b. Cynthia Anne Stephanie Lauper, 22
June 1953, Queens, New York City, New York, USA.
Starting her career as a singer in Manhattan's clubs,
Lauper began writing her own material when she met
pianist John Turi in 1977. They formed Blue Angel
and released a self-titled album in 1980 which
included raucous versions of rock classics as well
as their own numbers. She split with Turi and in
1983 began working on what was to become her multi-million-selling
solo debut, She's So Unusual. It made number 4 in
the USA and provided four hit singles - the
exuberant "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" (US/UK
number 2), which became a cult anthem for
independent young women; "Time After Time" (US
number 1/UK number 3, later covered by Miles Davis
on You're Under Arrest and by the jazz duo Tuck And
Patti), "She Bop" (US number 3, which broached the
unusual subject of female masturbation) and "All
Through The Night" (US number 4, written by Jules
Shear). The album also featured Prince's "When You
Were Mine". At the end of 1984 Billboard magazine
placed Lauper first in the Top Female Album Artists
and she was awarded a Grammy as Best New Artist. Her
image was one that adapted, for the American market,
something of a colourful "punk" image that would not
offend parents too much but at the same time retain
a sense of humour and rebelliousness that would
appeal the youth. Pundits in the UK claimed to have
seen through this straight away, yet they
acknowledged Lauper's talent nonetheless. True
Colors did not have the same commercial edge as its
predecessor, yet the title track still provided her
with an US number 1 and a Top 20 hit in the UK. The
follow-up, "Change Of Heart" (written by Essra
Mohawk and featuring the Bangles), reached US number
3 in November 1986. In 1988, Lauper took a role as a
beautician in the poorly received film, Vibes. She
made a brief return to the charts in 1990 with the
US/UK Top 10 single "I Drove All Night" from A Night
To Remember. Another lacklustre film appearance in
Off And Running was not seen in the UK until two
years later.
Seen in some quarters as little more than a visual
and vocal oddity, Lauper has nevertheless written
several magnificent pop tunes ("Time After Time" is
destined to become a classic) and, in 1985, boosted
her credibility as a singer when she performed a
stirring duet with Patti LaBelle at LaBelle's show
at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. Lauper was
joined by her former writing partners Ron Hyman and
Eric Bazilian for Hat Full Of Stars, a successful
mix of soul/pop/hip-hop with a smattering of ethnic/folk.
A reworked version of her biggest hit, retitled "Hey
Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)", reached number 4
in the UK charts in September 1994. The singer gave
birth to a baby boy on 19 November 1997. The
following year she recorded the seasonal album Merry
Christmas " Have A Nice Life. A lengthy hiatus
ensued before the release of the covers collection,
At Last, in 2003.. |
| |
Cyndi Lauper Options
Cyndi Lauper Photos
Cyndi Lauper Biography
Cyndi Lauper Pictures
Cyndi Lauper Lyrics
Cyndi Lauper MP3
Cyndi Lauper Discography
|
