She's So Unusual

In 1978, Lauper met saxophonist John Turi and formed the band Blue Angel. They recorded a demo tape of original music. Steve Massarsky heard the tape and liked Lauper's voice. He bought out Blue Angel's contract for $5,000 and became their manager.

Lauper received many offers to go solo, but rebuffed any offer that did not include the rest of the band. Blue Angel was eventually signed by Polydor Records through which they released the album Blue Angel in 1980. Despite some positive critical attention, the album was a commercial failure. The members of Blue Angel also had a falling-out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them, which forced Lauper into bankruptcy.

After Blue Angel broke up, Lauper spent time working in retail stores and singing in local clubs. In 1981, while singing in a local New York bar, Lauper met David Wolff, who took over as her manager. With his help, Lauper signed with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of Epic Records, in the spring of 1983 and soon began recording her first solo album.{{cite magazine|last=Chiu|first=David|url=https://time.com/65952/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual/|title=Cyndi Lauper Looks Back at the Unusual Record That Made Her a Star|magazine=Time|date=April 18, 2014|access-date=November 29, 2021}}

The front cover of She's So Unusual was photographed on Henderson Walk in Coney Island, New York in the summer of 1983 by Annie Leibovitz. Lauper is depicted wearing a vintage red prom-style dress that she purchased at the vintage clothing shop where she used to work, Screaming Mimi's. She is also seen holding a bouquet of flowers which were purchased from a vendor on the boardwalk at the time of the shoot. Lauper has heavy costume jewelry on her ears, arms, neck and her right ankle. She is barefoot, with the exception of the fishnet stockings, and her red high-heels appear to have been taken off in front of her as they lay on their sides at the bottom of the photo. The cover shot was captured in front of the wax museum, The World in Wax Musee. It can be seen behind Lauper that the museum had been closed for some time and at the time of closure was featuring a wax statue of Puerto Rican professional baseball player Roberto Clemente. The wooden awning above the doorway with the two blue panels read the name of the museum. The first panel read "The World" and second panel read "In Wax". This was airbrushed out of the photograph.{{Cite web |title=Classic Album covers : She's So Unusual – Cyndi Lauper |url=https://www.nevermindthebuspass.co.uk/classic-album-covers-shes-so-unusual-cyndi-lauper/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=Never Mind the Bus Pass |language=en-US}}

The cover won Janet Perr the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 1985.{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=%22She%27s+so+unusual%22&year=All&genre=Alll|title=Grammy.com Lauper|publisher=Grammy.com|access-date=April 15, 2014}}

The lead single from the album was "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", released on September 6, 1983. This single achieved massive success in the United States with its music video playing in heavy rotation on several stations, and eventually peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It received Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 2,000,000 copies.{{Cite web |url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Lauper,%20Cyndi%22 |title=Archived copy |website=Recording Industry Association of America |access-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-date=August 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818122824/http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Lauper,%20Cyndi%22 |url-status=dead }} The single was a success internationally, reaching the top ten in 19 countries and number one in 10 countries, including; Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and Norway. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" received nominations at the 1985 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and won Best Female Video at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, among several nominations. In the year end Top 100 of 1984 in New Zealand, the single was included on the top spots.

"Time After Time" was the second single released from the album, and was released in April 1984. It repeated the success of the previous single and spent two consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lauper's first number one hit on the Hot 100 and eventually spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart and receiving Gold certification from the RIAA for 1,000,000 copies sold. Like the previous single, "Time After Time" was an international success and reached the top ten in 15 countries. The song received a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. In the year end Top 100 of 1984 in New Zealand, the single was included on the top spots.

The third single from the album was "She Bop", released on July 2, 1984. This single reached number three on the Hot 100, becoming her third consecutive top five hit, and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart. With sales of over 1,000,000 copies, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA. The single proved to be another international success for Lauper, reaching the top ten in 8 countries. "She Bop" was controversial upon release and placed at number 15 on the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen".{{cite web|title=The PMRC Filthy Fifteen|url=http://www.nndb.com/lists/405/000093126/|publisher=PMRC|access-date=April 18, 2014}}

"All Through the Night" was single number four, released in September 1984. Like Lauper's previous three singles, "All Through the Night" reached the top five of the Hot 100 with a peak of number five. It was written by, and originally recorded by Jules Shear, who provided backing vocals as well. The song was a moderate international success, reaching the top ten in 6 countries, and received Gold certification in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=All%20Through%20the%20Night&ica=False&sa=Cyndi%20Lauper&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist|publisher=MusicCanada|access-date=April 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419013600/http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=All%20Through%20the%20Night&ica=False&sa=Cyndi%20Lauper&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist|archive-date=April 19, 2014|title=Gold and Platinum Search }} In the year end Top 100 of 1985 in New Zealand, the single was included on the list.

Single number five was "Money Changes Everything", released in December 1984. It was a moderate success and reached number #27 on the Hot 100, Lauper's first single to not reach the top ten. It also did moderately well in Australia, reaching #19 on its chart.

The sixth and final single from the album was a cover of the Prince song, "When You Were Mine", released on January 31, 1985, in Canada and Japan only. It achieved little success, reaching number #62 on the Canadian Singles Chart.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shes-so-unusual-mw0000194590|title=She's So Unusual – Cyndi Lauper|website=AllMusic|access-date=September 15, 2011}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = A{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|chapter=Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual|chapter-url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_album.php?id=913|access-date=August 11, 2013|title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|title-link=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1990|isbn=0-679-73015-X|page=242}}

| rev3 = Classic Pop

| rev3score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Earls|first=John|author-link=John Earls|title=Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual / True Colors|magazine=Classic Pop|location=Bath|issue=66|date=November–December 2020|page=92}}

| rev4 = Los Angeles Times

| rev4score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite news|last1=Hilburn|first1=Robert|author1-link=Robert Hilburn|last2=Hunt|first2=Dennis|last3=Cromelin|first3=Richard|last4=Feather|first4=Leonard|author4-link=Leonard Feather|last5=Atkinson|first5=Terry|last6=Johnson|first6=Connie|last7=Pond|first7=Steve|last8=Damsker|first8=Matt|last9=Grein|first9=Paul|last10=Waller|first10=Don|author10-link=Don Waller|last11=Willman|first11=Chris|last12=Gurza|first12=Agustin|last13=Matsumoto|first13=Jon|last14=Baker|first14=Chris|last15=Shapiro|first15=Marc|last16=Reeves|first16=Jim|url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/43037314/|title=Guiding the Uninitiated Through the Top 40|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=December 16, 1984|access-date=November 12, 2024}}

| rev5 = Pitchfork

| rev5score = 8.0/10{{cite web|last=Gordon|first=Arielle|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual/|title=Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual Album Review|website=Pitchfork|date=June 2, 2024|access-date=June 2, 2024}}

| rev6 = Record Collector

| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Staunton|first=Terry|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/album/shes-so-unusual|title=She's So Unusual {{!}} Cyndi Lauper|magazine=Record Collector|location=London|issue=426|date=April 2014|access-date=November 29, 2021}}

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Loder|first=Kurt|author-link=Kurt Loder|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/shes-so-unusual-101432/|title=She's So Unusual|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|date=January 19, 1984|access-date=November 29, 2021}}

| rev8 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|last=Evans|first=Paul|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=Cyndi Lauper|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/476 476]}}

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Cinquemani|first=Sal|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual/|title=Review: Cyndi Lauper, She's So Unusual|website=Slant Magazine|date=September 29, 2003|access-date=November 29, 2021}}

| rev10 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev10score = 9/10{{cite book|last=Bernstein|first=Jonathan|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|chapter=Cyndi Lauper|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=Vintage Books|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=223–224}}

}}

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, Kurt Loder highlighted Lauper's "wild and wonderful skyrocket of a voice", which he felt recalled the "long-gone golden age" of "pre-Beatles girl-group pop", and lauded She's So Unusual as a progression from her work in Blue Angel: "Here, boosted by a powerful, synth-based band, Lauper turns away from nouveau trash and trains her talent on some really first-rate material." Robert Christgau gave qualified praise in The Village Voice, complimenting Lauper for covering "two of the sharpest pop songs of the past five years" in "Money Changes Everything" and "When You Were Mine", while finding her "Betty Boop voice" less effective over a full album;{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv11-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|date=November 29, 1983|access-date=November 12, 2024}} however, he would later pen a glowing reappraisal of the record, conceding that "if a kook who's loved, respected, and taken seriously by her sisters fools boys into believing she can be fooled with, more power to her." She's So Unusual was voted the eleventh-best album of the year in The Village Voice{{'}}s annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1984.{{cite news|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/pjres84.php|title=The 1984 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll|newspaper=The Village Voice|location=New York|date=February 18, 1985|access-date=August 11, 2013}}

Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine deemed She's So Unusual "one of the great new wave/early MTV records" and "a giddy mix of self-confidence, effervescent popcraft, unabashed sentimentality, subversiveness, and clever humor", concluding that "if Lauper couldn't maintain this level of consistency, it's because this captured her persona better than anyone could imagine". Slant Magazine{{'}}s Sal Cinquemani called it "a pop classic" with a "rare balance of camp and candor that set Lauper apart from her contemporaries and continues to retain her place in the pop pantheon." In Classic Pop, John Earls praised the album as a testament to Lauper's "will, exuberance and vocal control" and versatility "across synth-pop, rock and power ballads", while Terry Staunton wrote in Record Collector that Lauper's "cartoon-like kooky personality was underpinned by a formidable songwriting talent." Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork said that with She's So Unusual, "Lauper shoehorned rebellion into the familiar, both musically and visually", helping to "usher in an electronic era for popular rock" and envisioning "a world where women danced through New York in ruffle skirts and combat boots, partied with a sense of purpose, and were just as powerful at their most vulnerable as their most ferocious."

The album has sold over 16 million copies worldwide.{{cite news|last=Varga|first=George|url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sdut-cyndi-lauper-still-proudly-unusual-2013jun07-story.html|title=Cyndi Lauper still proudly 'unusual'|newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune|date=June 7, 2013|access-date=November 29, 2021}}

She's So Unusual debuted on the Billboard 200 chart in the week dated December 24, 1983 at no. 193.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=December 24, 1983|title=Top LPs & Tape|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1983/BB-1983-12-24.pdf|page=92}} The album reached the Top 10 by the end of March 1984 in its 15th week on the chart.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=March 31, 1984|title=Top LPs & Tape|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-03-31.pdf|page=59}} It achieved a peak position of no. 4 on the chart dated June 2, 1984, after having stayed on the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks up to that point.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=June 2, 1984|title=Top LPs & Tape|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-06-02.pdf|page=63}} Overall, the album stayed 77 weeks on the Billboard 200. It became one of the best-selling albums of 1984. She's So Unusual has since sold over seven million copies in the United States, where it was certified seven times platinum by the RIAA.

At least until 1986, the album was the second best-selling album in Canada by a female artist during the decade, behind Whitney Houston's self-titled debut studio album, selling more than 900,000 copies.{{cite magazine|last=LaPointe|first=Kirk|author-link=Kirk LaPointe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA78|title=Houston Likely to Outsell Lauper|magazine=Billboard|location=New York|volume=98|issue=52|date=December 27, 1986|access-date=November 5, 2010|page=78}}

In Japan, the album debuted at no. 14 on the albums chart in the week dated March 26, 1984.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=March 31, 1984|title=Hits of the World|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-03-31.pdf|page=53}} It reached its peak position of no. 5 just over a month later in the week dated April 30, 1984.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=March 31, 1984|title=Hits of the World|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-05-05.pdf|page=64}}

She's So Unusual entered the Australian albums chart in the week dated May 28, 1984 at no. 12.{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=June 2, 1984|title=Hits of the World|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-06-02.pdf|page=55}} It went to peak in the top three of the albums chart.

She's So Unusual and its singles earned Lauper six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year and ultimately winning the awards for Best Recording Package and Best New Artist. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and "Time After Time" was nominated for Song of the Year. Lauper earned ten MTV Video Music Award nominations. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" received six nominations including Video of the Year, and won for Best Female Video. "Time After Time" received three nominations and "She Bop" received one nomination.

