She’s So Unusual cover

She’s So Unusual

Released

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.

Miles Marshall Lewis

Recommended by

Suggestions
All the Young Dudes cover

All the Young Dudes

Mott the Hoople
Catholic Boy cover

Catholic Boy

The Jim Carroll Band
The Family Jewels cover

The Family Jewels

Marina & the Diamonds
Pretenders cover

Pretenders

Pretenders
Janky Star cover

Janky Star

Grace Ives
Ex-Futur Album cover

Ex-Futur Album

The Honeymoon Killers, Veronique Vincent, Aksak Maboul
Sweet Pea cover

Sweet Pea

Tommy Roe
Dizzy cover

Dizzy

Tommy Roe