Believe it or not, it’s been 40 years since Cyndi Lauper let the world know “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” on her debut album, She’s So Unusual.
Released October 14, 1983, the album, featuring a cover shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, where it spent a whopping 97 weeks.
Lauper released six singles from the record, starting with her classic “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” which became her first Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at #2. That was followed by the iconic ballad “Time After Time,” which was Lauper’s first #1.
Two other singles, “She Bop” and “All Through the Night,” landed in the top five, making Cyndi the first female artist to have four top five singles from one album.
All four songs benefited from music videos that were in heavy rotation on MTV. In fact, at the first-ever MTV VMAs, Lauper was the most nominated artist with nine nominations, winning Best Female Video for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”
She’s So Unusual earned Cyndi six Grammy nominations; it won two, including Best New Artist for Cyndi and Best Recording Package.
The album has gone on to be certified seven-times Platinum by the RIAA, while “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” has gone six-times Platinum, “Time After Time” has gone five-times Platinum and “All Through The Night” has gone Gold.
In 2019, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
And fans are getting something new for the anniversary. A special blue vinyl version of She’s So Unusual will be released for Record Store Day on November 24.
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