She’s So Unusual
Cyndi Lauper came with a lot in 1983-84: tulle froufrou skirts, chunky bracelets and bangles, gaudy makeup, hulking wrestler homeboys. She also brought She’s So Unusual: with its sly, unapologetic ode to masturbation (“She Bop”), a timeless ballad immediately covered by Miles Davis (“Time After Time”), a Prince cover of her own (“When You Were Mine”) and more. She helped musically define the early ’80s alongside Culture Club, Eurythmics, Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson and other music video mavericks—She’s So Unusual is why.