Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper

Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, MTV VMA-winning video and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. She became a household name in the mid-eighties with the release of the album, She's So Unusual and became the first artist in history to have four top-five singles released from one album. Cyndi has released 11 albums, over 40 singles, and has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. She continues to tour the world in support of human rights.

Biography

Early life and pre-fame

Arguably one of the bigger female stars of the early MTV era, Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in a rough area of Queens. Her parents are Fred and Catrine Lauper. Her mother uses the stagename, "Catrine Dominique" for the music videos she has starred in. Her father was of German and Swiss descent and her mother was Italian American (from Campania, precisely). She has a sister (Elen) and a brother (Fred/Butch).

At the age of five, Cyndi's parents divorced, and her mother took the three children and moved them to Ozone Park which was at that time a poor neighborhood in Queens, New York.

Cyndi's mother had remarried and divorced again, and went to work as a waitress trying to support three children. It was during this time that Cyndi saw how women can be oppressed, and how things aren't always equal in the world. Cyndi knew this was a situation she wanted to get out of, and she found hope through music. She began listening to artists like Judy Garland, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Beatles. Her mother always wanted her to be independent and encouraged creativity, but Cyndi always felt like an outcast.

At the age of twelve, Cyndi learned how to play a guitar that she had inherited from her sister. Cyndi started to write her own lyrics during this time. She had a great love of art and music and tried to find ways to express herself. Even at the early age of twelve, Cyndi started dyeing her hair different colors and wearing clothes that most people would find unusual.

Cyndi was accepted in a special public high school for students with talent in the visual arts, but she was held back and eventually dropped out and earned her GED sometime later. At the age of seventeen she left home planning to study art. Her journey would take her to Canada, where she spent two weeks in the woods with her dog, Sparkle, trying to find herself. She eventually wound up in Vermont where she ended up taking art classes at Johnson State College. She supported herself by working various odd jobs. Feeling homesick, she eventually returned to Ozone Park.

In the mid-seventies Lauper performed as a vocalist with various cover bands (such as Doc West and Flyer who still perform under the names Gap Wilson Band and Red, White and Blues Band in the New York metropolitan area, singing hits by bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Company. Even though Cyndi was now performing onstage, she wasn't happy singing cover songs.

In 1977, Cyndi damaged her vocal cords, and took a year off. She was told by three doctors that she would never sing again. Cyndi's friends told her to see a vocal coach, which led her to Katie Agresta, who helped Cyndi regain her voice by teaching her proper vocal exercises.

Blue Angel

In 1978, after Lauper regained her voice, she met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. John and Cyndi became writing partners and formed a band called Blue Angel. They decided to put everything they had into making an album of original material.

A few demos were recorded and the tape found its way over to Steve Massarsky, who was managing The Allman Brothers Band. Massarsky said the tape was horrible, but he was attracted to Lauper's voice. He saw them play live and eventually started managing the band after buying their contract out for $5,000. Many people wanted to sign Cyndi only if she would sign on as a solo artist. Cyndi held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. Polydor Records eventually signed them as a band.

In 1980, they released a self-titled album on Polydor Records. The album charted #37 in Austria with the single "I'm Gonna Be Strong". In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine included it as one of the 100 best new wave album covers. Cyndi hated the cover, often saying they made her look like Big Bird.

Despite critical acclaim, the album sold poorly (or "went lead", as Lauper says) and the band broke up. Polydor Records had a regime change, and the label wouldn't let the band back into the studio unless they had a hit. The members of Blue Angel had a falling out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them. This forced Lauper into bankruptcy.

Lauper started working in retail stores such as the New York high-end thrift store Screaming Mimi's to make ends meet. Cyndi still sang in local clubs. Her most frequent gigs were at El Sombrero. Music critics that saw Cyndi perform with Blue Angel thought that she had star potential since she had a wide singing range (4 octaves), perfect pitch, and a vocal style all her own. She was in her late twenties and had yet to achieve stardom. When asked about her age, Cyndi would usually get defensive, saying, "What am I, a car?"

Then in 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Lauper met David Wolff, who gave her a ride home that night. The two fell in love and eventually moved in together. They painted their living room pink and purchased a chihuahua.

Wolff took over as her manager and got her signed with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. Wolff had been working with a band called Arc Angel. He introduced Cyndi to CBS executive Lennie-Petze, who in turn introduced them to producer Rick Chertoff.

In 1985, the Blue Angel album was re-issued and it brought moderate success, particularly in South East Asia where it produced several hits like Fade, I'm Gonna Be Strong, and Late.

She's So Unusual

On October 14 1983, She's So Unusual was released, and became a worldwide hit. With the help of Rick Chertoff, Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman (of The Hooters) as her primary studio musicians, She's So Unusual's popularity spread like wildfire. At the time, Lauper became popular with teenagers and critics, in part due to her hybrid punk image.