She's So Unusual was ranked at number 494 on Rolling Stone{{'}}s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003,{{cite magazine|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/shes-so-unusual-cyndi-lauper-19691231|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: She's So Unusual – Cyndi Lauper|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 11, 2003|access-date=January 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219094120/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/shes-so-unusual-cyndi-lauper-19691231|archive-date=December 19, 2010|url-status=dead}} rising to number 487 in a 2012 update of the list,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual-47052/|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=August 23, 2019}} then to number 184 in a 2020 update.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual-4-1063049/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=September 22, 2020|access-date=November 29, 2021}} Rolling Stone also placed She's So Unusual at number 41 on its 2002 list of 50 essential albums by women in rock,{{cite magazine|title=Women in Rock: The 50 Essential Albums|magazine=Rolling Stone|location=New York|issue=908|date=October 31, 2002}} and the record retained the placement on a similar list published by the magazine a decade later.{{cite magazine|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/women-who-rock-the-50-greatest-albums-of-all-time-160558/cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual-3-229576/|title=Women Who Rock: The 50 Greatest Albums of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 22, 2012|access-date=November 29, 2021}} In 2012, Slant Magazine listed it as the 22nd best album of the 1980s, calling it an "absolutely peerless collection of profound pop jewels".{{cite web|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/best-albums-of-the-1980s/|title=The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s|website=Slant Magazine|date=March 5, 2012|access-date=November 29, 2021}} In 2019, the Library of Congress selected She's So Unusual for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".{{cite news|last=Andrews|first=Travis M.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/jay-z-a-speech-by-sen-robert-f-kennedy-and-schoolhouse-rock-among-recordings-deemed-classics-by-library-of-congress/2019/03/19/f7eb08ea-4a58-11e9-9663-00ac73f49662_story.html|title=Jay-Z, a speech by Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and 'Schoolhouse Rock!' among recordings deemed classics by Library of Congress|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 20, 2019|access-date=March 25, 2019}}

{{awards table}}

|-

| rowspan="9" | 1984

| rowspan="6" | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"

| MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

| {{won}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Concept Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award – Viewer's Choice

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Overall Performance

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan="3" | "Time After Time"

| MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

| {{nom}}

|-

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction

| {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan="7" | 1985 || Cyndi Lauper || Grammy Award for Best New Artist || {{won}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | She's So Unusual || Grammy Award for Best Album Package || {{won}}

|-

| Grammy Award for Album of the Year || {{nom}}

|-

| rowspan="2" | "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" || Grammy Award for Record of the Year || {{nom}}

|-

| Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance || {{nom}}

|-

| "Time After Time" || Grammy Award for Song of the Year|| {{nom}}

|-

| "She Bop"

| MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video

| {{nom}}

{{end}}

The 30th Anniversary of She's So Unusual occurred in 2013. To honor it and to thank her fans for its success, Lauper embarked on a World Tour called the "She's So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour".

As part of the show, Lauper sang the entire track listing of the record in the order it appears on the CD while telling stories about the production of the record and her life at the time she recorded it.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Publisher

| title1 = Money Changes Everything

| writer1 = Tom Gray

| extra1 = Gray Matter Music/ATV Music Corp.

| length1 = 5:06

| title2 = Girls Just Want to Have Fun

| writer2 = Robert Hazard

| extra2 = Heroic Music

| length2 = 3:58

| title3 = When You Were Mine

| writer3 = Prince

| extra3 = Ecnirp Music

| length3 = 5:06

| title4 = Time After Time

| writer4 = {{hlist|Cyndi Lauper|Rob Hyman}}

| extra4 = Dub Notes, Rella Music

| length4 = 4:01

| total_length = 18:11

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Publisher

| title1 = She Bop

| writer1 = {{hlist|Lauper|Rick Chertoff|Gary Corbett|Stephen Broughton Lunt}}

| extra1 = Rellla Music Co., Noyb Music Co., Wall to Wall Music Co. & Hobbler Music

| length1 = 3:47

| title2 = All Through the Night

| writer2 = Jules Shear

| extra2 = Funzalo Music/Juters Music Co.

| length2 = 4:33

| title3 = Witness

| writer3 = {{hlist|Lauper|John Turi}}

| extra3 = Turalaura Music and Turi Music

| length3 = 3:40

| title4 = I'll Kiss You

| writer4 = {{hlist|Lauper|Shear}}

| extra4 = Rellla Music Co., Funzalo Music / Juters Music Co.

| length4 = 4:12

| title5 = He's So Unusual

| writer5 = {{hlist|Al Sherman|Al Lewis|Abner Silver}}

| extra5 = Shapiro, Bernstein & Co. Inc

| length5 = 0:45

| title6 = Yeah Yeah

| writer6 = {{hlist|Hasse Huss|Mikael Rickfors}}

| extra6 = Stainless Music Corp.

