Things We Bet You Never Knew About: Cyndi Lauper
Amadou
Last month we introduced you to cool, rebellious and down-right weird facts about David Bowie. It’s time now to have a look at another 80’s legend: Cyndi Lauper! When it comes to 80’s female artists, there’s usually only two names everyone can say: Cyndi and that blond girl (you know who). Yes, the Material Girl gave a whole lot to the world over the years, but female pop music really started with Cyndi Lauper – just ask MTV, they gave her the first Video Music Award for Best Female Video in ’84!
Ever wondered what Cyndi real is, how she started in the biz, or just what her peers thought of her music ambitions in school (hint: Not much)? Then read up in this month’s radiovolo artist highlight!
Her Full Name Is NOT Cyndi Lauper
The 50-million+ record-selling Ms. Lauper’s full name is Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper. You can add that one up to her heritage: Half Italian, quarter Swiss, quarter German, all American bad ass.
Everyone Thought She’d Fail in High School
When it came time for yearbooks, her classmates were pretty clear on how they felt about her – Cyndi Lauper was voted Most Likely to Fail! Her teachers went a bit further and told her: “Either you’ll become an artist, or will die”. We know high school can be tough, but talk about pressure!
She Started Out Playing Rockabilly!
Before she was just “Cindy Lauper”, she started her career playing 1950’s style rock & roll music called Rockabilly with the band Blue Angel. They even released a self-titled album in 1980! Sadly for them (but lucky for us!), Cyndi left soon after that first album. Wanna listen to it? Check out the album below:
“She Bop” Is All About…Ahem…Getting Off
Remember her 1983 hit She Bop? That video set in a funky diner? Yea, it was all about female masturbation. What did you think she was saying with lyrics like “Do I want to go out with a lion’s roar…Huh, yea, I want go south and get me some more!” – her legacy? Yea right! Need more convincing? Check out the video, three simple (hidden) clues are in there:
– Beefcake Magazine
– “Vibrating” Motorcycle
– The fake Dr. Sigmund Freud
I rest my case…
She’s (Almost) A Certified EGOT!
If you’re an artist, there’s no greater achievement to get than an EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony! Only 12 people officially have ever won it to-date, and Cyndi’s on her way to joining them. Having won an Emmy and Grammy for her early hits, she recently picked up a Tony for Broadway musical Kinky Boots! Now she just needs to turn that play into an award-winning movie for that Oscar. #OwningIt
Cyndi’s Mom’s In A Lot Of Her Videos!
Remember the “mom” character at the beginning of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun? That was actually Cyndi’s mom! Yep, not only is she pretty much Cyndi’s #1 fan, Catrine Lauper’s helped out her daughter by appearing in several videos (but not She Bop, that would just be weird…)
We can’t get enough of Cyndi’s music at Ovolo Hotels. And neither can our guests! One woman recently commented: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun came out what year!?!?! God, I feel old…But damn do I love hearing it at this hotel!”. Wanna check out the sounds of Ovolo for yourself? Get radiovolo today, and join the nostalgia.
Amadou is an American-raised, Hong Kong-based writer, communicator, and all-around lover of travel & food. He speaks four foreign languages and loves recommending new and exciting things to people whenever they go somewhere new. When not managing his day job, you’ll probably find him at a happy hour or at the park with his Maltese Terrier, Maxx.