Cyndi knew she could write songs, but the record company had a lot of material they wanted her to record. She altered a lot of the songs that were thrown her way, often changing the lyrics to suit her. (This would end up helping her in the long run financially as she could claim credit as a co-writer and collect royalties.)

An example is "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", Cyndi says the original lyrics of the song dealt more with a girl pleasing a man, therefore she changed the lyrics, wanting the song to be more of an anthem as she felt the original song seemed misogynistic.

The album's second single was the ballad "Time After Time". Cyndi co-wrote "Time After Time" when her producer, Rick Chertoff, suggested to the band that the album could use one more song. The record label didn't have much faith in Cyndi as a songwriter, but they gave her the chance to prove herself. Notably, "Time After Time" was one of the biggest hits of 1984. It has been covered by more than 100 artists, including Blaque, Gospel Boyz Clique, Red Darling and the Pickup Band, Brooke, Cassandra Wilson, Dave Matthews Band, Donna Hughes, Downtown Singapore, Eva Cassidy, Everything But The Girl, Flying Pickets, The Gandharvas, Happy Hardcore, The Hooters (whose member co-wrote the original), Inoj, Julio Iglesias, Kane and Able, Li'l Mo, MC Prince Paul, Jacob Anders, Matchbox Twenty, Miles Davis, Novaspace, Paul Anka, Paul Parker Jr., Phil Keaggy, Richard Clayderman, JJ McCocky, Flip Mode Squad, Marylin Manson, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarge, Sparklehorse, Sugar Ray, Tuck Andress & Patti Cathcart, Uncle Kracker and Willie Nelson, and is considered an American pop standard.

Cyndi came up with the title for "Time After Time" while reading TV Guide. "Time After Time" was the name of a 1979 science fiction movie starring Malcolm McDowell as a man who invents a time machine. She has also stated that the apartment that she shared with David in New York had a very loud alarm clock, and that's where the lyrics "the clock ticks and I think of you" originated.

The third single, "She Bop", was a paean to masturbation. Cyndi claimed in a 1993 interview with Howard Stern that she recorded the vocals naked.

"All Through the Night" was written by Jules Shear, who also wrote The Bangles hit "If She Knew What She Wants" and the Alison Moyet hit "Whispering Your Name". It was later released in Europe as the lead off single for Roxette's female lead vocalist (Marie Frederickson)'s solo album. He and Cyndi had also collaborated on his hit single "Steady" which became a Billboard Top 40 hit that year.

The album also includes a cover of The Brains' New Wave track "Money Changes Everything" (another Top 40 hit for her), and "When You Were Mine", a cover of Prince's song that was later released as a promotional single in 1985.

Cyndi spent 1984 touring and promoting She's So Unusual. By the end of the year, she was the first female to have four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 hits from one album. The LP itself stayed in the Top 40 charts for more than 65 weeks and sold 16 million copies worldwide. The original title of She's So Unusual was "She's So Wonderful".

The video for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" made Cyndi an MTV staple. The video ran constantly on MTV, and featured wrestler Captain Lou Albano as Lauper's father. It won the first ever award for Best Female Video at the 1984 Video Music Awards. The video featured many of Cyndi's family members and dog, Sparkle. Cyndi appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in May of 1984. The photo on the cover had been reversed to make room for the title. She also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine and Newsweek with the headline, "Women In Rock". Cyndi was voted by Ms. Magazine as one of its women of the year.

The video for "Money Changes Everything" was shot during a concert at the Summit in Houston, Texas. The concert was broadcast over the radio and fans were told to show up wearing white t-shirts. The video featured pop singer Martikaof Toy Soldiers hugging Cyndi onstage.

She started 1985 by participating on USA for Africa's famine-relief fund-raising single "We Are the World".

The WWF

Cyndi always claims that David was a major fan of wrestling and it was his idea to get her involved with the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). The WWF television show had a massive audience, and David thought that he could sell more albums if she appeared on the show. The idea worked, but Cyndi's image as a songwriter and artist would be tarnished. David set up a cross-promotion deal with the WWF. The wrestlers would be promoted through her videos and special appearances, and Cyndi would be featured on the WWF program.

In 1985, Cyndi won a Grammy Award in the Best New Artist category. At the event, she appeared with WWF Superstar Hulk Hogan, who played her "bodyguard". In return, she made many appearances as herself in a number of WWF's "Rock and Wrestling" events, where she was the manager of Wendi Richter. Their entrance music was "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

Cyndi and David had a long drawn out storyline involving WWF wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Cyndi appeared on "Piper's Pit" which was Roddy Piper's segment on the WWF show. The story involved Captain Lou Albano, who came out during Cyndi's segment claiming that he had given Cyndi her start, and that he was the one that discovered her. Cyndi became outraged, flipping over a table, and hitting the Captain over the head with her purse.

On December 28, 1984 at Madison Square Garden, an award was being presented to Captain Lou Albano by Cyndi Lauper and David Wolff. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper turned on Lauper and started attacking her music. Roddy climbed into the ring, slammed the award over Captain Lou's head, and during the confusion, Roddy kicked Cyndi, knocking her back about two feet. Roddy then picked up David Wolff slamming him down in the ring. Hulk Hogan came to Cyndi's rescue but Piper ran away.

