1
00:00:27,971 --> 00:00:30,141
(Seagulls squawking,
helicopter passing overhead)

2
00:00:30,241 --> 00:00:34,178
(Foghorn blaring)

3
00:00:34,278 --> 00:00:36,880
(Cars honking)

4
00:00:38,215 --> 00:00:40,083
CYNDI LAUPER:
Hey, what time is it?

5
00:00:40,184 --> 00:00:41,685
WOMAN:
It's about 9:45.

6
00:00:41,785 --> 00:00:44,955
CYNDI:
Oh my God, I'm gonna be late.

7
00:00:45,055 --> 00:00:48,959
How long do you think it is
before we get to Pearl?

8
00:00:49,059 --> 00:00:53,096
Twenty-five? You think you can
make that any shorter?

9
00:00:54,231 --> 00:00:56,767
Cher taught me to be more
on time, but...

10
00:00:56,867 --> 00:00:59,703
(Sighing)
Not freaking today, huh?

11
00:01:02,206 --> 00:01:06,477
Where is my phone?
Oh, guys, where the hell...

12
00:01:06,577 --> 00:01:07,644
Please.

13
00:01:07,744 --> 00:01:10,714
Okay, there it is.
There it is.

14
00:01:10,814 --> 00:01:14,017
Hi, change of plan.
There we go.

15
00:01:14,117 --> 00:01:17,521
<i>♪ We just fit together ♪</i>

16
00:01:17,621 --> 00:01:20,557
That stuff, right?
Yeah.

17
00:01:21,758 --> 00:01:24,228
It's too many different jobs
that I'm doing.

18
00:01:24,328 --> 00:01:26,997
Like, when you're a singer and
you have a lot of jobs?

19
00:01:27,097 --> 00:01:28,399
That's one thing.

20
00:01:29,633 --> 00:01:32,503
But when you start to have too
many different professions?

21
00:01:32,603 --> 00:01:35,839
That is a problem.

22
00:01:35,939 --> 00:01:39,976
I didn't want anyone to tell me
what I could and couldn't do.

23
00:01:40,076 --> 00:01:44,848
To pigeonhole people in one
genre of music is silly,

24
00:01:44,948 --> 00:01:46,850
because that's your palate.

25
00:01:46,950 --> 00:01:49,085
That's what
you're learning from.

26
00:01:50,287 --> 00:01:52,856
In the right rhythm...

27
00:01:52,956 --> 00:01:56,860
saying the right thing...

28
00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,198
you can open that door
where this world

29
00:02:01,298 --> 00:02:03,300
that you're standing in

30
00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:08,372
and that world that you
feel inside...

31
00:02:08,472 --> 00:02:09,706
collide.

32
00:02:11,642 --> 00:02:16,179
To attain that every time would
be glorious.

33
00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,915
Um, it doesn't always happen.

34
00:02:19,015 --> 00:02:20,384
Fuck.

35
00:02:20,484 --> 00:02:22,118
I'm always late.

36
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:25,622
I used to watch a lot
of old movies.

37
00:02:25,722 --> 00:02:28,892
And there was this song, "Pick
yourself up, dust yourself off

38
00:02:28,992 --> 00:02:31,228
"and start all over again."

39
00:02:31,328 --> 00:02:34,598
And if you're doing
what you love,

40
00:02:34,698 --> 00:02:36,900
then, poof!

41
00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:38,034
Magic.

42
00:02:38,134 --> 00:02:43,307
("Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
playing)

43
00:02:49,546 --> 00:02:53,083
Cyndi's whole stance was
provocateur.

44
00:02:53,183 --> 00:02:55,319
<i>♪ I want to be the one ♪</i>

45
00:02:55,419 --> 00:03:00,257
<i>♪ To walk in the sun ♪</i>

46
00:03:00,357 --> 00:03:02,559
<i>♪ Hey now, hey now ♪</i>

47
00:03:02,659 --> 00:03:04,328
<i>♪ What's the matter
with you? ♪</i>

48
00:03:04,428 --> 00:03:07,298
<i>♪ Girls just wanna have fun ♪</i>

49
00:03:07,398 --> 00:03:09,500
I really loved her voice.

50
00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,135
<i>♪ Voulez-vous coucher
avec moi? ♪</i>

51
00:03:12,235 --> 00:03:13,604
<i>♪ Oh-oh-oh ♪</i>

52
00:03:13,704 --> 00:03:17,107
<i>♪ He sat in her boudoir
while she freshened up ♪</i>

53
00:03:17,207 --> 00:03:19,943
<i>♪ And drank all
the magnolia wine... ♪</i>

54
00:03:20,043 --> 00:03:21,778
I was like "Ahhh!"

55
00:03:21,878 --> 00:03:24,114
I didn't know
she could do that!

56
00:03:24,214 --> 00:03:26,283
<i>♪ Lady Marmalade ♪</i>

57
00:03:26,383 --> 00:03:27,884
(Vocalizing)

58
00:03:27,984 --> 00:03:29,119
I became a super fan
after that.

59
00:03:29,219 --> 00:03:31,355
Cause you know, white people
don't sing like that.

60
00:03:31,455 --> 00:03:35,025
<i>♪ At last... ♪</i>

61
00:03:35,125 --> 00:03:36,960
(Holding note)

62
00:03:37,060 --> 00:03:38,895
Cyndi does
what she wants to do.

63
00:03:38,995 --> 00:03:42,299
And she tackles a bunch
of different types of music.

64
00:03:42,399 --> 00:03:47,304
<i>♪ For you are mine ♪</i>

65
00:03:47,404 --> 00:03:49,473
(Holding note)

66
00:03:49,573 --> 00:03:51,174
Because she can.

67
00:03:51,274 --> 00:03:52,709
<i>♪ At... ♪</i>

68
00:03:52,809 --> 00:03:55,312
She sings.

69
00:03:55,412 --> 00:04:00,317
<i>♪ Last... ♪</i>

70
00:04:00,417 --> 00:04:05,489
(Holding note)

71
00:04:09,660 --> 00:04:12,696
I cleaned her plants
in her office,

72
00:04:12,796 --> 00:04:14,531
but she doesn't remember me.

73
00:04:14,631 --> 00:04:16,933
I was working
for a plant company.

