to it?"
"I saw everyone dancing barefoot to it", I replied.
"So," he said with a wry grin "I remember that when I listen to it."

You know what? 
35 years later...that's what I remember too.