The event made for good television, and Roddy's story is conflicting as to whether or not the kick was intentional or staged. On his most recent DVD "Born To Controversy", Piper claims he was asked to kick her. In 2007, during an interview at a GI-Joe convention in Atlanta, Piper claims it wasn't intentional (You Tube).

A small riot ensued, and Piper became the sworn enemy of Hulk Hogan. He and Hogan wound up in a match that took place a few weeks later called "The War to Settle the Score." Celebrities like Dee Snider and Little Richard filmed segments for the WWF talking about Cyndi and Roddy Piper.

In February of 1985 "The War to Settle the Score" was aired live on MTV. The event would feature Hulk Hogan against Rowdy Piper. Paul Orndorff jumped into the ring to help Piper attack Hogan. Cyndi was standing near the ring screaming at them, when they decided to come after her. Mr. T, who was sitting in the front row, came to her rescue. Paul Orndorff and Piper ganged up on Mr. T while Hogan was down, but when Hogan came to, Piper and Orndoff ran out of the ring. This was the event that started "WrestleMania".

The WWF wrestlers recorded an album in 1985 with David Wolff. Lauper contributed to "The Wrestling Album", under the pseudonym "Mona Flambé" as guest backing vocals. She later described the period as fun, but it became an increasing distraction to her musical ambitions. Also by the end of 1985 she started to feel that the WWF involvement was starting to turn her into a joke within the music industry. The album also led to a collaboration with Rick Derringer. Rick wrote Real American, which featured Cyndi on backing vocals. Rick and Cyndi would write "Calm Inside The Storm" for her True Colors album.

During David Wolff's early career, he produced a band called Captain Chameleon. They had a song called "Grab Them Cakes". That song would turn up again on the WWF wreslting album being sung by the wrestler Junkyard Dog. Cyndi and Wolff became the associate producers for the animated series "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling".

The Goonies

Steven Spielberg had asked Cyndi to be the musical director of his latest film The Goonies, an adventurous family film about lost treasure. Cyndi had the power to choose whom she wanted on the soundtrack, so she tried to make the album very diverse. The Bangles were just one of the bands that contributed to the soundtrack. Cyndi thought the band was very raw and fresh.

Cyndi worked so hard on the soundtrack that she wound up in the hospital. Cyndi states in a 1986 interview that she had been working 12 hour days and had gynaecological problems. Cyndi had a minor operation and spent some time in the hospital. Her doctors told her that she needed some rest. This was the reason she wasn't able to participate in the Live Aid concert.

Cyndi scored another hit with the single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", which earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, for the film The Goonies. The video featured many guests including WWF Wrestlers such as The Iron Sheik, Captain Lou Albano, Roddy Piper, André the Giant, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, The Fabulous Moolah & Nikolai Volkoff, the Goonies cast as well as the Bangles. The video was split up into two acts, making Cyndi the very first artist to have a two-part video. Steven even allowed her access to the set pieces from the film.

Cyndi stopped performing "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough", in concert around 1987. During the Australian leg of her 2004 "At Last" tour, at the request of the crowd, she performed an a cappella version of the first verse and chorus at several shows. It was at a show in Baltimore on Cyndi's 2006 tour that she finally played it in full again. The crowd was chanting "Goonies" and she sang the song a cappella to an ecstatic crowd. She finally agreed to play the song again on her "True Colors" tour in 2007 and it was featured in her 2008 tour of Australia as the second number performed at each show.

During the video commentary for "The Goonies" actor Sean Astin can be heard thanking Cyndi for the song. He says that they all appeared tired on the set of the video, due to the rigorous shooting schedule, but they really did love the song. Sean apologizes to Cyndi again in footage that can be seen in the upcoming "Goonies Documentary".

In 1985, The Women In Crystal Film Awards awarded her with the New Directions Award, given to those who are known for their creativity and originality.

True Colors

Lauper released her second album True Colors on September 15, 1986. It reached number four on the Billboard 200. For this album, she increased her involvement both in production and songwriting. Guests on the album included Angela Clemons-Patrick, Nile Rodgers, Aimee Mann, Billy Joel, Adrian Belew, The Bangles, Ellie Greenwich, and Rick Derringer. Cyndi co-wrote most of the album with Essra Mohawk, John Turi, Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.

Although the album was not as commercially successful as its predecessor, it contained three high-charting singles, including the title track (which become her second platinum number-one hit), "Change of Heart" (#3) and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (#12). The album also featured an older song called "Maybe He'll Know" which was on Cyndi's Blue Angel album.

The album covers for both She's So Unusual and True Colors were composed by photographer Annie Leibovitz. "True Colors" was licensed to Kodak for use in its commercials. Cyndi had no control over the song which was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly.