74
00:04:17,033 --> 00:04:18,635
(Laughing)

75
00:04:18,735 --> 00:04:21,137
- Oh, Cyndi, I'm sorry--
- No, no, no, no. It's fine.

76
00:04:21,237 --> 00:04:23,507
I was just telling her
I used to clean your plants

77
00:04:23,607 --> 00:04:25,809
- before I became famous.
- You did my plants?

78
00:04:25,909 --> 00:04:27,878
Yeah, you had a corn plant
in your office

79
00:04:27,978 --> 00:04:29,546
- I used to take care of.
- I still have a corn plant,

80
00:04:29,646 --> 00:04:31,882
- but it's dead.
- Yeah, well, it's not my fault.

81
00:04:31,982 --> 00:04:34,017
If you don't know where
you came from,

82
00:04:34,117 --> 00:04:36,420
you don't know where
you're going.

83
00:04:39,590 --> 00:04:44,628
*

84
00:04:47,263 --> 00:04:50,200
First things first,
we were Italian.

85
00:04:50,300 --> 00:04:52,536
We're Sicilian.

86
00:04:52,636 --> 00:04:55,539
ELLEN LAUPER:
We were children of immigrants.

87
00:04:55,639 --> 00:04:59,676
And lived in a cold-water flat
in Brooklyn.

88
00:05:01,545 --> 00:05:03,346
We were pretty poor.

89
00:05:03,447 --> 00:05:07,350
Um... my father was
a shipping clerk.

90
00:05:08,485 --> 00:05:12,423
CYNDI: We lived across from
the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

91
00:05:12,523 --> 00:05:16,593
And those uniforms.
There was black and white.

92
00:05:16,693 --> 00:05:21,665
Which, to me, as a kid,
was a lot of costumes.

93
00:05:23,166 --> 00:05:26,236
ELLEN: We had all kinds of
people in that neighborhood.

94
00:05:26,336 --> 00:05:29,072
We had Hasidic Jews.
Puerto Rican kids.

95
00:05:29,172 --> 00:05:32,208
Italians.
It was just a real mix.

96
00:05:32,308 --> 00:05:35,446
I watched the women
in the neighborhood

97
00:05:35,546 --> 00:05:38,214
and it was an extraordinary time
for fashion.

98
00:05:40,383 --> 00:05:42,686
There were a lot
of makeup styles

99
00:05:42,786 --> 00:05:45,422
and a lot
of fashion styles.

100
00:05:45,522 --> 00:05:46,923
The women were kinda sexy.

101
00:05:47,023 --> 00:05:50,093
It was that late '50s period.
Early '60s.

102
00:05:50,193 --> 00:05:53,597
They had a certain look.
And the hair dye.

103
00:05:53,697 --> 00:05:56,099
And you see bright red.

104
00:05:56,199 --> 00:05:58,902
Like, tomato red hair.

105
00:05:59,002 --> 00:06:01,838
And dyed black hair.

106
00:06:01,938 --> 00:06:04,107
And the thick eyebrows
and the lipstick.

107
00:06:04,207 --> 00:06:06,176
There's a sexiness to it.

108
00:06:07,744 --> 00:06:11,615
ELLEN: A few years later,
we moved to Queens,

109
00:06:11,715 --> 00:06:13,684
which was a very different
neighborhood.

110
00:06:13,784 --> 00:06:18,188
Very German and Italian.

111
00:06:19,389 --> 00:06:21,992
And it was kind of a culture
shock because it's like,

112
00:06:22,092 --> 00:06:24,360
"Where is-- Where are all these
other people?"

113
00:06:25,596 --> 00:06:28,398
FRED LAUPER: They kind of got
the shaft when I came along.

114
00:06:28,499 --> 00:06:32,235
My mother and father divorced
when I was less than a year old.

115
00:06:33,670 --> 00:06:35,639
She was a single mom raising
three kids

116
00:06:35,739 --> 00:06:38,475
and she tried to teach us
all kinds of things.

117
00:06:38,575 --> 00:06:40,577
We were exposed to music...

118
00:06:44,615 --> 00:06:47,450
*

119
00:06:47,551 --> 00:06:48,819
ELLEN:
We listened to everything.

120
00:06:48,919 --> 00:06:50,353
Opera, of course.

121
00:06:50,453 --> 00:06:53,456
Mario Lanza.
Enrico Caruso.

122
00:06:53,557 --> 00:06:56,292
Because, you know,
they're Italian.

123
00:06:56,392 --> 00:06:58,194
(Man singing in Italian)

124
00:06:58,294 --> 00:07:01,131
She would drag us to museums.
All three of us.

125
00:07:01,231 --> 00:07:04,868
And we would complain,
of course, because we were kids.

126
00:07:04,968 --> 00:07:06,870
FRED: We used to go to
Shakespeare in the Park.

127
00:07:06,970 --> 00:07:10,974
CYNDI: I started to look at my
neighborhood in Ozone Park,

128
00:07:11,074 --> 00:07:13,376
Queens like
it was Shakespeare.

129
00:07:13,476 --> 00:07:16,379
The guy who had the gas station
he was a mechanic.

130
00:07:16,479 --> 00:07:18,549
He'd come home from work
in his uniform.

131
00:07:18,649 --> 00:07:20,917
Like, I knew this one
had a tragedy.

132
00:07:21,017 --> 00:07:23,854
That one... And, all of
a sudden, it was...

133
00:07:23,954 --> 00:07:25,388
it was like Shakespeare.

134
00:07:26,456 --> 00:07:29,359
ANNOUNCER: And it's all
happening on Queen for a Day:

135
00:07:29,459 --> 00:07:30,861
The Cinderella Show...

136
00:07:30,961 --> 00:07:32,963
CYNDI: When I was upstairs
with my grandmother,

137
00:07:33,063 --> 00:07:35,365
we'd watch
Queen For A Day.

138
00:07:35,465 --> 00:07:37,200
And I crown you Queen Ella!

139
00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:38,602
(Applauding)

140
00:07:38,702 --> 00:07:42,673
CYNDI: And her big prize
was a washing machine.

141
00:07:42,773 --> 00:07:44,240
And my grandmother cried

142
00:07:44,340 --> 00:07:47,711
because she washed the sheets
in the tub.

143
00:07:47,811 --> 00:07:52,082
And I thought to myself,
"What queen washes clothes?"

