The Essential Cyndi Lauper | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | April 23, 2003 | |||
Length | 59:47 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Cyndi Lauper chronology | ||||
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Alternative covers | ||||
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
The Essential Cyndi Lauper is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as part of Sony BMG's The Essential series. It was released on April 23, 2003, via Epic Records and Legacy Recordings.
The compilation comprises of 14 of Lauper's songs including her non-album 1985 single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" that is part of The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985). As of 2012, the compilation has sold 15,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. [3]
Five years after its initial release, Sony Music Entertainment Japan reissued the album accompanied with bonus DVD which features four music videos. The expanded edition debuted at number 29 on the Japan's Oricon, and became Lauper's eighth top-40 charting album in the country.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | Robert Hazard | She's So Unusual (1983) | 3:55 |
2. | "Money Changes Everything" | Tom Gray | She's So Unusual (1983) | 5:03 |
3. | "Who Let in the Rain" |
| Hat Full of Stars (1993) | 4:37 |
4. | "She Bop" | She's So Unusual (1983) | 3:48 | |
5. | "Time After Time" |
| She's So Unusual (1983) | 4:01 |
6. | "I Drove All Night" | A Night to Remember (1989) | 4:12 | |
7. | "Hat Full of Stars" |
| Hat Full of Stars (1993) | 4:28 |
8. | "Change of Heart" |
| True Colors (1986) | 4:25 |
9. | "Sisters of Avalon" |
| Sisters of Avalon (1996) | 4:22 |
10. | "All Through the Night" | Jules Shear | She's So Unusual (1983) | 4:29 |
11. | "When You Were Mine" | Prince | She's So Unusual (1983) | 5:03 |
12. | "True Colors" |
| True Colors | 3:48 |
13. | "Unhook the Stars" |
| Sisters of Avalon (1996) | 3:58 |
14. | "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" (Single Version) |
| The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985); originally meant for True Colors (1986) | 3:38 |
Total length: | 59:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "Hey Now (Girls Just Want to Have Fun)" |
| Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some (1994) | 3:53 |
Total length: | 63:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "Shine" |
| Shine (2004) | 4:33 |
Total length: | 64:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Set Your Heart" |
| Bring Ya to the Brink (2008) | 3:43 |
Total length: | 63:30 |
No. | Title | Director | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | Edd Griles | |
2. | Untitled | Edd Griles | |
3. | "True Colors" | Patricia Birch | |
4. | "I Drove All Night" |
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Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
2004 | Japanese Oricon Albums Chart | 210 |
2008 | 29 | |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [4] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
United States | — | 15,000 [5] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range; Lauper has sold over 50 million records worldwide. She has also been celebrated for her humanitarian work, particularly as an advocate for the LGBT rights in the United States.
She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. It stands out for its commercial success, achieving four top-five singles—a pioneering achievement for a debut album by a female artist. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a single made famous in 1983–1984 by the American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, written by Robert Hazard in 1979, with some of the lyrics changed by Lauper. It was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's debut single from her first solo album, She's So Unusual (1983). Lauper's version gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by an MTV Video Music Award–winning music video. It has been covered by more than 30 other artists.
"I Drove All Night" is a song written and composed by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and originally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison recorded the song in 1987, the year before his death, but his version was not released until 1991. Before that, Cyndi Lauper recorded the song and released it as a single for her A Night to Remember album. Her version became a top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1989 and was also her final top 40 hit on the American pop charts. Lauper still regularly performs the song in her live concerts. The song has also been covered by Canadian singer Celine Dion, whose version topped the Canadian Singles Chart and reached number 7 on the US Adult Contemporary chart in 2003.
"Hole in My Heart (All the Way to China)" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper for her 1988 film Vibes. It was written by Richard Orange, formerly of the band Zuider Zee. The track saw the light of day on an official CD, as of 2003, with the release of the 3-CD compilation, The Great Cyndi Lauper. It can be found on the following albums: Best Movie Album in the World...Ever! (3 CDs), True Colors: The Best of Cyndi Lauper (2 CDs), 36 All-time Favorites (3 CDs), Monster Hits 1988/Hits of 1988 and Cyndi Lauper Japanese Singles Collection Greatest Hits (audio track on CD and music video on DVD).
A Night to Remember is the third studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on May 9, 1989, by Epic Records. The album was originally set to be released in 1988, under the name Kindred Spirit, but was delayed until 1989 and the songs from the initial project were reworked. Although the album managed to score a top-10 single, it did not enjoy the commercial success of her previous two albums, and was met with mixed-to-poor reviews and in interviews, Lauper refers to it as A Night to Forget. Worldwide, the album has sold more than 1.5 million copies.
At Last is the seventh studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper. The album is a collection of covers of jazz standards, in addition to a cover of a contemporary song re-arranged into a jazz song. The album features a duet with Tony Bennett on "Makin' Whoopee" and was co-produced by Lauper with Russ Titelman. The album's longbox was available only at Costco or Sam's Club shops within the first two weeks when it was released. In 2008 Lauper said in an interview with Brazilian newspaper Extra that the album was a special project, with the intervention of the record company and that she does not consider it as a "career album".
