Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Unusal* (for Unusual*)

I love Cyndi Lauper (born on June 22, 1953) and I especially loved her during the early 1980s when her debut album She's So Unusual came out. I thought the music videos for "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (a collection of family, friends, and associates, all having fun), "She Bop" (a spirited ode to onanism), and "Time After Time" (an achingly plaintive love song with the Marlene Dietrich flick Garden of Allah playing on a TV set in a trailer) were brilliant. Interestingly, Lauper changed the original lyrics to GJWHF, which she says were about a "girl pleasing a man" and were frankly "misogynistic." Lauper has put out 11 albums and has appeared numerous times on film, TV, and Broadway. She has also been the recipient of a great many music awards and is a long-time advocate for gay rights. There were 11 hits on today's typo in OhioLINK and 192 in WorldCat. It wouldn't be unusual for you to find a few in your own catalog as well. Have fun! And happy birthday to Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper!

(Cyndi Lauper in the video "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," from the Unpiano website.)

Carol Reid

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