144
00:07:52,182 --> 00:07:54,885
It was like, "What the heck?!"

145
00:07:54,985 --> 00:07:58,388
<i>♪ This is la vie en rose... ♪</i>

146
00:07:58,488 --> 00:07:59,623
ELLEN:
We'd grown up learning

147
00:07:59,723 --> 00:08:02,959
your job is to make
your husband babies and cook

148
00:08:03,059 --> 00:08:05,729
and take care
of the house.

149
00:08:05,829 --> 00:08:07,030
(Sighing)

150
00:08:07,130 --> 00:08:09,199
We came across
this picture.

151
00:08:09,299 --> 00:08:11,735
It's my mother's eighth grade
graduation.

152
00:08:11,835 --> 00:08:15,405
And, you know, my mom,
she had a lovely voice.

153
00:08:15,505 --> 00:08:16,773
Really nice voice.

154
00:08:16,873 --> 00:08:20,543
And she got a scholarship to go
to a Catholic high school

155
00:08:20,644 --> 00:08:22,178
in Manhattan for singing.

156
00:08:22,278 --> 00:08:25,616
And, uh,
my grandfather

157
00:08:25,716 --> 00:08:27,250
would not hear of it.

158
00:08:27,350 --> 00:08:31,855
And what I see in her eyes is
great disappointment.

159
00:08:32,856 --> 00:08:36,326
But, for women...

160
00:08:36,426 --> 00:08:38,428
It wasn't much, was it?

161
00:08:38,528 --> 00:08:41,231
<i>♪ It will always be ♪</i>

162
00:08:41,331 --> 00:08:46,302
<i>♪ La vie en rose ♪</i>

163
00:08:46,402 --> 00:08:49,305
*

164
00:08:53,276 --> 00:08:57,648
My grandmother and I watched
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts

165
00:08:57,748 --> 00:09:02,152
show and it happened to be
the one Patsy Cline was on.

166
00:09:02,252 --> 00:09:06,422
<i>♪ I go out walking,
after midnight ♪</i>

167
00:09:06,522 --> 00:09:07,758
<i>♪ Out in the moonlight... ♪</i>

168
00:09:07,858 --> 00:09:10,827
I thought to myself, maybe
instead of being the queen

169
00:09:10,927 --> 00:09:13,129
that's crying about the washing
machine, I was gonna sing.

170
00:09:13,229 --> 00:09:14,264
(Cyndi singing)

171
00:09:14,364 --> 00:09:19,135
<i>♪ After midnight,
searching for me ♪</i>

172
00:09:19,235 --> 00:09:20,403
(Crowd cheering)

173
00:09:20,503 --> 00:09:23,674
ELLEN: We watched, in 1964,
The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

174
00:09:24,574 --> 00:09:25,676
Lost our minds.

175
00:09:25,776 --> 00:09:28,311
CYNDI: We would imitate
The Beatles for my parents.

176
00:09:28,411 --> 00:09:30,814
We'd do little shows.
Oh, we wore jackets.

177
00:09:30,914 --> 00:09:32,816
We had jackets because we went
to Catholic school

178
00:09:32,916 --> 00:09:34,150
so you had those blazers.

179
00:09:34,250 --> 00:09:38,321
So, we'd wear the jackets and
took a broom, a mop...

180
00:09:38,421 --> 00:09:42,492
and Ellen was always Paul
so I had to be John.

181
00:09:42,592 --> 00:09:44,260
Why that was the case,
I don't know.

182
00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:47,097
Because she had the higher
voice. But that's how it went.

183
00:09:47,197 --> 00:09:49,232
(Church bell ringing)

184
00:09:51,067 --> 00:09:52,869
CYNDI:
My mother was divorced.

185
00:09:52,969 --> 00:09:56,740
So, we went
to Catholic school.

186
00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,142
And there was
this priest,

187
00:09:59,242 --> 00:10:02,946
had this, like,
rocking outfit.

188
00:10:03,046 --> 00:10:06,249
He had, like, pants with
the black shoes,

189
00:10:06,349 --> 00:10:08,318
this white collar with
the black shirt

190
00:10:08,418 --> 00:10:10,353
and then he
had a black skirt

191
00:10:10,453 --> 00:10:13,523
over the black pants with
a kind of slit.

192
00:10:13,623 --> 00:10:16,359
It moved and you saw the pants
and the skirt.

193
00:10:16,459 --> 00:10:19,462
It was a whole, like,
multi-gender thing.

194
00:10:20,330 --> 00:10:23,734
And he had these big beads.
Come on.

195
00:10:23,834 --> 00:10:27,437
Jewelry and accessories were
always a big thing.

196
00:10:27,537 --> 00:10:30,373
And I thought,
"Wow! What a look!"

197
00:10:30,473 --> 00:10:33,710
So, I'd run to go
talk to him.

198
00:10:33,810 --> 00:10:37,547
And he goes,
"And what are your sins?"

199
00:10:37,647 --> 00:10:41,284
"Well, I didn't go to mass last
Sunday because--"

200
00:10:41,384 --> 00:10:43,219
And he's like,
"You didn't go to mass?

201
00:10:43,319 --> 00:10:45,255
"You're going to go to hell
like your mother."

202
00:10:45,355 --> 00:10:46,256
(Church bell ringing)

203
00:10:46,356 --> 00:10:48,759
I didn't care
what people thought.

204
00:10:48,859 --> 00:10:51,394
But, you know,
when you're a kid,

205
00:10:51,494 --> 00:10:53,830
you're not thinking
straight.

206
00:10:53,930 --> 00:10:56,066
ELLEN:
So, she would mouth off

207
00:10:56,166 --> 00:10:58,368
and she just wasn't going to
take shit from people.

208
00:10:58,468 --> 00:10:59,402
Period.

209
00:10:59,502 --> 00:11:01,704
Even from a young age,
she just wasn't gonna.

210
00:11:01,805 --> 00:11:04,775
And so, we'd both get
the snot beat out of us

211
00:11:04,875 --> 00:11:07,443
because we were little.
(Laughing)

212
00:11:07,543 --> 00:11:10,613
So, at that point, things in
the household were not good.

213
00:11:10,713 --> 00:11:13,750
My mom had married
a second partner.