| length6 = 3:18

| total_length = 20:15

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 2000 reissue

| extra_column = Notes

| title11 = Money Changes Everything

| note11 = Live

| extra11 = Recorded 1984, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, California; previously unreleased edit (original recording from Portrait promotional 12-inch (AS 1961)

| length11 = 4:36

| title12 = She Bop

| note12 = Live

| extra12 = Recorded 1984, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, California; previously unreleased

| length12 = 5:20

| title13 = All Through the Night

| note13 = Live

| extra13 = Recorded 1984, Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, California; previously unreleased

| length13 = 4:48

| title14 = Money Changes Everything

| note14 = Live at Summer Sonic 07) (Japan remaster exclusive bonus track

| length14 = 5:10

| total_length = 58:36

}}

Notes

• "Irvine Meadows" live tracks recorded on the Fun Tour at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, California, U.S. (September 22, 1984).Fun Tour
• "Summer Sonic 07" live track recorded at Japan Summer Sonic Festival, either Osaka (August 11, 2007) or Tokyo (August 12, 2007).{{cite web|url=http://www.summersonic.com/07/|title=SUMMER SONIC 07|work=summersonic.com|access-date=September 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827215448/http://www.summersonic.com/07/|archive-date=August 27, 2013}}
• Tracks 11 to 13 are bonus tracks on the 2000 remastered version (and after)
• Tracks 11 to 14 are bonus tracks on the 2008 Japan remastered Mini-LP version{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusicshop.jp/m/item/itemShw.php?site=S&cd=EICP000000991|title=Sony Music Shop – ｼﾝﾃﾞｨ･ﾛｰﾊﾟｰ･ｼｰｽﾞ･ｿｰ･ｱﾝﾕｰｼﾞｭｱﾙ(紙ｼﾞｬｹｯﾄ)【完全生産限定盤】･CD･DVD･ﾌﾞﾙｰﾚｲ･ｱｰﾃｨｽﾄｸﾞｯｽﾞ･書籍･雑誌の通販|work=Sony Music Shop}} (and 2013 re-issue of same).
• In 2013, the 2008 Japan remaster was reissued on BSCD2 format with the same 2008 track listing.{{cite web|url=http://www.sonymusicshop.jp/m/item/itemShw.php?site=S&cd=SICP000030179|title=Sony Music Shop – ｼﾝﾃﾞｨ･ﾛｰﾊﾟｰ･ｼｰｽﾞ･ｿｰ･ｱﾝﾕｰｼﾞｭｱﾙ･CD･DVD･ﾌﾞﾙｰﾚｲ･ｱｰﾃｨｽﾄｸﾞｯｽﾞ･書籍･雑誌の通販|work=Sony Music Shop}}

{{Track listing

| headline = 30th anniversary reissue (2014)

| title11 = Girls Just Want to Have Fun (2013 Yolanda Be Cool remix)

| length11 = 5:52

| title12 = Time After Time (2013 NERVO Back in Time remix)

| length12 = 4:53

| title13 = Time After Time (2013 Bent Collective remix)

| length13 = 7:15

| total_length = 56:42

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bonus disc

| title1 = Girls Just Want to Have Fun

| note1 = 1983 early guitar demo

| length1 = 3:32

| title2 = All Through the Night

| note2 = 1983 rehearsal with studio dialog

| length2 = 5:30

| title3 = Rules and Regulations

| note3 = 1983 rehearsal

| length3 = 2:41

| title4 = Money Changes Everything

| note4 = demo

| length4 = 4:52

| title5 = Girls Just Want to Have Fun

| note5 = demo

| length5 = 3:22

| title6 = Right Track, Wrong Train

| note6 = non LP B-side

| length6 = 4:40

| title7 = Witness

| note7 = live, Boston, 1984

| length7 = 3:12

| title8 = She Bop

| note8 = 1984 Arthur Baker remix

| length8 = 6:27

| title9 = Time After Time

| note9 = work in progress rough mix

| length9 = 4:00

| total_length = 38:16

}}

Note

• "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" is featured as a bonus track on disc one of the deluxe edition in Japan.{{cite web|url=http://mostly-retro.com/2014/04/09/cd-review-cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual-30th-anniversary-edition/|title=CD Review: Cyndi Lauper – She's So Unusual (30th Anniversary Edition)|work=Mostly Retro|date=April 9, 2014}}

