Of late I’m concurrently reading a book by Earnest Hemmingway (“True at First Light” – not his best) and a fictionalized book about his wife Hadley (“The Paris Wife” – better, but the baby scenes are painful). Last night we ordered food in from Pagliacci’s and I got a pasta dish called “The Hemmingway Short Story” to complete the hat-trick.
It underscores how much influence Hemmingway has on modern culture. This is particularly true of those short choppy sentences of his, which everyone and their dog feels the need to emulate. I’m partial to long complicated sentence construction (maybe even florid when I’m feeling jaunty), but I’ll go with something short and punchy when the occasion demands. Now here’s a review.
Disc 1406 is…. She’s So Unusual
Artist: Cyndi Lauper
Year of Release: 1983
What’s up with the Cover? Cyndi Lauper aficionados will know this is not the original cover of “She’s So Unusual”. That’s because this is the “30th Anniversary Celebration” edition, and they decided to celebrate with an artist’s rendition of the original cover. Lauper strikes the same quirky pose and has kicked off her pumps with the same presumably wild abandon. However, she is now wearing short striped pantaloons and a hat. I’m of the belief that a hat improves most outfits, including this one, so I approve. And the pantaloons? Why not.
How I Came To Know It: I grew up with this album but it only came into our house on CD because Sheila wanted it. I probably bought it for her as a gift.
How It Stacks Up: This is our only Cyndi Lauper album. I listened to “True Colors” this week but decided against adding it. There’s only so much room on the shelves, my friends.
Ratings: 4 stars
If you want your pop album to be commercially successful, it is best to put any weird shit on Side Two. “She’s So Unusual” adheres to this general principle and is well rewarded. It is even more helpful to have one of pop music’s all-time great Side Ones.
This record was huge. In Canada (where I’m from) “She’s So Unusual” had six charting singles, including two number ones. It was the sound that 1983 needed, blending the edge of New York’s New Wave scene with a bubbly radio friendly pop vibe that made it digestible for the masses. That’s not an insult to the record either. The record doesn’t sacrifice its art in achieving its mass appeal. If anything it helps redefine the radio sound to show what could be done with eighties production and arrangements when they aren’t being used for evil.
There is also a quirky strength to the record. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is an enduring anthem of a good time out, but even more it is an expression of female empowerment. When Lauper sings:
“Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
Oh girls, they wanna have fun”
She’s serving notice that this isn’t just a song about having a good time, it is a song about refusing to do so in the shadow of some man. Lauper adds additional gravitas with a slightly rebellious snarl in her delivery. This song is so joyful that I think it sometimes hasn’t received the credit it deserves, but it is a fine piece of songwriting and production.
Lauper uses a similar snarl on “Money Changes Everything” and “When You Were Mine” that adds layers to these songs that turn them from good pop songs intro great ones.
Lauper can also play it subtle, with romantic anthems like “Time After Time” where she sings low – even whispering – to capture quiet moments that maintain their emotional appeal after countless listens. It’s a good thing, too, given how huge and well-played the record is.
As for Side Two, it is just as quirky as you want a good Side Two to be. Sure there is another straightforward romance with “All Through the Night” but Lauper uses the dark side of the record to also push the limits.
It all starts with “She Bop,” a song about masturbation that peaked (climaxed?) at #3 in Canada as it brought another aspect of girls just wanting to have fun to the album. The song has an infectious energy, and the lyrics are playful and direct.
“Witness” is a delightfully all over the place ska number. It would be at home on an early Police record if it weren’t for that weird African drum break in the middle, which some might find disruptive to the melody, but I find delightful. Lauper mixes it in with a collection of strange xylophone-like synth sounds because she can.
Side Two isn’t perfect, though. “I’ll Kiss You” is a half-step too far into synth-ville and has a bit of an earworm quality I didn’t enjoy (although that might mean it has a better hook than I give it credit). The Vaudevillian title track is also a bit self-indulgent in the ‘not good’ way. These are minor quibbles that come way too late in the record to seriously impact the experience, however (as I noted above – weird shit at the end).
As for the 30th Anniversary Celebration bonus tracks, the less said the better. There are three of them (including two versions of “Time After Time”). They are all dance remixes that go on interminably and add exactly nothing to the enjoyment of the record. After one obligatory listen, I just skipped them. A proper celebration of the brilliance of “She’s So Unusual” would have just stuck with the original record.
Best tracks: Money Changes Everything, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, When You Were Mine, Time After Time, She Bop, All Through the Night, Witness
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