214
00:11:13,850 --> 00:11:16,386
Her second husband was...
whoa.

215
00:11:16,486 --> 00:11:18,221
Really, really not...

216
00:11:18,321 --> 00:11:19,756
Whoa. (Whistling)
Real bad.

217
00:11:19,856 --> 00:11:23,760
He was very good at abuse,
both psychological and physical.

218
00:11:23,860 --> 00:11:27,397
So then, the poor thing sends us
to a convent school.

219
00:11:27,497 --> 00:11:31,768
(Church bell ringing)

220
00:11:31,868 --> 00:11:34,938
<i>♪ You don't know where ♪</i>

221
00:11:35,038 --> 00:11:37,373
<i>♪ You belong ♪</i>

222
00:11:37,473 --> 00:11:42,045
<i>♪ You just need
to belong somehow ♪</i>

223
00:11:42,145 --> 00:11:44,214
(Vocals echoing)

224
00:11:46,716 --> 00:11:48,985
FRED: As bad as boarding school
may have been,

225
00:11:49,085 --> 00:11:51,454
at least it was safer
than the home environment

226
00:11:51,554 --> 00:11:52,956
for my sisters.

227
00:11:53,890 --> 00:11:56,893
ELLEN: The place
that we went to was a place

228
00:11:56,993 --> 00:12:01,731
that many children were
simply left.

229
00:12:01,832 --> 00:12:04,634
And so, there was the thought,
are we being left?

230
00:12:04,734 --> 00:12:07,170
<i>♪ Fare well
in some company ♪</i>

231
00:12:09,205 --> 00:12:12,275
<i>♪ But don't shove that
bullshit ♪</i>

232
00:12:12,375 --> 00:12:16,579
<i>♪ Down my throat ♪</i>

233
00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:19,983
<i>♪ You don't know where ♪</i>

234
00:12:20,083 --> 00:12:22,685
<i>♪ You belong ♪</i>

235
00:12:22,785 --> 00:12:26,356
<i>♪ You just need to belong
somehow ♪</i>

236
00:12:26,456 --> 00:12:28,758
ELLEN: When we came out
of boarding school,

237
00:12:28,859 --> 00:12:31,494
my father got me my first
transistor radio

238
00:12:31,594 --> 00:12:34,730
which means that now Cyndi
and I could listen to...

239
00:12:34,831 --> 00:12:35,999
rock and roll!

240
00:12:36,099 --> 00:12:41,137
*

241
00:12:44,841 --> 00:12:47,377
At this point, we were
listening to everything

242
00:12:47,477 --> 00:12:49,679
from The Beatles
to Joni Mitchell...

243
00:12:49,779 --> 00:12:52,682
Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix,
Janis Joplin.

244
00:12:52,782 --> 00:12:54,117
You heard
The Chambers Brothers.

245
00:12:54,217 --> 00:12:55,651
You heard Sly
and The Family Stone.

246
00:12:55,751 --> 00:12:58,354
Cynthia on the horn
and the other woman

247
00:12:58,454 --> 00:13:02,125
with the white hair and
the minidress, dancing.

248
00:13:02,225 --> 00:13:03,793
I mean,
I loved those girls.

249
00:13:03,894 --> 00:13:06,662
They were, like,
"Wow, they're in a band!

250
00:13:06,762 --> 00:13:08,464
"I could be in a band,"
you know?

251
00:13:08,564 --> 00:13:12,835
So, I got a guitar,
but we shared the guitar.

252
00:13:12,936 --> 00:13:16,506
We would each sit on our beds,
you know, play guitar,

253
00:13:16,606 --> 00:13:19,075
and write
and sing together.

254
00:13:19,175 --> 00:13:20,543
And make up songs.

255
00:13:20,643 --> 00:13:23,880
We were
her first band.

256
00:13:23,980 --> 00:13:27,383
I grew up in a really
interesting time as an artist.

257
00:13:27,483 --> 00:13:30,586
We had Jack Kennedy
telling us...

258
00:13:30,686 --> 00:13:35,158
Ask not what your country
can do for you.

259
00:13:35,258 --> 00:13:37,894
Ask what you can do
for your country.

260
00:13:37,994 --> 00:13:39,062
CYNDI:
I just thought,

261
00:13:39,162 --> 00:13:41,631
"Oh, we're going to have a whole
different world."

262
00:13:41,731 --> 00:13:43,533
ELLEN:
But then, watching television

263
00:13:43,633 --> 00:13:45,301
and watching
the Civil Rights movement,

264
00:13:45,401 --> 00:13:46,836
and watching the police dogs.

265
00:13:46,937 --> 00:13:48,071
(Dog snarling)

266
00:13:48,171 --> 00:13:51,841
My mother, my sister and I
were all furious

267
00:13:51,942 --> 00:13:53,409
that this was happening.

268
00:13:53,509 --> 00:13:55,878
NEWS ANCHOR:
From Dallas, Texas, the Flash:

269
00:13:55,979 --> 00:13:59,282
President Kennedy died
at one p.m.

270
00:13:59,382 --> 00:14:01,084
Central Standard Time.

271
00:14:01,184 --> 00:14:03,086
ELLEN: We saw on television,
John Kennedy getting shot.

272
00:14:03,186 --> 00:14:05,555
Martin Luther King
getting shot.

273
00:14:05,655 --> 00:14:07,390
Robert Kennedy
getting shot.

274
00:14:07,490 --> 00:14:11,294
And then all of our
rock and roll heroes OD-ing.

275
00:14:11,394 --> 00:14:13,396
CYNDI:
And it symbolized for me

276
00:14:13,496 --> 00:14:16,532
that a whole culture
could self-destruct.

277
00:14:17,867 --> 00:14:20,036
ELLEN: So, that's when
you find your voice.

278
00:14:20,136 --> 00:14:21,604
So, you're not
just singing.

279
00:14:21,704 --> 00:14:24,240
You're also singing
what you care about.

280
00:14:24,340 --> 00:14:25,908
We created together.

281
00:14:26,009 --> 00:14:28,611
You know,
sang teenage angst songs.

282
00:14:28,711 --> 00:14:31,214
And it was our therapy
for a while.

283
00:14:32,048 --> 00:14:33,283
Our teenage years
were hard.