The 4th single from the album, "Boy Blue", became Cyndi's first non top 40 song. The proceeds of the song were donated to AIDS research.

In 1986, Cyndi appeared on the Billy Joel album The Bridge on a song called "Code of Silence". Cyndi also sang the theme song for the series "Pee-wee's Playhouse" the same year, though she was credited as "Ellen Shaw". The theme song is speeded up making Cyndi's voice sound a bit distorted. On adult swim broadcasts, Lauper's portion of the opening was cut out. Playhouse star Paul Reubens appeared on the True Colors album track "911" as an emergency operator. The album sold nearly 12 million copies.

Hollywood calling

In 1987 David Wolff produced a concert film for Cyndi called Cyndi: Live in Paris. The concert was broadcast on HBO that same year.

Cyndi made her film debut in August of 1988 in the quirky comedy Vibes, alongside Jeff Goldblum, Julian Sands, Rosie Pena and Peter Falk. Cyndi played a psychic in search of a city of gold in South America. The film was produced by Ron Howard and David Wolff acted as the film's associate producer.

To prepare for the role, Lauper took a few classes in finger waving and hair setting at the Robert Fiance School of Beauty in New York and studied with a few Manhattan psychics. The film was poorly received by critics and commercially flopped, though it reached the Top 30 in America"s Most Rented Movies. Cyndi contributed a track called "Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" but the song was not included on the soundtrack. A video was released, which was meant to be a high energy, hysterically funny action/adventure romp through a Chinese laundry. The song hit #54 on the US charts, but fared better in Australia, peaking at #8 and becoming her fifth and final Top 10 single there. It featured as the opening track on her 2008 Australian tour.

Cyndi was often compared to Madonna during this period, who starred in a movie called Shanghai Surprise, which had also failed miserably at the box office.

At the beginning of 1988, Lauper traveled to the former Soviet Union as part of a project to collaborate with Russian songwriters. Her trip resulted in the song "Cold Sky", a duet with Russian superstar Igor Nikolaev, which appeared on the album Music Speaks Louder Than Words. Cyndi says she was unhappy about the way the album was mixed.

Lauper received an honorary diploma from Richmond High School, Queens, in 1988.

A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember, Lauper's third album, was released on May 23, 1989. Though critically well-received, it was not as big a commercial success as her previous albums. The album spawned only one big hit, "I Drove All Night", originally penned for Roy Orbison, although his version was not released until 1992, three years after Lauper's version and four years after his death. She also wrote and produced most of the album. Contributing writers were Desmond Child, Christina Amphlett of Divinyls, Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, Diane Warren, and Frank Previte. Guest musicians include Bootsy Collins, Larry Blackmon, Batkini Khumalo, Eric Clapton, and Nile Rodgers. The video for "My First Night Without You", released in 1989, was one of the first to be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

On July 21st, 1990, Lauper joined many other guests for Roger Waters' massive performance of The Wall in Berlin, performing "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II". Cyndi wore a school girl outfit performing to over 300,000 people. The concert was watched live by over five million people worldwide.

Cyndi had become close friends with Yoko Ono. In 1990 she took part in a John Lennon tribute concert in Liverpool, performing the Beatles song "Hey Bulldog" and the John Lennon song "Working Class Hero". The concert was aired on the Disney Channel. She also took part in a project Yoko and Sean developed called "The Peace Choir". They performed a new version of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance". The reworked "Give Peace a Chance" was written by Sean Lennon.

In 1990, Cyndi co-wrote the song "Paper Heart" (a song about drug addiction) with Go-Go's alumna Jane Weidlin. The song appeared on Jane's CD Tangled. While the Bangles frontwoman Sussana Hoffs re-recorded " Unconditional Love" which became a US TOP 40.

Love and marriage

A mutual breakup between Cyndi Lauper and David Wolff occurred in 1989. Most of the details about the breakup have not been published, but Lauper later stated: "The business got in the way of the relationship." In a 1993 interview with Howard Stern, Cyndi hinted that Wolff didn't want to marry her.

Cyndi worked on movie called Moon Over Miami which later became Off and Running with David Keith, Richard Belzer and David Thornton, whom she started seeing. Cyndi claims that Miami was a great place to fall in love. The film was released in Europe but never made it off the ground in the US market. (David Wolff was the music supervisor for the film.)

Cyndi was married on November 24 1991 at the 205-year-old Friends Meeting House at 15th St. and Rutherford Place on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan, New York. Cyndi, who was 38, married actor David Thornton. Little Richard, who at one time gave up rock 'n roll to become a minister—and still is one—performed the ceremony. Patti LaBelle sang "A Whiter Shade of Pale", and Cyndi's grandmother served as the maid of honor. (Patti and Cyndi remain good friends, and Patti eventually became her son's godmother). Other guests included Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) and "Barton Fink" star John Turturro. Cyndi had threatened to dress like a lighted Christmas tree, but settled on a traditional white wedding dress.

