Cyndi Lauper
A Night to Remember

When it comes to pop music, I've almost always tried to steer clear. However, for Cyndi Lauper, I made an exception. I loved her nonconformity and a certain measured eccentricity, along with a rather distinctive voice that allowed her to effortlessly transition from a bit cheeky interpretations to more intense ballads. This album, not treated too well by critics upon its release (1989) and experiencing lower-than-expected sales. It might have been that critical misstep that tripped up her career.

Yet, I've always liked this A NIGHT TO REMEMBER. It immediately starts with the best track, the hit single «I Drove All Night»: a song penned by a top writing duo of those years (Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, the ones from "Like A Virgin" to be clear) – which was initially meant for Roy Orbison, but our Cyndi "stole the spotlight" by making it hers with a very modern interpretation. Consider the chauvinistic narrative of those years, where it was supposed to be the man driving all night to reach his love, while she "patiently waited": here – there's a nice video about it – the stereotype is flipped, and for thirty-five years ago … that doesn't seem insignificant!

Almost on the same level - written by the same pair of authors - I'd place two other songs, «My First Night Without You» and «Heading West», while a step lower, but still notable, the title track, the closing «I Don’t Want To Be Your Friend» and also «Unconditional Love»: a whole series of mid-tempo ballads (always on the themes of heartache, nothing new in that sense) performed by the lovely Cyndi with wide, recognizable vocals and her usual expressive intensity.

I would consider as dignified, albeit less good, the other pieces but I would have gladly done without the abstruse "fragment" (just over a minute, with a vaguely folk sound) titled «Kindred Spirit» which acts as an intro and outro to the album: actually a remnant of a soundtrack project of the same name for a film starring her (alongside Jeff Goldblum) released and then quickly withdrawn due to a box office flop.

Overall, perhaps a more essential production and less "loaded" with percussion as well as instrumental contributions as numerous as irrelevant (among the guitar credits there's even Eric Clapton and it could be him playing the solo – oh well – on «Insecurious») but those were the times.

And so, despite these anecdotes and even though it is far inferior to the two that preceded it (namely "She's So Unusual" and "True Colors") I certainly won't throw this album in the trash: for those who want to believe me, I still guarantee a pleasant listen today.