Cyndi Lauper put a new twist on pop music in the 80s. With her flaming red hair, quirky corsets, and layered skirts, plus tons of jewelry and makeup, Cyndi landed on the music scene and made a big splash reminding the word that girls only want to do one thing: have fun.

Her look was uniquely remarkable (she set fashion trends for all 80s people)  but it was her music that popped and bubbled – on the airwaves, on MTV, and on stage. With a one-of-a-kind voice crooning heartfelt and sometimes controversial lyrics, Cyndi Lauper’s music reached out and captivated the ears of music lovers throughout the world.

Here’s a look at one of the best 80s singers who defined the decade.

Cyndi Lauper Brief Biography

She was born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper on June 22, 1953 in Queens, New York. Her father, Fred, was of Swiss descent and her mother, Catrine, was an Italian American. They divorced when Cyndi was just five, and her mother took Cyndi and her two siblings to live in Ozone Park.

Cyndi’s mom encouraged her to be creative and independent, which was a good thing, because Cyndi loved the arts. By twelve, she had already started dying her hair, wearing wild clothes, and was playing guitar and writing songs.

As a teenager, Cyndi was accepted to attend a special public high school for kids who had talent in the visual arts, but she eventually dropped out (she later earned her GED). Soon thereafter, she left home and ended up taking art classes at a state college in Vermont, but once she got homesick, she went right back to Ozone Park.

Before The 80s Music

At a young age, Cyndi became a fan of artists such as Judy Garland, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Beatles. By the middle of the 1970s, she had become a vocalist working with a number of cover bands in and around New York. She often sang hits by Jefferson Airplaine, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Company, as well as Janis Joplin.

But Cyndi Lauper wanted to sing her own songs.

She suffered vocal cord damage in 1977 and was told that she would never be able to sing again. After taking a year off singing, she started seeing a vocal coach who helped Cyndi get her voice back through proper vocal exercises and training.

How 80s Singers Are Born

Shortly after regaining her voice, Cyndi formed a band called Blue Angel with saxophone player John Tury and together they began writing songs and performing. They put together a demo, which led to a self-titled album that was produced on Polydor Records. It included one single that charted at number 37 in Austria. But that wasn’t enough. The band broke up and got into a legal tangle with their manager. For Cyndi, the lawsuit resulted in bankruptcy. She started working in high-end retail and thrift stores and singing in local clubs.

Despite the Blue Angel failure, Cyndi had started building a reputation for her wide singing range (four octaves), and perfect pitch. Plus, she clearly had a vocal style all her own.

She was singing in a bar in 1981 when she met David Wolff, who would become her long-term manager and boyfriend. He got her signed to one of Epic Records’ subsidiaries and Cyndi Lauper’s career started to take off. Within just a few years she would become one of the most hailed and recognizable 80s singers of all time.

She’s So Unusual!

She’s So Unusual was Cyndi’s first solo album, released in October, 1983. It was an instant worldwide success. She was warmly received by both pop music fans (teenagers) and critics, with her popularity helped by both her singing and her punkish image.

Though she was a songwriter, the record company had provided much of the material for the album. However, Cyndi often changed the songs, altering the lyrics to the way she wanted to sing them. This turned out to have financial benefits since she earned credit as a co-writer and collected songwriting royalties.

But Cyndi wasn’t changing the lyrics for money. She heavily altered the lyrics to what would ultimately become her most popular song, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” According to Wikipedia, “Lauper 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 song had, in fact, originally been written for a man to sing.

The recording company did give Cyndi a chance to prove her songwriting abilities. The result was “Time After Time,” which she co-write with Rob Hyman. The song went on to become one of the biggest hits from the album, and since has been covered by more than 100 other artists.

Other singles from the album include “All Through the Night,” and Prince’s “When You Were Mine” as well as “She Bop,” which attracted controversy because the lyrics dealt with masturbation. The album was followed up with a tour and a year after its release, She’s So Unusual had launched Cyndi to stardom and artistic recognition among 80s singers. She’s So Unusual remained in the top 40 for over 65 weeks and sold over 16 million copies (worldwide).