284
00:14:33,383 --> 00:14:37,287
Both in terms of society
as well as personally.

285
00:14:37,387 --> 00:14:39,255
<i>♪ Stone ♪</i>

286
00:14:39,355 --> 00:14:42,792
<i>♪ The world is stone ♪</i>

287
00:14:42,892 --> 00:14:46,596
<i>♪ It's no trick
of the light ♪</i>

288
00:14:46,696 --> 00:14:51,667
<i>♪ It's hard
on the soul ♪</i>

289
00:14:51,767 --> 00:14:53,203
*

290
00:14:53,303 --> 00:14:56,472
CYNDI: We used to come home
from school and lock our door.

291
00:14:56,572 --> 00:14:58,441
They would have
fist fights.

292
00:14:58,541 --> 00:15:02,145
He'd say he was gonna beat up
her old parents upstairs

293
00:15:02,245 --> 00:15:03,713
and rape her two daughters.

294
00:15:03,813 --> 00:15:06,149
<i>♪ Stone ♪</i>

295
00:15:06,249 --> 00:15:08,151
<i>♪ The world is stone... ♪</i>

296
00:15:08,251 --> 00:15:11,421
Cops would come and they would
just look around

297
00:15:11,521 --> 00:15:14,790
and look at each other and go,
"Domestic" and leave.

298
00:15:14,890 --> 00:15:18,194
That's when I realized
"This is toxic.

299
00:15:18,294 --> 00:15:20,163
"I can't do this anymore."

300
00:15:20,263 --> 00:15:22,398
So, I left home.

301
00:15:23,599 --> 00:15:27,337
CYNDI: When Ellen left,
I was still in high school.

302
00:15:28,704 --> 00:15:31,141
It was devastating.

303
00:15:31,241 --> 00:15:35,778
Only because Ellen
was always my hero.

304
00:15:35,878 --> 00:15:39,482
And because Ellen was there,
it was okay.

305
00:15:40,283 --> 00:15:43,986
But when she left...
it was horrible.

306
00:15:45,688 --> 00:15:50,126
One day, I was in the tub and
I dunked my head, came back up,

307
00:15:50,226 --> 00:15:54,597
and my stepfather
was looking at me.

308
00:15:54,697 --> 00:15:59,569
<i>♪ I would love not to care ♪</i>

309
00:15:59,669 --> 00:16:04,040
<i>♪ Stone,
the world is stone... ♪</i>

310
00:16:04,140 --> 00:16:06,576
When bad things happened
as a kid,

311
00:16:06,676 --> 00:16:08,578
you don't just feel
like shit.

312
00:16:08,678 --> 00:16:11,547
You feel like the ground
shit falls on.

313
00:16:11,647 --> 00:16:15,918
So, you start to do very
self-destructive things.

314
00:16:16,018 --> 00:16:20,623
I took LSD and came home
really stoned.

315
00:16:22,492 --> 00:16:23,926
I was crazy mad.

316
00:16:24,026 --> 00:16:26,596
And, if I had no power,
the only power I did have

317
00:16:26,696 --> 00:16:29,065
was to scare the fucking crap
out of everybody.

318
00:16:29,165 --> 00:16:31,134
'Cause you didn't know what
crazy was gonna do.

319
00:16:32,768 --> 00:16:36,839
ELLEN: I was watching my sister
kinda be way out of control.

320
00:16:36,939 --> 00:16:40,176
And I was worried for
her safety and her health.

321
00:16:40,276 --> 00:16:43,579
<i>♪ I've had
all I can take ♪</i>

322
00:16:43,679 --> 00:16:46,716
<i>♪ With my back
to the wall... ♪</i>

323
00:16:46,816 --> 00:16:50,786
After a few months, I said,
"Cyndi, you can't do this.

324
00:16:50,886 --> 00:16:53,789
"I'm worried about you.
Come and stay with me."

325
00:16:53,889 --> 00:16:57,059
At that particular point,
I started

326
00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,029
to want to spend more time with
my "girlfriends".

327
00:17:01,564 --> 00:17:03,933
CYNDI:
When my sister came out,

328
00:17:04,033 --> 00:17:05,835
I was like how I always
was with my poor sister.

329
00:17:05,935 --> 00:17:07,937
I was like,
"You know what?

330
00:17:08,037 --> 00:17:09,572
"I was born
to be your friend.

331
00:17:09,672 --> 00:17:12,408
"So, I don't care who you bring
around or what you do.

332
00:17:12,508 --> 00:17:14,009
"You can't ditch me."

333
00:17:16,546 --> 00:17:19,482
ELLEN: Cyndi's view of community
and family

334
00:17:19,582 --> 00:17:23,186
is much broader than,
you know...

335
00:17:23,286 --> 00:17:24,754
the average person.

336
00:17:25,755 --> 00:17:28,090
CYNDI: Ellen's helping
me move in...

337
00:17:28,191 --> 00:17:30,960
ELLEN: And who comes out
the door but Carl

338
00:17:31,060 --> 00:17:33,196
and his partner
Gregory.

339
00:17:34,597 --> 00:17:38,601
Carl was my neighbor who lived
upstairs from me

340
00:17:38,701 --> 00:17:40,436
on the Upper East Side.

341
00:17:40,536 --> 00:17:43,139
And I was so happy to see them
because I was worried

342
00:17:43,239 --> 00:17:45,341
about leaving
Cyndi behind.

343
00:17:46,142 --> 00:17:48,944
I had some things
to work out.

344
00:17:49,044 --> 00:17:51,147
I said "Could you please look
out for my sister?

345
00:17:51,247 --> 00:17:53,283
"Could you please take care of
her and make sure she's okay?

346
00:17:53,383 --> 00:17:54,484
"You're in
the same building."

347
00:17:54,584 --> 00:17:56,452
Carl said
"Don't worry, Ellen.

348
00:17:56,552 --> 00:17:58,788
I'll watch out
for your sister."

349
00:17:58,888 --> 00:18:01,891
And they did. They were like
family. Especially Gregory.

350
00:18:01,991 --> 00:18:04,960
Cyndi and Gregory
were bonded.

351
00:18:06,462 --> 00:18:09,599
I would go downstairs and...

352
00:18:09,699 --> 00:18:11,534
I met everyone there.

353
00:18:11,634 --> 00:18:15,171
We talked about everything
from fashion to movies.

