Top Ten Songs by Cyndi Lauper

Most people probably consider Cyndi Lauper more of a one-record-wonder than a woman who had any major impact on the music industry since the day she exploded onto the scene in 1984. After all, her highest selling, multi-platinum album was her debut album “She’s So Unusual,” which resulted in four top ten hits and won her a Grammy for the best new artist. But the truth is, Cyndi Lauper may not have been able to hold on to the popularity she was engulfed in when “She’s So Unusual” arrived on the scene, but the trade off has been that she has maintained her originality in both singing style and writing music. A fair trade off to be sure.

It was apparent upon Cyndi Lauper’s arrival that she was a unique individual, artist, writer and song interpreter. Cyndi’s initial garish, punk-like style caught the eye of young and old alike, marking her in vibrant and unmistakable ways as a truly original artist in every manner imaginable, from the way she dressed to the way she sang. Her voice was, and still is, unforgettable. Ringing forth in bright colorful tunes to slow, tearful ballads, Cyndi’s voice catches the listener in a musical thread of storytelling delight with each song she sings.

Cyndi Lauper has embraced a myriad of musical styles, adopting and metamorphosing each style into her own uniquely individual style. Fusing numerous styles, including post punk, reggae, pop, rock, rap, funk and new wave, Cyndi has created truly unique and varied song mixes throughout her career. She has embraced not only unique song styles, Cyndi has also expressed herself, her life experiences and issues that she holds close to her heart through her music without forcing her opinions on anyone. This is a feat unto itself in today’s world of widely popularized commercialism in which artists are tied to contracts dictating the do’s and don’ts of their everyday lives. For Cyndi, this has meant sacrificing the major commercial success her first album brought her, but the sacrifice has given her the freedom to pursue the strong artistic convictions within her heart and enabled her to write her songs uninhibited by the “what if’s” of bottom-line businessmen.

As such, Cyndi’s top ten songs reflect not only the growth in her musical style, but also reflect a growth in issues she chose to tackle through her music. Her songs reflect her journey from a new and burgeoning artist to the mature, reflective artist Cyndi has become today. The list includes songs from “She’s So Unusual,” a title which truly embraced Cyndi’s uniqueness and her unusual fashions and hairstyles, “True Colors,” an album which contained more adult contemporary tunes and ballads, and ultimately cost Cyndi some of her fans. The list also contains some of Cyndi’s more recent songs from “Sisters of Avalon” and “Shine,” which will be unfamiliar to all who are not die-hard Cyndi Lauper fans.

Below is a list of Cyndi Lauper’s top ten songs, based on my opinion. I have been a Cyndi Lauper fan since the first Walkman was tossed around a passer-by’s neck, so my list reflects a broad spectrum of Cyndi’s popular chart songs and those songs which are my all-time favorites. As with many “top ten” lists, this list is subjective, and any other Cyndi Lauper fan may well disagree with me and curse and blaspheme me for not including his or her favorite songs. I regret that I had to toss some of my favorites songs when my list of Cyndi Lauper favorites exceeded ten songs. The songs that ultimately made it on to my “Top Ten Songs by Cyndi Lauper” list were those I can listen to over and over again without getting tired of them.

Top Ten Songs by Cyndi Lauper

1. Girls Just Want to Have Fun
2. Fearless
3. Water’s Edge
4. Sisters of Avalon
5. You Don’t Know
6. Shine
7. Sally’s Pigeons
8. Who Let in the Rain
9. Hole in My Heart
10. The Goonies “R” Good Enough