Accolades

• The video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” won the very first award for Best Female Video at the 1984 Video Music Awards.
• Cyndi graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in May, 1984 as well as the covers of Time Magazine and Newsweek, both with the headline, “Women In Rock.”
• She was selected as one of Ms. Magazine’s women of the year.
• In 1985, she won a Grammy Award for the Best New Artist.
• Also in 1984, she was given the New Directions Award by  The Women in Crystal Film Awards, an honor that recognizes creativity and originality.

Wrestling

The video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” which quickly became an MTV staple, featured wrestler Captain Lou Albano playing Cyndi’s father. Her career was intertwined with the world of wrestling. She attended the 1985 Grammys with WWF celebrity Hulk Hogan; he played her “bodyguard.” Cyndi frequently appeared at WWF events, including the inaugural WrestleMania event. She also managed wrestler Wendi Richter and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” would play as the two of them made their entrance.

Goonies

Cyndi’s next big hit was her single “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough,” off of the The Goonies Soundtrack, for which she was the musical director at the request of the film’s director, Steven Spielberg. The single earned her another Grammy nomination (for Best Female Pop Vocal) and the soundtrack itself reached number 73 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. As for the movie, The Goonies was wildly successful and became an 80s movies staple.

The video for “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” featured the cast of Goonies, as well as several of Cyndi’s WWF friends, and The Bangles, a band Cyndi had recruited for the soundtrack. It was the first ever two-part video.

True Colors

Cyndi Lauper’s sophomore album, True Colors was released in September, 1986 and it rocketed to number four on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. For this production, Cyndi’s involvement was greater in both production and writing. The album included many guests and Cyndi herself co-write most of it.

True Colors was not as commercially successful as She’s So Unusual, but it did spawn three hit singles, “True Colors,” (the title track), “Change of Heart,” and a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” Also, “Money Changes Everything” was mildly successful due to a live video that played on MTV. The album sold almost 12 million copies and in conjunction, there was an HBO concert special titled Cyndi: Live in Paris.

Since Cyndi didn’t write the single “True Colors,” she had no control over it and it ended up being licensed to Kodak for their television commercials. Proceeds from another single, “Boy Blue,” were donated to AIDS research.

Vibes

In 1988, Cyndi appeared in the film Vibes. She played a psychic searching for a city of gold. To prepare for the role, Cyndi studied finger waving, hair setting, and studied with psychics from Manhattan. It was produced by Ron Howard, and ultimately, was a flop though it did better as a video rental than at the theater. Cyndi recorded the song “Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)” and while the song fared well (hitting number 54 on U.S. charts and number 8 in Australia), it was not included on the movie’s soundtrack.

A Night to Remember

Cyndi’s final album in the 80s was A Night to Remember. It was released in May, 1989 and though critics gave it the thumbs up, it did not reach the same commercial success as her earlier albums and put out just one hit, “I Drove All Night.” It was originally written for and performed by Roy Orbison, however, his version didn’t come out until 1992.

Cyndi Lauper Trivia

A few final facts about Cyndi Lauper, one of the best-known and most-loved 80s singers:

• She was the first artist to have four singles reach the top five from a single album (She’s So Unusual).
• Cyndi had a prominent solo in “We Are the World.”
• Her mother appears in many of Cyndi’s videos, under the stage name “Catrine Dominique.”
• Due to medical problems and overworking, Cyndi was ordered to rest by her doctors in 1986. As a result, she wasn’t able to participate in Live Aid.
• Her first two album covers (She’s So Unusual and True Colors) were done by famous photographer Annie Leibovitz.