354
00:18:15,271 --> 00:18:16,672
It was great.

355
00:18:16,772 --> 00:18:20,676
You know, you start to have
friends and family.

356
00:18:20,776 --> 00:18:22,378
FRED: They went through some
hard times together.

357
00:18:22,478 --> 00:18:25,648
They didn't have a whole lot of
financial resources.

358
00:18:27,116 --> 00:18:28,618
And we had to do
all kinds of things

359
00:18:28,718 --> 00:18:31,654
that she had no desire
to do just to survive.

360
00:18:32,488 --> 00:18:34,357
CYNDI:
I was a Gal Friday.

361
00:18:34,457 --> 00:18:37,026
I like to say I was
a Gal Friday the 13th,

362
00:18:37,126 --> 00:18:38,294
'cause, you know...

363
00:18:38,394 --> 00:18:40,530
I mean, would you like me
outside of your office?

364
00:18:40,630 --> 00:18:42,298
(Cyndi and audience laughing)

365
00:18:43,299 --> 00:18:45,000
I'd fall asleep reading
the mail.

366
00:18:46,101 --> 00:18:49,038
And my boss
was the greatest.

367
00:18:49,138 --> 00:18:52,542
She reminded me of, like,
Mary Tyler Moore.

368
00:18:52,642 --> 00:18:55,378
She was stunning
and she had long nails.

369
00:18:55,478 --> 00:18:57,480
And she was really smart.

370
00:18:57,580 --> 00:18:59,682
(Phone ringing)

371
00:18:59,782 --> 00:19:02,352
"Simon and Schuster.
How may I help you?"

372
00:19:03,553 --> 00:19:06,222
I'd put it down and the whole
thing was covered in sweat.

373
00:19:06,322 --> 00:19:08,724
That's how nervous I was.

374
00:19:08,824 --> 00:19:10,860
I would be like,
"It's lunch time."

375
00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:12,662
And I was like, "I think I'm
really gonna splurge

376
00:19:12,762 --> 00:19:15,398
"and I'm gonna get myself
a sandwich and a beer."

377
00:19:15,498 --> 00:19:17,800
I didn't think anything of it,
except...

378
00:19:17,900 --> 00:19:18,868
(Can popping)

379
00:19:18,968 --> 00:19:20,603
...when my coworkers came
to me and said,

380
00:19:20,703 --> 00:19:22,972
"Cyn, the beer thing,

381
00:19:23,072 --> 00:19:24,607
"it's not a good look."

382
00:19:24,707 --> 00:19:27,009
I was like
"Oh! Oh, okay."

383
00:19:27,109 --> 00:19:30,212
Because that's how clueless
I was.

384
00:19:30,313 --> 00:19:31,247
(Keys clacking)

385
00:19:31,347 --> 00:19:33,583
But when that electric
typewriter came in

386
00:19:33,683 --> 00:19:35,751
and I only typed 19 words
a minute?

387
00:19:35,851 --> 00:19:38,254
Well, that was the straw that
broke the camel's back.

388
00:19:38,354 --> 00:19:40,089
And then I was gone
from that job.

389
00:19:40,189 --> 00:19:41,624
You know, so you could see,
you know,

390
00:19:41,724 --> 00:19:44,527
the career otherwise wasn't
doing that good

391
00:19:44,627 --> 00:19:47,263
so I may as well just start
singing, 'cause, you know...

392
00:19:47,363 --> 00:19:50,032
How much worse could I do,
you know?

393
00:19:50,132 --> 00:19:53,803
*

394
00:19:53,903 --> 00:19:54,937
I went on an audition.

395
00:19:55,037 --> 00:19:56,372
I sang a Gladys Knight song,

396
00:19:56,472 --> 00:19:58,474
"I Really Gotta Use
My Imagination."

397
00:19:58,574 --> 00:20:01,411
<i>♪ I really gotta use
my imagination ♪</i>

398
00:20:01,511 --> 00:20:03,613
And then,
when it went up high,

399
00:20:03,713 --> 00:20:06,949
I don't know if I jumped
the octave.

400
00:20:07,049 --> 00:20:08,318
But I was up there.

401
00:20:08,418 --> 00:20:09,985
<i>♪ My imagination ♪</i>

402
00:20:10,085 --> 00:20:11,954
So, I'm singing way the hell
up there.

403
00:20:12,054 --> 00:20:14,957
And, of course, I didn't
want to, you know,

404
00:20:15,057 --> 00:20:17,627
lose the audition
so I just kept singing.

405
00:20:17,727 --> 00:20:19,362
And I just made my voice work.

406
00:20:19,462 --> 00:20:21,364
And all of a sudden, what came
out was something

407
00:20:21,464 --> 00:20:22,932
that I didn't know
was there.

408
00:20:23,032 --> 00:20:25,435
I was so surprised.

409
00:20:25,535 --> 00:20:28,671
What was coming out
of my mouth?

410
00:20:28,771 --> 00:20:30,473
I'd never heard that.

411
00:20:31,541 --> 00:20:33,843
But, if you think
I was surprised,

412
00:20:33,943 --> 00:20:36,979
you should have seen the faces
on these guys.

413
00:20:37,079 --> 00:20:39,315
So, I was like,
"Oh, I've got this gig."

414
00:20:39,415 --> 00:20:42,117
But I was a backup singer.
I sang disco songs.

415
00:20:42,217 --> 00:20:44,286
Some really great ones.
Patti LaBelle.

416
00:20:44,387 --> 00:20:48,458
(Vocalizing)

417
00:20:48,558 --> 00:20:50,292
(Singing "Lady Marmalade")

418
00:20:50,393 --> 00:20:52,194
FRED: She was with a band
called Doc West.

419
00:20:52,294 --> 00:20:55,297
There was a gap between her
and the rest of the band,

420
00:20:55,398 --> 00:20:57,967
in so far as
performance level.

421
00:20:58,067 --> 00:21:01,170
CYNDI:
My first gig as a lead singer

422
00:21:01,270 --> 00:21:03,839
was in a kind of beer hall.

423
00:21:03,939 --> 00:21:07,309
HOLLY: She couldn't even get
booked to play at CBGB's.

424
00:21:07,410 --> 00:21:09,011
She was part of this, kind of,

425
00:21:09,111 --> 00:21:12,014
outsider little group of people.