The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album released by Epic Records in conjunction with the 1985 film The Goonies. The album includes the top ten single "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by singer Cyndi Lauper, who had a cameo in the film. The album was released in LP and cassette format internationally, and a limited CD release in some countries.
Shine is the eighth studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released exclusively in Japan in 2004. The album was ready for release in 2001 but Edel Records, the label it was recorded with, folded. The leaked tracks from a demonstration disc quickly circulated on the Internet and by 2002 Lauper realized there was no point in trying to release it in a widespread fashion. Two EPs were released instead: One was also called "Shine" and the other was called "Shine Remixes". The "Shine EP" has sold 41,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some is a greatest hits album by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released in the UK on August 22, 1994, and in the US on July 18, 1995, through Epic Records. It contains a collection of singles from the singer's first four studio albums. It also contains three new songs: "(Hey Now) Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and "Come On Home", all of which were released as singles. To promote the record, the singer embarked on a worldwide tour. A video album was simultaneously released and contained music videos of fourteen songs.
Hat Full of Stars is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released in 1993. The album was released 4 years after the singer's third studio album, A Night to Remember, which received unfavorable reviews and had low sales compared to the singer's previous releases. Hat Full of Stars received favorable reviews but was poorly received by the public, receiving gold certifications in Japan and France only.
Sisters of Avalon is the fifth studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper. It was released in Japan on October 15, 1996, and worldwide on April 1, 1997, by Sony Music Entertainment. Thematically the album expounded on the issue of complacency and ignorance in popular culture and the discrimination of minorities, gays, and women. Songs like "Love to Hate" and "You Don't Know" address the entertainment industry and media and their corruption. "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" is a song about the double life of a cross dresser. "Say a Prayer" is about the AIDS epidemic.
"Time After Time" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). It was released as the album's second single in March 1984, by Epic and Portrait Records. Written by Lauper and Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals, the song was produced by Rick Chertoff. It was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written or recorded. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide, referring to the 1979 film Time After Time.
"The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, released on May 6, 1985, from the soundtrack album The Goonies: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985), released in support of the 1985 film of the same name. Written by Lauper, Stephen Broughton Lunt, and Arthur Stead, it was initially titled simply as "Good Enough"; the track was re-titled to "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by Warner Brothers for marketing purposes. Lauper admitted in an interview that she hated the song.
American singer Cyndi Lauper has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, five video albums and fifty-three singles. Worldwide, Lauper has sold approximately 50 million albums, singles and DVDs. According to the RIAA, she has sold 9.5 million certified albums in the United States with She's So Unusual being her biggest seller.
Merry Christmas ... Have a Nice Life is the sixth studio album and first Christmas album released by Cyndi Lauper. It combines original compositions by Lauper and collaborator Jan Pulsford with traditional Christmas songs. "Feels Like Christmas" previously appeared on Lauper's 1993 album Hat Full of Stars. The album has sold 26,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was released for the first time on vinyl, 1,000 pressings, in November 2019.
"Ballad of Cleo and Joe" is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as the third single from her fifth studio album, Sisters of Avalon (1996). The song was written by Lauper and Jan Pulsford, and produced by Pulsford, Mark Saunders and Lauper. It was released on September 16, 1997, by Epic Records. Lyrically, the song describes the double life of a drag queen, the titular 'Joe' and 'Cleo'. It received positive reviews from music critics. The song did not enter the US Billboard Hot 100, but debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
Bring Ya to the Brink is American singer Cyndi Lauper's tenth studio album, released on May 14, 2008 in Japan, and 13 days later worldwide. The album is a collection of dance-oriented songs and features collaborations with Basement Jaxx, Richard Morel, Max Martin and Kleerup, among others. Regarded as one of the singer's best works at the time it was released, the Songwriters Hall of Fame has regarded the album track "High and Mighty" as one of Lauper's key songs. The album received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards. The song "Set Your Heart" was released as a promotional single in Japan in early 2008, while "Same Ol' Story" was the first official single released on May 6, 2008. "Into the Nightlife" was released as the second single.
The Memphis Blues Tour was the eleventh concert tour by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper, in support of her eleventh studio album. The tour visited the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. During the trek, Lauper performed at numerous jazz festivals including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Jazz à Vienne and Jazz Fest Wien. In the fall of 2011, Lauper continued the tour as a co-headlining show with Dr. John titled From Memphis to Mardi Gras. Lauper performed over a hundred concerts beginning in June 2010 and ending in November 2011.
True Colors: The Best of Cyndi Lauper is a 2009 compilation album by Cyndi Lauper, released exclusively in Australia, New Zealand and Europe as part of Sony Camden, a budget range of compilations by Sony Music.