To date, Cyndi has put out eleven albums and more than forty singles and has sold over 25 million albums. Cyndi continues to tour all over the world and works supporting human rights and other philanthropic efforts. Here at Total 80s Remix, we love Cyndi Lauper. And by we, I totally mean “I.”

Who are some of your favorite 80s singers?

Duran Duran

They came from Britain and were part of the second British Invasion, which included a host of 80s bands who brought rock, pop, and new wave music over the pond and into the melting pot.

Originally created by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Stephen “Tin Tin” Duffy, Duran Duran found success after switching up band members until the band consisted of Rhodes and Taylor along with Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and lead singer Simon Le Bon. Contrary to rumor, none of the Taylors are related.

Duran Duran enjoyed commercial success with their 80s music and put out hits into the nineties. They’ve had fourteen hits in the UK Singles Chart Top Ten and twenty-one songs have reached the Billboard Hot 100. The band has sold over 70 million records to date.

And it’s no wonder. Together, the five-piece band is sheer, lip-smacking eye candy. In the 80s, what girl didn’t have one (if not all) members of Duran Duran pinned to her wall? Their pretty faces probably graced the walls in a few boys’ bedrooms as well.

Commercial Appeal for 80s Bands

Being a band of pin-ups had its pros and cons. Their undeniable good looks added to the group’s commercial appeal and undoubtedly helped them sell records. However, those lovely visages annoyed naysayers who referred to them as less-than-serious musicians. That’s right, some people accused Duran Duran of being nothing more than a boy band.

But the boys from Duran Duran took their music seriously, and consistently produced cutting-edge rock with a new wave flavor and lyrics that bordered on poetry.

They were also adept at producing catchy, popular 80s music videos. Remember, this was back when many 80s bands built entire careers around videos. And they could, because in those days, MTV actually played music videos. Some of their most popular videos were “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Wild Boys,” “The Reflex,” “Girls on Film,” and “Rio.”

80s Music Facts – Duran Duran

The band’s career has been packed with interesting moments. Here are a few fast facts about Duran Duran:

• During Live Aid, a charity packed with the hottest 80s music performers of the decade, Simon Le Bon botched the last note while performing the song “A View to a Kill,” and it became known as the note heard round the world.
• The band was named after a villain, Dr. Durand Durand, from sci-fi movie Barbarella.
• In 1985, members of Duran Duran tackled side projects, forming two new 80s bands. Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes joined under the moniker Arcadia and put out one album, So Red the Rose. John and Andy Taylor hooked up with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson to form the band Power Station.

If you lived during the 80s, you better know who these guys are. They helped define 80s music and put an attractive spin on what 80s bands could look like. Duran Duran is still out there today making music so they are not gone and they most certainly not forgotten.

When you think about 80s people who defined the decade, Harrison Ford doesn’t immediately come to mind. In fact, plenty of other 80s actors were far more willing to hog the spotlight. Meanwhile, Harrison Ford preferred to lie low, maintaining his privacy, even though his characters soaked up the limelight.

80s Actors Didn’t Always Outlive the Decade

In the 80s, many celebrities hit the big time only to see their careers deflate once the 80s came to an end. Maybe it was all those 80s fads and the way stars clung to them. Harrison Ford wasn’t having any of it. He projected a classy, timeless demeanor and avoided becoming another trend.

Maybe that’s why his booming career exploded in the nineties, which was when Harrison truly established himself as an A-list celebrity rather than a character actor. Unlike other 80s actors, Harrison Ford managed to sustain a career that as of 2009, has already spanned over four decades.

His acting career lasted beyond those of other 80s people, but it also started long before most other 80s actors. His earliest roles were in the mid-sixties, so by the time he joined the ranks of 80s actors, he’d already put in his due diligence.

Harrison took on roles that transcended the decade. Both of his biggest screen personas did not belong to the 80s though they became staples of 80s movies. Han Solo was from “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” and Indiana Jones was living in the early 20th century. The characters were timeless, Harrison Ford was timeless and so were the 80s movies that he starred in.