426
00:21:12,114 --> 00:21:14,283
And then she had this oversized,

427
00:21:14,384 --> 00:21:15,418
amazing talent.

428
00:21:15,518 --> 00:21:18,588
I just got fed up
with what was happening.

429
00:21:19,589 --> 00:21:22,057
When the band kinda started
doing nothing,

430
00:21:22,157 --> 00:21:23,526
I started looking
for a job.

431
00:21:23,626 --> 00:21:25,661
("She Bop"
guitar riff playing)

432
00:21:25,761 --> 00:21:28,731
I used to be a salesgirl
for these people.

433
00:21:28,831 --> 00:21:32,402
It was like working
in a toy store.

434
00:21:32,502 --> 00:21:34,537
LAURA: She bought so much
stuff in the store

435
00:21:34,637 --> 00:21:37,507
that when she asked us for a job
we were like, "We hit gold."

436
00:21:37,607 --> 00:21:40,710
We were like, "We probably
never have to pay her."

437
00:21:40,810 --> 00:21:42,612
And now and then we were kinda
like, "Oh my God,

438
00:21:42,712 --> 00:21:44,013
"she's taking the best stuff,"
you know?

439
00:21:44,113 --> 00:21:46,382
She did have good taste.
That was the only downside.

440
00:21:46,482 --> 00:21:49,419
CYNDI: And the one thing that
everyone always said

441
00:21:49,519 --> 00:21:51,854
whenever you wanted
to be an artist

442
00:21:51,954 --> 00:21:54,790
or whenever you wanted to sing
or act or whatever

443
00:21:54,890 --> 00:21:58,828
was, "What will you do
if you fail?"

444
00:21:58,928 --> 00:22:02,064
And here I was trying
to survive in the world

445
00:22:02,164 --> 00:22:05,200
as a regular person
and failing everything.

446
00:22:06,669 --> 00:22:08,070
I just felt like...

447
00:22:08,170 --> 00:22:10,506
might as well do what
I really wanted to do.

448
00:22:10,606 --> 00:22:12,908
So, I went into a club.

449
00:22:13,008 --> 00:22:16,211
And I met this guy
and he asked me

450
00:22:16,311 --> 00:22:18,247
if I wanted to start a band.

451
00:22:18,347 --> 00:22:20,816
And I said, "Sure,
I'll start a band."

452
00:22:21,751 --> 00:22:22,952
(Electric guitar riff playing)

453
00:22:23,052 --> 00:22:26,689
FRED: That was Flyer. They were
trying to find a niche.

454
00:22:26,789 --> 00:22:29,959
(Cyndi singing
in deep voice)

455
00:22:30,059 --> 00:22:32,762
CYNDI: I'm trying to sound like
Janis Joplin.

456
00:22:32,862 --> 00:22:35,931
When I started to duplicate
her sound,

457
00:22:36,031 --> 00:22:38,868
it taught me
a sense of freedom

458
00:22:38,968 --> 00:22:41,771
in losing
yourself in the music.

459
00:22:41,871 --> 00:22:44,406
Losing yourself
in singing.

460
00:22:44,507 --> 00:22:48,043
But I couldn't really lose
myself totally

461
00:22:48,143 --> 00:22:53,015
and feel totally free because
I felt myself in her shell.

462
00:22:53,115 --> 00:22:56,051
I felt very little and
the sound was very big

463
00:22:56,151 --> 00:22:57,920
and I couldn't understand why.

464
00:22:58,020 --> 00:23:01,624
Usually, I would start out
full range,

465
00:23:01,724 --> 00:23:04,093
and it would shrink and shrink
and shrink and shrink.

466
00:23:04,193 --> 00:23:06,328
Till the end of the show,
there was, eh, not much.

467
00:23:06,428 --> 00:23:09,131
At that time, I didn't have
any technique.

468
00:23:10,032 --> 00:23:12,502
And so, I lost my voice.

469
00:23:14,570 --> 00:23:17,940
When she initially called me,
she couldn't talk.

470
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:22,144
And I asked her to bring
a cassette

471
00:23:22,244 --> 00:23:25,481
or something
of her singing.

472
00:23:25,581 --> 00:23:27,983
So, she brought
this cassette.

473
00:23:28,083 --> 00:23:29,885
- (Tape deck clicking)
- We put it on.

474
00:23:29,985 --> 00:23:34,657
(Cyndi singing Janis
Joplin-style rock and roll)

475
00:23:35,625 --> 00:23:37,960
"No, Cyndi,
I wanted to hear you.

476
00:23:38,060 --> 00:23:39,562
"Not the music
that you like."

477
00:23:39,662 --> 00:23:43,298
She wrote, cause she couldn't
speak to me, "That is me."

478
00:23:43,398 --> 00:23:46,401
And I went "Oh my God."

479
00:23:47,570 --> 00:23:51,874
At that time, I had never had
a voice that was that bad.

480
00:23:51,974 --> 00:23:55,511
She had met this doctor who told
her she was finished.

481
00:23:58,814 --> 00:24:00,249
CYNDI:
I was really depressed.

482
00:24:00,349 --> 00:24:03,318
I was even suicidal.
I was.

483
00:24:03,418 --> 00:24:06,155
But I couldn't really
do that either.

484
00:24:06,255 --> 00:24:08,357
That wasn't what I was
going to do.

485
00:24:09,659 --> 00:24:12,895
KATIE: I thought to myself,
"If you could make your voice

486
00:24:12,995 --> 00:24:16,498
"sound so much
like that other person,

487
00:24:16,599 --> 00:24:19,234
"when we take off all
the damage,

488
00:24:19,334 --> 00:24:22,337
"what's underneath there
has got to be genius."

489
00:24:24,339 --> 00:24:27,943
It took about a year
but she completely recovered.

490
00:24:28,043 --> 00:24:29,945
(Singing)

491
00:24:30,045 --> 00:24:34,249
She met John Turi and they
formed the band Blue Angel.

492
00:24:34,349 --> 00:24:39,454
(Singing rock and roll)

493
00:24:40,723 --> 00:24:43,292
CYNDI: And I went from years
of doing cover songs

494
00:24:43,392 --> 00:24:45,427
and I just got tired of it.