In 1992, Lauper contributed two tracks to the European musical Tycoon, an english version of the hit French stage show Starmania (musical). She scored another Top 20 hit in Europe (it went to #2 in France, earning a 2x platinum certification there) with "The World Is Stone", penned by Tim Rice, Michel Berger, and Luc Plamandon. It was quoted that Tim Rice and Luc Plamandon would only work on the song if Cyndi would record it. Neither the musical nor the songs were released in the U.S., though the two tracks did see the light of day stateside with the quiet release of a compilation in 2000.

In 1992, Cyndi recorded a duet with Frank Sinatra through the magic of studio editing. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" was released on the Very Special Christmas II album. Sinatra's vocals had been taken from his original recording, and were mixed with Cyndi's vocals in the studio.

Hat Full of Stars

In May of 1993, Cyndi released her critically acclaimed fourth album Hat Full of Stars. With a smooth new R&B sound, world music instrumentation, and production by Junior Vasquez, she tackled such topics as homophobia, spousal abuse, racism and abortion. Despite significant accolades, sales were poor (just 4 million copies worldwide), largely because the album suffered from a lack of promotion. Cyndi appeared on the Howard Stern Show to promote the album.

Cyndi said the song "A Hat Full of Stars" was written as a message to David Wolff. The video for "Who Let in the Rain" features a chalk drawing of David Wolff on the sidewalk.

"A Part Hate" was written collaboratively by Cyndi and husband David Thorntorn. The video for "Sally's Pigeons" features the then unknown Julia Stiles as the young Cyndi.

Tommy Mottola, president of CBS Records, told Cyndi to go out and make her own Graceland (referring to Paul Simon's offbeat critically acclaimed album). Cyndi wanted to write her own material and stop doing cover songs. She decided to write a few songs on the album with other people, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Ailee Willis, Nicky Holland, Tom Gray, Hugh Masekela and The Hooters.

The same year, Cyndi recorded "Boys will be Boys" with The Hooters, and another duet called "Private Emotion". (The Hooters dedicated this song to Cyndi.) Both songs appeared on the Hooter's CD Out of Body. Cyndi also returned to acting, playing Michael J. Fox's ditzy secretary in 1993's Life with Mikey, which also starred Nathan Lane.

12 Deadly Cyns

Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some, was released worldwide in 1994 (except in the U.S., where it was held back until the summer of 1995). The album was a greatest hits compilation that included two re-recorded tracks, "I'm Gonna be Strong", first recorded with her band Blue Angel, and a reworking of her first big hit, newly christened "Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)". The Japanese edition of the CD includes the single "Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China)" as the final track.

The album was released under a number of different titles, and had different packaging and track listings for certain countries. Twelve Deadly Cyns sold over 6 million copies worldwide and Cyndi began a world tour to promote the album. It was especially popular in the UK, reaching number two on the music charts, while the new "(Hey Now) Girls Just Want to Have Fun" hit number four. The song includes special appearances by Snow and Patra. The album also included a hot reggae influenced song, "Come On Home", which was remixed by Junior Vasquez with a special appearance by Demetrius "Sir Jam" Ross. Due to the success of the album Cyndi's next studio album was delayed.

Cyndi won a Emmy Award for her role as Marianne on the sitcom Mad About You. The network set up a production deal for a spin off sitcom featuring Cyndi, but the show she proposed seemed too radical.

A 12 Deadly Cyns VHS tape featuring most of Cyndi's videos was released. The DVD was released in 2000.

Sisters of Avalon

In 1997 Lauper announced that she was expecting a child. Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper was born on November 17th of that year; he was named after Elvis Costello, whose first name is Declan. He was born while Cyndi was putting the finishing touches on her new album.

Her fifth album, Sisters of Avalon (released in Japan in 1996 and everywhere else in 1997) brought her moderate success, but only sold 1 million copies worldwide. The album was quickly embraced by the gay community for its dance and club stylings. The topical themes of the album also contributed to its "pink" appeal. The album was written and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Cyndi's keyboard player) and Producer Mark Saunders. Guest musicians include, Bush lead guitarist Nigel Pulsford on "You Don't Know" and "Love To Hate". The album was written and recorded in Tennessee and Connecticut and finished in an old mansion in Tuxedo Park, N.Y., where she lived and worked at that time.

The song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life. Cyndi started writing the song around 1994. "Brimstone and Fire" painted a portrait of a lesbian relationship, and "You Don't Know" showed Lauper flexing more political muscle than on her previous albums. The song "Say a Prayer" was written for a friend of hers who had died from AIDS. The song "Searchin'" was used in one of Baywatch's episodes. "Unhook The Stars" was made into a movie of the same name starring Marisa Tomei, Gerard Depardieu, Gena Rowlands and David Thorntorn.

Cyndi's sister Ellen had "come out" and Cyndi considered her to be a role model. Ellen was doing a lot of charity work for the gay community, and was working out of a clinic, helping people who were suffering from AIDS.

Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events around the world. She also served as the opening act for Tina Turner's summer tour, which was one of the highest grossing tours that year. Cyndi took up the dulcimer which would have a huge effect on her future projects. She took lessons from David Schnauffer.

Cyndi's stepfather died during this period.

Merry Christmas

Lauper churned out her last album for Epic in late 1998. Merry Christmas, Have A Nice Life, as the title implies, was a Christmas collection of original material and standards. It is a combination of folk-rock, cajun and celtic music. Her version of "Silent Night" was used in a Pampers commercial.

Rob Hyman co-wrote the album opener "Home On Christmas Day", and provides accordion and organ accompaniment on a number of tracks. Producer William Wittman, who has been behind a mixing board for Cyndi since her debut album She's So Unusual, was once again in a co-producing and mixing role. Most significantly perhaps, Cyndi is ably assisted by more-soulmate-than-bandmate Jan Pulsford, the keyboardist who tours with Cyndi and co-produced her last disc, Sisters Of Avalon.

The Christmas album was recorded at Cyndi's home in Connecticut. Cyndi vocalized in a cedar closet that not only had great acoustics but apparently had enough of a Riverdance vibe that she was inspired to do some clog-dancing there, the sound of which can be heard on a not-quite traditional take of "Three Ships". She also stepped outside her back door to get the right vocal sound for "First Lullaby".

Declyn was the major inspiration on Merry Christmas, "December Child" was written for him. Declyn makes his vocal debut on "First Lullaby": Jan tickled him, grabbed the mike, and the results are on tape. His proud mother notes that his wails were all in pitch, not surprising given his lineage.

Cyndi reprises two holiday-themed tracks for previous albums that blend seamlessly with the newer material: "Feels Like Christmas", a Cajun-spiced tune from Hat Full of Stars and "Early Christmas Morning" from Sisters of Avalon. She closes the album with a stark rendition of "Silent Night" in memory of the late Peter Wood, the close friend and musician to whom Cyndi dedicated her hits compilation, Seven Deadly Cyns...And Then Some. Wood, whom Cyndi recalls as a "magical musician", was a keyboardist who toured with the singer and performed in the studio on many of her best-loved tracks.

Cyndi recalls another old friend on "Minnie and Santa", a not-quite-naughty tale of a woman with her sights set on seducing Santa. Cyndi based the tune, which sounds like some long-lost holiday drinking song, on a deceptively sweet elderly co-worker from Cyndi's days at a downtown Brooklyn five and dime who delighted in shocking her younger colleagues with her salty wit.

On January 17, 1999, Cyndi appeared on The Simpsons. Cyndi appeared on the show as herself singing the National Anthem. The episode was called "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken". The same year, Cyndi co-headlined a tour alongside Cher. The tour was called the Do You Believe? Tour. Cyndi and Cher performed "Turn Back Time" on VH1 Divas. She also garnered critical plaudits for her roles in several independent films including Mrs. Parker And The Vicious Circle, and The Opportunists (with Christopher Walken) where she was nominated in the best supporting actress category for her role.

Cyndi contributed a cover version of The Trammps's classic "Disco Inferno" to the soundtrack for the film A Night at the Roxbury. The remixed version became a club hit and received a Grammy nomination that year for Best Dance Recording. The single was released as an EP, featuring several remixes.

In 2000, Cyndi contributed a song called "I Want A Mom That Will Last Forever" for the children's movie Rugrats in Paris. The song was written with Mark Mothersbaugh (of the new wave group DEVO). The song won the best theme song in a movie in a European film festival. Also in 2000, Cyndi co-write a song, "If You Believe", with Faye Tozer of the British pop group Steps. It appeared on the band's third studio album, "Buzz", and was subsequently released in the US in July 2001.

Shine

Lauper prepared her seventh album in 2001, Shine, which saw her returning to her early pop/rock sound. It features Japanese pop superstar Ryuichi Sakamoto, and George Fullan of Train. Just weeks before the album's scheduled release on September 11, 2001, her label, Edel America Records, folded, and the tracks were leaked to the public.

Although a five song EP of the same name was made available through her website and at Tower Records, the full-length album concept was scrapped. The five song EP was released in June of 2002, and was made available at Best Buy. An album of Shine remixes was eventually released through Tower Records. The complete Shine album was released on April 21, 2004, exclusively in Japan. The album has become a collector's item often selling at high prices on places like Amazon.com.

On October 12, 2000, Cyndi took part in a television show called Women in Rock, Girls With Guitars. The show featured Sheryl Crow, Anne and Nancy Wilson (guitarist), Melissa Etheridge, Amy Grant, Wynonna Judd, and Destiny's Child. Cyndi performed the Paul McCartney hit "Maybe I'm Amazed" with Ann Wilson of Heart. She also sang the R&B classic "Ooh Child" with the girl group Destiny's Child. Cyndi was well received at the event, getting standing ovations after every song. She also performed a new song called "Water's Edge" with Ann Wilson. The song was well received and critics saw that performance as one of the highlights of the night.

