Happy birthday, Cyndi Lauper!

Singer/actress/songwriter/activist Cyndi Lauper, born June 22, 1953 in Queens, New York, has won a Tony, an Emmy and a Grammy!  Just one more to go, Cyndi!

Cyndi released her first album She's So Unusual in October 1983.It debuted on the charts in December 1983 and peaked at No. 4 in June 1984. It was the one of the best-selling albums of 1984.  She won a Grammy for Best New Artist and She's So Unusual won the Grammy Award for Best Album Package.  

She had an uncredited cameo in The Goonies, but then had a starring role in the movie Vibes with Jeff Goldblum in 1988. Cyndi had a reoccurring role on Mad About You, for which she received two Primetime Emmy nominations and won one in 1995 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

In 2013, she won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for the composing the music for Kinky Boots.  It was the first time a woman had won the award by herself.

She has become an outspoken advocate for gay rights and women's rights.

Cyndi Lauper releases "She's So Unusual" 1983

Cyndi Lauper released her debut album She's So Unusual October 14, 1983 to rave reviews.  It sold six million albums in the U.S. making it six times platinum, and sold over 16M world wide.  It got six Grammy Award nominations, winning Best New Artist and Best Album Package.  

It generated six singles: Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time (her first number-one hit), She-Bop (my favorite), All Through the Night, Money Changes Everything, and When You Were Mine.

She's so Unusual was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2019 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Cyndi Lauper releases "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" 1983

Cyndi Lauper released her debut single Girls Just Want to Have Fun from her debut album She's So Unusual, September 6, 1983.  It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  It reached #1 in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand,  and Norway.  

The song was written and recorded by Robert Hazard, who released it as a single in 1979. His recording is from the male point of view.

The video won an American Video Award for Best Female Performance, and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.

In January 2022, the video reached over one billion views on Youtube.com.