A Decade of Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford put out ten 80s movies over the course of the decade. That’s just about one film per year. He was best-known and most-loved for his roles as Han Solo from the Star Wars films and also for his portrayal of Indiana Jones from the Indiana Jones series, which returned to screens in recent years after a 20-year hiatus.

Han Solo and Star Wars

The first film hit theaters in 1977 and was a blockbuster, a smashing success like no other. Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope captivated audiences, who were all too pleased when the story picked up right where it left off. The two sequels that made Ford one of the most popular 80s people were The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Indiana Jones

Though Han Solo is one of the most famous film characters of all time, it was Harrison Ford’s role as Indiana Jones that left no doubt that Ford was a leading man. Raiders of the Lost Ark was a box office hit, and in the film, Harrison Ford stole the screen, captured imaginations, and made the ladies swoon. Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade was just as popular, though by the third film in the series, , the novelty seemed to have worn off.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

By the end of the 80s, the Indiana Jones trilogy was completed, and it wasn’t until 20 years later that audiences once again got a taste of the Indie adventure. In Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), a handsomely aged Indiana Jones reminded us why we fell in love with him (and Harrison Ford) in the first place.

Other Notable Film Titles from Harrison Ford

As an 80s actor, Harrison Ford spawned the decade playing staple 80s characters Han Solo and Indiana Jones. But Ford kept himself busy with other film projects as well:

Blade Runner (1982)

Witness (1985)

The Mosquito Coast (1986)

Frantic (1988)

Working Girl (1988)

Decade after decade, Harrison Ford delivers the goods that makes him top-notch, not just among 80s actors, but among all actors. Though both Harrison and his films are timeless, his 80s movies must be remembered as the films that won our hearts. That’s why Harrison Ford is one of our favorite 80s people.

A new breed of celebrity took advantage of MTV and the video star was born. 80s celebrities were in high demand and kept teen magazines afloat with Hollywood gossip.

The 80s people we adored most weren’t people at all. Films like Short Circuit gave us robots. E.T. gave us a lovable alien, and the Star Wars trilogy gave us plenty of both. Human or not, we loved the 80s people then and we still love them today.

80s People and Fashion

If anything set the 80s apart from all other decades, it was the fashion, and throughout the 80s, people embraced big hair, big shoulder pads, and big accessories. Everything had to be big, from oversized shirts to the fat belts we cinched them with. The 80s celebrities rocked big fads and fashion, and the rest of us followed suit, flocking to the malls with big bangs and mullets looking for the latest greatest fashion and accessories.

80s Celebrities

The 80s brought us a whole new generation of stars, and we have MTV to thank for that. Before the 80s, image mattered. During the 80s, image became critical. These days, image is everything. But back in the 80s, people still demanded a little function with their style. You couldn’t make it if you didn’t have at least a lick of talent. 80s celebrities rocked the airwaves and dominated television, they kept movie theaters packed, and they had us hanging onto every dance move, every song lyric, and every outrageous (and big) trend that swept the world.

80s Characters

They were metallic, furry, and scaly. In the 80s, people we adored couldn’t always be called people. Many of them were non-humans. Thanks to new growth in computers and technology, filmmakers were able to manifest beings that previously only existed in our wildest imaginings. We loved Gizmo and hated his Gremlin brethren. We cooed along with R2-D2 and shrank back from the half-human Darth Vader. Alf kept us in stitches and E.T. jerked our tears. 80s characters were incredibly human in spirit, if not in mind and body.

It was the 80s People

If you were alive in the 80s, you WERE 80s people. Maybe you still are. Even if you missed that totally rad decade, you’ve probably heard about how awesome it was – from the fads and fashions to the movies and music. And you surely have come across celebrities who were made in the 80s and still enjoy successful careers today. Even some 80s characters are still getting airtime (has anyone else noticed how much Wall-E resembles Johnny Number 5?).

Long live the 80s, and long love the 80s people.