She Bop
"She Bop" | ||||
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![]() 7-inch vinyl single | ||||
Single by Cyndi Lauper | ||||
from the album She's So Unusual | ||||
B-side | "Witness" | |||
Released | July 2, 1984 | |||
Format | ||||
Recorded |
1983 at Record Plant (New York City, New York) | |||
Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 3:47 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Writer(s) |
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Producer(s) | Rick Chertoff | |||
Cyndi Lauper singles chronology | ||||
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"She Bop" is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as the third single from her debut studio album She's So Unusual. It reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1984. Worldwide, the song is her most commercially successful single after "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time", and reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart and number 6 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "She Bop" was her third consecutive Top 5 on the Hot 100. The song is also featured in the film Never Been Kissed.
Song information
The song was considered controversial, as it dealt with the subject matter of female masturbation. It was also included on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list, due to its sexual lyrics; this led to the creation of the Parental Advisory sticker. (Other songs on the "Filthy Fifteen" list included tracks by Madonna, Prince, and AC/DC.) In an interview on The Howard Stern Show, Lauper stated that she recorded the vocals of the song while nude.[1]
Lauper said she wanted little kids to think the song was about dancing, and to understand the real meaning as they got older. It could receive airplay as she never directly stated in the song what the meaning was.
The single has been released in over 32 variations across the world, the most common being a two-track 7" vinyl single (with varying covers) and a two-track 12" vinyl single (also with varying covers).
Lauper recorded a slow ballad version of the song for her album The Body Acoustic.
Lauper stated at a concert during her 2013 She's So Unusual anniversary tour that she recorded the song topless in a dark room and tickled herself under her arms, which is why there is her laughter on the track.[2]
Chart performance
"She Bop" was released on July 2, 1984 and became a success. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #52 in the issue dated July 21, 1984,[3] and spent a total of eighteen weeks on the chart, reaching a peak position of #3 in the issue dated September 8, 1984.[4] It was the third single from Lauper's debut album to make the top 10 of the Hot 100.[5] The single also reached number ten on the Hot Dance/Club Play Songs chart the week of September 15, 1984[6] and placed at 34 on the Billboard year-end chart of 1984.[7] On April 17, 1989, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the shipment of half a million copies across the United States.[8]
Music video
An accompanying music video aired heavily on MTV and featured Lauper as a quirky sexual liberator leading the brainwashed masses to their own liberation. (This was done in metaphor showing teenagers as fast-food-consuming zombies.) There are many double entendres indicating the song's true meaning, including a magazine that Lauper is staring at titled "Beefcake" and other sexual meanings such as the "self-service" sign and three gas pumps with the signs Good, Better and Nirvana in the cartoon part of the video, the vibrating motorcycle, the "masterbingo" part of the video with "Uncle Siggy" Sigmund Freud as host, and Lauper wearing blackout glasses with a white cane in several scenes of the video. In fact, the video doesn't go as far as the lyrics, as the magazine referenced in the song ("...in the pages of a Blueboy magazine") was a popular gay erotica magazine of the time, whereas the magazine Lauper holds represents the tamer — and somewhat closeted — erotica of an earlier era. Nor did the lyrical reference come out of the blue: Lauper has stated that finding a copy of Blueboy lying around in the recording studio provided the impetus for writing "She Bop."[9] The music video was directed by Edd Griles.[10] Mark Marek was in charge of the animated sections of this music video,[11] and the cover of the US 12" version.[12]
Formats and track listings
- "She Bop" – 3:47
- "Witness" – 3:40
US 12" Single[15]
- "She Bop" (Special Dance Mix) – 6:16
- "She Bop" (Instrumental) – 6:30
UK 12" Single[16]
- "She Bop" (Special Dance Mix) – 6:16
- "She Bop" (Instrumental) – 5:20 (stated)
- "Witness" – 3:40
Cover versions
- Finnish rock'n'roll band Francine recorded a cover of the song.
- Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok recorded a Cantonese and a Mandarin version of the song, both called 絕對美麗.
- Greek band Matisse covered the song for their 2007 album, Toys Up.
- In July 2008, J-pop singer Nana Kitade covered "She Bop" for the album We Love Cyndi - Tribute to Cyndi Lauper.
- South Korean pop singer Wax has covered the song. Her version of it is called "Oppa" which means Brother.
- Uzbek singer Vicki Vaka recorded her own rendition of the song in 1993.
- American recording artist Unwoman recorded her own rendition of the song in 2011 for her album Uncovered Volume 1.
- American heavy metal band GWAR performed a version of the song in October 2015 for The A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover series, in a medley with The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop".[17]
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Awards and nominations
- Won
- 1985 - BMI Awards for Pop Award
- Nominations
References
- ↑ "Cyndi Lauper Biography". Monsters and Critics.
- ↑ "Cyndi Lauper Speaks In 2013 Concert".
- ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100 - Week of July 21, 1984". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- 1 2 "Cyndi Lauper – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Cyndi Lauper. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ Trust, Gary (2011-05-02). "Ke$ha 'Takes Off' with Fourth Top 10 from Debut Album". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
- 1 2 "Billboard September 15, 1984" (PDF). Billboard. New York, NY, USA. 15 September 1984. p. 45. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- 1 2 "Volume 96 No. 51, DECEMBER 22. 1984" (PDF). Billboard. New York, NY, USA. 22 December 1984. p. TA-19. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- 1 2 "American single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "Cyndi Lauper's 'She Bop' Was Inspired By Gay Porn Magazine Blueboy". The Huffington Post. 2 February 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
- ↑ http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=16169
- ↑ http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/35000/toonzone-goes-mad-interviewing-kevin-shinick-and-mark-marek
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Cyndi-Lauper-She-Bop/release/531814
- ↑ She Bop (US 7-inch Single liner notes). Cyndi Lauper. Portrait Records. 1984. 37-04516.
- ↑ She Bop (UK 7-inch Single liner notes). Cyndi Lauper. Portrait Records. 1984. A 4620.
- ↑ She Bop (US 12-inch Single liner notes). Cyndi Lauper. Portrait Records. 1984. 4R9 05011.
- ↑ She Bop (UK 12-inch Single liner notes). Cyndi Lauper. Portrait Records. 1984. TA 4620.
- ↑ Modell, Josh (27 October 2015). "GWAR covers Cyndi Lauper". The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 173. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between 1983 and 19 June 1988.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8602." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ CHART NUMBER 1447 – Saturday, September 22, 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 42, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3". LP3. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts L". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 1984-09-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Cyndi Lauper – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Cyndi Lauper. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending SEPTEMBER 29, 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 September 2012). Cash Box magazine.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1984". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9638." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1984 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 11, 2012). Cash Box magazine.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Cyndi Lauper – She Bop". Music Canada.
External links
- Official Cyndi Lauper website
- Cyndi Lauper - She Bop - YouTube - Uploaded by CyndiLauperVEVO
- Video on VH1 Classic website
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics