Cyndi Lauper "All Through the Night"

With my full-time publishing job nearing its end in 2001, my boss at the radio station called me with an opportunity. Like the entire world around us, radio also changed after September 11, 2001 as music stations sought to provide more news to their listeners. Stations added hourly news updates, spearheaded volunteer and blood drives, and generally struggled with how to handle the grim mood of the country. At the station I worked, the morning show was music-intensive with very little talk, but the show also planned to boost their news coverage and needed help. They added the job as morning show producer and my name surfaced. My boss presented the opportunity to me during a quick phone call and stressed the importance of accepting it. I agreed and, for nearly four months, woke up at 3:40 A.M., worked at the radio station until 8:30 A.M., then went across Chicago to my full-time publishing job and worked until 4:30 P.M. On weekends, I also worked Saturday and Sunday 5-10 A.M. During these months, I did everything short of sleeping. I was a night owl and could never seem to adjust to my schedule.

My publishing job eventually moved to the suburbs, so I quit that job in early-2002 and joined the army of folks who woke up in the middle of the night to go to work. Each morning, I would take the first CTA Brown Line train of the morning and transfer to the Red Line where a train filled with drunks, homeless folks, third-shifters, and a half-eaten chicken dinner greeted me most mornings. For the next four years, I produced a handful of morning radio shows that lead me to one of the most unique positions I ever had in radio...

Cyndi Lauper "I Drove All Night"

Roy Orbison originally recorded "I Drove All Night" in 1987, but the song didn't get released until 1992 (post-humously for Orbison).  Credit Cyndi Lauper for making the song a hit in 1989.  Several years later, Chrysler paid Celine Dion $14 million to endorse their cars.  As part of the ad campaign, Dion re-made "I Drove All Night" and turned it into a Top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 2003.

Basia - "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"

The number of remakes of Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me" could fill an entire month's worth of blog entries.  Leo Sayer, Cyndi Lauper, Bobby Caldwell, and Richard Elliot are just some of the artists who took Aretha's signature tune out for a drive.  In 1990, Basia found success on the Adult Contemporary Chart with her take on the tune.

Cyndi Lauper - "True Colors"

Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" was the pop singer's last #1 song.  That happened in 1986.  Several artists have remade the ballad including Phil Collins and, most recently, Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick for the Trolls Soundtrack in 2016.

Melissa Manchester - "Walk on By"

"Walk on By" was originally done by Dionne Warwick, but numerous other artists have taken their turn with the song.  Isaac Hayes, Seal, and Cyndi Lauper recorded their own respective versions, but it was Melissa Manchester who took the song to the Top 10 in 1989.  In her version, Manchester holds a note for nearly 14 seconds with the lyric "Walk on"...

Gwen Stefani - "Cool"

Gwen Stefani broke from No Doubt in 2004 and released her solo effort: Love. Angel. Music. Baby.  With her synthpop hit "Cool", Gwen took a cue from the '80s sounds that made Madonna and Cyndi Lauper phenomenons.

Cyndi Lauper - "All Through The Night"

Whether she wanted to or not, Cyndi Lauper competed for attention against Madonna during the 1980s at a time when there were very few successful female solo artists.  Cyndi held her own after releasing She's So Unusual, but the rest of her career never matched her early success.