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Musicians

• Cyndi Lauper – lead vocals; backing vocals; arrangements
• Rob Hyman – keyboards; backing vocals; arrangements (1, 2, 4–10)
• Richard Termini – synthesizers
• Peter Wood – synthesizers
• Eric Bazilian – arrangements (1, 2, 4–10); melodica; guitars; bass; saxophone (10); backing vocals
• Rick DiFonzo – guitars
• Neil Jason – guitars; bass
• William Wittman – guitars; arrangements (3)
• Anton Fig – drums; drum machines; percussion
• Rick Chertoff – percussion; arrangements
• Krystal Davis – backing vocals
• Ellie Greenwich – backing vocals
• Jules Shear – backing vocals
• Maeretha Stewart – backing vocals
• Diane Wilson – backing vocals

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;Production

• Rick Chertoff – producer
• William Wittman – associate producer; engineer
• Lennie Petze – executive producer
• John Jansen – additional engineer
• Rod O'Brien – additional engineer
• John Agnello – assistant engineer
• Dan Beck – product manager
• Amy Linden – liner notes
• Janet Perr – art direction; design; cover art concept
• Cyndi Lauper – cover art concept
• Ralph Scibelli – hair design
• Justin Ware – hair design
• Laura Wells – stylist
• Annie Leibovitz – photography
• David Wolff – management
• Joseph Zynczak – management

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;Reissue Credits

• Bruce Dickinson – producer
• Cyndi Lauper – producer (live tracks)
• Lennie Petze – producer (live tracks)
• Steve Berkowitz – A&R direction
• Patti Matheny – A&R coordinator
• Darren Salmieri – A&R coordinator
• George Marino – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• John Jackson – project director
• John Christiana – packaging manager
• Howard Fritzson – art direction
• Janet Perr – design

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for She's So Unusual}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|award=Platinum|artist=Cyndi Lauper|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|relyear=1983|certyear=1986|certref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1986/CB-1986-12-06.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1986/CB-1986-12-06.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=Lauper|magazine=Cash Box|via=World Radio History|page=13|date= December 6, 1986|access-date= December 9, 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|award=Platinum|number=2|artist=Cyndi Lauper|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|relyear=1983|certyear=2024|access-date=September 5, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Platinum|number=8|relyear=1983|certyear=1985|salesamount=900,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tiQEAAAAMBAJ&q=shes+so+unusual+900000+canada+cindy+lauper&pg=RA1-PA78|title=Houston Likely to Outsell Lauper|last=LaPOINTE|first=Kirk|magazine=Billboard|date=December 26, 1986|access-date=December 26, 2012}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Lauper C.|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1995|source=infodisc}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Gold|relyear=1983}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Hong Kong|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1985}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=シーズ・ソー・アンユージュアル|artist=シンディ・ローパー|type=album|region=Japan|award=Gold|relyear=1983|certyear=1995|certmonth=2|salesamount=372,000|salesref={{cite book |title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 |publisher=Oricon Entertainment |location=Roppongi, Tokyo |year=2006 |isbn=4-87131-077-9 }}|access-date=July 21, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|certyear=1985|type=album|id=1985-02-01|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|award=Platinum}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Platinum|relyear=1983}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Gold|id=5825-2540-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=She's So Unusual|artist=Cyndi Lauper|award=Platinum|number=7|relyear=1983|certyear=2023|access-date=October 13, 2023|refname="RIAA2"}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=yes|salesamount=16,000,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, New South Wales |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}

{{Refend}}

• {{cite book|title=A Brief History of Album Covers|first=Jason|last=Draper|publisher=Flame Tree Publishing|location=London|year=2008|pages=252–253|isbn=9781847862112|oclc=227198538}}

• [https://archive.today/20130504041421/http://www.radio3net.ro/dbartists/supersearch/U2hlJ3MgU28gVW51c3VhbA==/She's%20So%20Unusual She's So Unusual] (Adobe Flash) at Radio3Net (streamed copy where licensed)
• {{discogs master|28859}}

{{Cyndi Lauper}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:She's So Unusual}}

Category:Cyndi Lauper albums

Category:Portrait Records albums

Category:Epic Records albums

Category:1983 debut albums

Category:Albums produced by Rick Chertoff

Category:Albums recorded at Record Plant (New York City)

Category:United States National Recording Registry recordings

Category:United States National Recording Registry albums