A CD was issued that contained the studio versions of some songs performed during the concert. The only live song on the disc was "Maybe I'm Amazed" but unfortunately the version is edited. Cyndi's part remains intact, but the entire verse by Ann was removed, totally skipping her first verse and going into her second. This CD was exclusively released to Sears stores from September 30 to October 31, 2001. The CD cost $4.99, $1.00 of which went to breast cancer research. The CD was released as a "Sony Music special product".

Lauper's former label Sony issued a new best-of CD entitled The Essential Cyndi Lauper. She re-signed with Sony/Epic Records and a cover album tentatively called Naked City was in the works.

Cyndi toured with Cher on her Living Proof: The Farewell Tour in 2002. In 2004, Cyndi contributed two tracks to the Creole Bred CD, which was a tribute to Cajun and Zydeco music. The album was released on May 11, 2004.

At Last

In November 2003, an album of covers was released entitled At Last (formerly Naked City), which became a Top-40 hit in the U.S. and Australia. Cyndi was nominated in 2005 for a Grammy Award in the category of "Best Instrumental Composition Accompanying a Vocal". The nomination was for her interpretation of the song "Unchained Melody".

At Last became Cyndi's best selling album since Twelve Deadly Cyns, with 4.5 million copies. The album was also voted as the best CD of covered songs beating those of Rod Stewart, K. D. Lang and Tony Bennet. The success of the CD prompted Sony-BMG to release the DVD Live... At Last which went gold in less than a year.

Cyndi took part in VH1 Divas Live with Patti La Belle, Jessica Simpson, Debbie Harry, Ashanti, Sheila E., and the Pussycat Dolls.

2005–2007: The Body Acoustic and other projects

Under a new contract with Sony Music, Lauper released The Body Acoustic, an album that featured acoustic reinterpretations of tracks from her back catalog. Two new tracks were also written and recorded, one of which is "Above the Clouds". Guests on the album included Shaggy, Ani DiFranco, Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, Jeff Beck, Puffy AmiYumi, Sarah McLachlan,and Vivian Green.

"Time After Time" and "Above The Clouds" became Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart staples. "All Through The Night" hit the top 5 in the Latin American countries.

Though she hasn't released an album of new material since 1997's Sisters of Avalon, Lauper has remained busy over the years. Appearing on Showtime's hit show Queer As Folk in 2005, making her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera in 2006 (where she won as best actress in a broadway by an internet poll), and directing a commercial for Totally 80's edition of the board game Trivial Pursuit.

VH1 Classic honored Cyndi with a television special called Decades Rock Live. The show featured Cyndi performing with many artists such as Shaggy, Scott Weiland of Velvet Revolver/Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Monahan of Train, Ani di Franco, and the Hooters.

On October 16, 2006, she was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. In 2007, she sang "Beecharmer" with Nellie McKay on Nellie's Pretty Little Head album, and "Letters To Michael" with Dionne Warwick.

In September 2006, Lauper served as the vocal coach of the Top 8 contestants in the Canadian Idol. Eventual winner Eva Avila recorded her version of Lauper's "This Kind Of Love".

In June 2007, Lauper headlined the True Colors Tour 2007 for Human Rights through the United States and Canada which also included Deborah Harry, Erasure, The Dresden Dolls, and Gossip, with Margaret Cho as MC and special guests in different cities. The tour, sponsored by Logo, the MTV Networks channel targeting gay audiences, provided information to fans who attend, as well as purple wristbands with the slogan "Erase Hate" from The Matthew Shepard Foundation. A dollar from every ticket sold was earmarked for the Human Rights Campaign, which advocates equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.. In October 2007 the Matthew Shepard Bill was passed into a law by the US Congress, largely due to the great success of the True Colors Tour.

In September of 2007, Cyndi performed "The Lady in Pink" for Nickelodeon’s hit preschool series The Backyardigans, for their first hour-long, primetime TV movie called Super Secret Super Spy.

2008: Bring You to the Brink

Cyndi has recorded an album of all new material. The working title given to the project was Savoir Faire, but this is subject to change before the release date. She announced at her Perth concert that the name of the album is "Bring You To The Brink" and that it would be released in the Spring.

She has described it as a mainly dance album with good rhythm. She has performed some of the songs at her concerts. The first single has been confirmed as "Set Your Heart". It's gaining a heavy airplay in Japan. It is also the campaign song for the new 2008 Toyota Car Model (Marx ZIO) starring Japanese actor and singer Takeshi Kaneshiro. It is not yet known if the following songs will be on the album: "Still with Me", "The Other Side Of Here", "Edge of the Earth". DJ Rich Morel has produced 4 songs from the new album. One of these is called "Same Old Fucking Story". The track "Grab A Hold" will also be on the album.

Cyndi visited England and France during summer 2007 to write for the album and has written songs with dance legends Basement Jaxx, Digital Dog, Dragonette, and other artists yet to be named.

"Set your heart" is being released to radio stations during February.

She played at the King's Park Botanic Gardens, Perth, Australia, supported by Katie Noonan and Kate Miller-Heidke on February 22nd, 2008. Lauper was the headline and final act at the 2008 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Party, in Sydney, Australia on 2 March 2008 at 8am. She sang "Same Old Fucking Story" followed by "Girls Just Want To Have Fun". Lauper got into the spirit of the Mardi Gras weekend by later dancing till dawn at various nightclubs along Sydney's famous gay strip, Oxford St, which earlier in the night, was the location for the world-famous Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.

It has been announced that the 2008 TRUE COLORS TOUR will take off this April.So far,those who have confirmed to join the tour were Rosie O' Donell, the B52's, Joan Jet and the Blackhearts, The Cliks, among others.

Discography

Main article: Cyndi Lauper discography

Studio albums

• 1983 - She's So Unusual
• 1986 - True Colors
• 1989 - A Night to Remember
• 1993 - Hat Full of Stars
• 1996 - Sisters of Avalon
• 2003 - Shine (Was only released in Japan)
• 2008 - Bring You to the Brink

Other albums

EPs, Remixes, Compilations, Holiday, Standard

• 1989 - The Best Remixes
• 1994 - Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some
• 1996 - Wanna Have Fun
• 1998 - Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life (Holiday)
• 2001 - Shine (EP)
• 2003 - At Last (Standard)
• 2003 - The Essential Cyndi Lauper
• 2003 - The Great Cyndi Lauper (Three CD Hits Compilation)
• 2005 - Hey Now! (Remixes & Rarities)
• 2005 - The Body Acoustic
• 2006 - Cyndi Lauper: Collections (A Legacy Records/SONYBMG 10-track compilation)

Tours

• 1984-1985 The Fun Tour
• 1986-1987 True Colors World Tour
• 1989 A Night To Remember World Tour
• 1993-1994 Hat Full Of Stars Tour
• 1994-1995 Twelve Deadly Cyns World Tour
• 1996-1997 Sisters Of Avalon Tour (with Tina Turner's Wildest Dreams Tour)
• 1999 The Summer Tour (with Cher's Do You Believe? Tour)
• 2001 The Shine Tour
• 2003-2004 The At Last World Tour
• 2005-2006 The Body Acoustic Tour
• 2007 True Colors Tour (with Erasure, Deborah Harry, Rufus Wainwright, The Dresden Dolls, The Gossip, and Margaret Cho)
• 2008 Australian Tour

Filmography

• 1985 We Are The World
• 1985 The Goonies
• 1985 WWF Wrestling's Biggest Smallest Strangest Strongest
• 1985 WrestleMania
• 1987 Cyndi Lauper In Paris
• 1987 The Videos
• 1987 Rolling Stone Presents Twenty Years of Rock & Roll
• 1988 Vibes
• 1989 Compilation Video
• 1990 The Legend of Zelda-The Missing Link
• 1990 Mario Brothers - Cartoon (With Captain Lou Albano)
• 1990 The Wall Live In Berlin (Roger Waters)
• 1990 Shelly Duvall's Rock 'N' Rhymeland
• 1990 Big's Rock Around The World Vol. 2
• 1990 Mother Goose Rock 'N Rhyme
• 1991 Give Peace A Chance
• 1991 The World's Greatest Artists Sing LENNON: a tribute
• 1991 Off And Running (AKA Moon Over Miami)
• 1992 The World Is Stone
• 1993 Life with Mikey
• 1994 12 Tracks Compilation
• 1994 Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle
• 1994 Twelve Deadly Cyns... And Then Some
• 1994 The Crazy World Of Cyndi Lauper
• 1994 Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)
• 1998 WWF - WrestleMania: The Legacy
• 1999 The Simpson's Season 10 - Wild Bart's Can't Be Broken (Herself)
• 1999 Best of the Meldrum Tapes
• 1999 The Opportunists
• 1999 "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child"
• 2000 WWF - WrestleMania
• 2002 VH1's - Cyndi Lauper - Behind the Music
• 2002 Come Together-A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music
• 2004 Live... At Last
• 2004 Soundstage
• 2004 Higglytown Heroes
• 2004 There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly...and More Stories That Sing - (Narrator)
• 2005 That's So Raven - Disguise the Limit
• 2006 VH1's Decades Rock Live! Cyndi Lauper & Friends
• 2005 Queer as Folk
• 2005 The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie, written and directed by Lauper's friend, actress Polly Draper.
• 2006 Born To Controversy - The Roddy Piper Story
• 2006 From the Big Apple to the Big Easy: The Concert for New Orleans
• 2008 Here and There

See also

• List of best-selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)

External links

• Official site
• Template:MySpace
• Cyndi Lauper Site
• Cyndi Lauper Source
• Fearless Web Site
• Cyndi Lauper Friends
• Cyndi Lauper at IMDb
• VIRB.com site
• Cyndi Lauper Discography Pages
• Online World Of Wrestling Profile