495
00:24:45,527 --> 00:24:47,429
I couldn't live in somebody
else's soul.

496
00:24:47,529 --> 00:24:50,132
I had to have my own.

497
00:24:50,232 --> 00:24:51,601
JOHN: A lot of the songs
just came

498
00:24:51,701 --> 00:24:53,603
without a lot of lyrics first.

499
00:24:53,703 --> 00:24:56,438
And then the lyrics would come

500
00:24:56,538 --> 00:24:58,107
as we developed the song.

501
00:24:58,207 --> 00:25:01,343
Or she would have a set
of lyrics

502
00:25:01,443 --> 00:25:04,614
and then we would build a song
around those lyrics.

503
00:25:04,714 --> 00:25:07,382
(Cyndi vocalizing)

504
00:25:07,482 --> 00:25:09,619
When I would play
my saxophone with her,

505
00:25:09,719 --> 00:25:11,654
it would be like playing with
another saxophone player.

506
00:25:11,754 --> 00:25:14,924
We would go into different
rhythms, like five-four,

507
00:25:15,024 --> 00:25:17,292
and she would be
so comfortable.

508
00:25:17,392 --> 00:25:19,461
"Anna Blue"
was in five-four.

509
00:25:19,561 --> 00:25:23,565
<i>♪ Anna Blue ♪</i>

510
00:25:23,666 --> 00:25:28,070
<i>♪ Oh, Anna ♪</i>

511
00:25:28,170 --> 00:25:30,239
<i>♪ Oh, Anna... ♪</i>

512
00:25:30,339 --> 00:25:31,807
We loved Roy Orbison.

513
00:25:31,907 --> 00:25:34,443
And Cyndi loved a lot of
the '50s singers.

514
00:25:34,543 --> 00:25:36,278
Every day,
she would come in,

515
00:25:36,378 --> 00:25:37,947
possibly with a different
influence.

516
00:25:38,047 --> 00:25:39,782
I could hear
Ronnie Spector.

517
00:25:39,882 --> 00:25:41,651
Shirley from Shirley and Lee.

518
00:25:41,751 --> 00:25:44,854
Brenda Lee.
I could hear Wanda Jackson.

519
00:25:44,954 --> 00:25:46,822
Frankie Lymon.

520
00:25:46,922 --> 00:25:48,658
We just started playing,

521
00:25:48,758 --> 00:25:50,159
and everything just felt
really good.

522
00:25:50,259 --> 00:25:51,827
(Singing "I Had A Love")

523
00:25:51,927 --> 00:25:53,763
<i>♪ Baby don't go ♪</i>

524
00:25:53,863 --> 00:25:57,767
<i>♪ I thought,
maybe I should have told you ♪</i>

525
00:25:57,867 --> 00:25:59,301
<i>♪ Long before... ♪</i>

526
00:26:00,602 --> 00:26:02,171
KATIE VALK:
I was so mesmerized by Cyndi

527
00:26:02,271 --> 00:26:03,639
the first time I saw her.

528
00:26:03,739 --> 00:26:06,709
She was everything

529
00:26:06,809 --> 00:26:08,510
that I would have wanted

530
00:26:08,610 --> 00:26:10,746
in an artist to work with.

531
00:26:10,846 --> 00:26:12,682
She was my next
Dolly Parton,

532
00:26:12,782 --> 00:26:14,650
because I was working
with Dolly.

533
00:26:14,750 --> 00:26:16,719
Yeah, that kind of talent.

534
00:26:16,819 --> 00:26:18,688
(Vocalizing)

535
00:26:18,788 --> 00:26:21,857
JOHN: And that's when we got our
record deal with Polydor.

536
00:26:21,957 --> 00:26:24,193
And we recorded our album
called Blue Angel.

537
00:26:24,293 --> 00:26:25,895
CYNDI SINGING:
<i>♪ More than I could bear... ♪</i>

538
00:26:25,995 --> 00:26:28,363
I remember when she did
"I'm Gonna Be Strong".

539
00:26:28,463 --> 00:26:33,035
<i>♪ So I'm gonna be strong... ♪</i>

540
00:26:33,135 --> 00:26:35,771
That recording studio had
a big chapel

541
00:26:35,871 --> 00:26:38,007
because it had been
a church.

542
00:26:38,107 --> 00:26:41,911
CYNDI: When you sing in there,
it's like...

543
00:26:42,011 --> 00:26:43,045
Oh my God.

544
00:26:43,145 --> 00:26:46,515
<i>♪ I'm gonna be strong ♪</i>

545
00:26:46,615 --> 00:26:51,186
<i>♪ And stand
as tall as I can... ♪</i>

546
00:26:51,286 --> 00:26:53,923
ELLEN: She goes otherworldly
in a way when she sings.

547
00:26:54,023 --> 00:26:57,059
When she's in the zone,
she's like,

548
00:26:57,159 --> 00:26:58,894
that's her church.

549
00:26:58,994 --> 00:27:01,797
<i>♪ I'm gonna be strong... ♪</i>

550
00:27:01,897 --> 00:27:03,598
KATIE: All the people that were
recording the album

551
00:27:03,699 --> 00:27:04,767
turned around
and looked at me.

552
00:27:04,867 --> 00:27:08,603
And they were all, like,
"How is she doing this?"

553
00:27:08,704 --> 00:27:12,742
<i>♪ I'll smile and say,
don't you worry ♪</i>

554
00:27:12,842 --> 00:27:14,609
<i>♪ It's fine ♪</i>

555
00:27:14,710 --> 00:27:17,112
<i>♪ And you'll never know,
darling... ♪</i>

556
00:27:17,212 --> 00:27:19,815
JOHN: When we got our picture
in Billboard, it was like,

557
00:27:19,915 --> 00:27:21,416
"We're gonna make it."

558
00:27:21,516 --> 00:27:23,886
We got incredible reviews.

559
00:27:25,454 --> 00:27:29,224
CYNDI: There was something kind
of pure about that album.

560
00:27:29,324 --> 00:27:30,960
You know, it's always your
first album

561
00:27:31,060 --> 00:27:33,628
that's kinda
got something pure.

562
00:27:33,729 --> 00:27:35,430
We were going, going, going.

563
00:27:35,530 --> 00:27:39,334
And one day, I jumped from
the drum riser onto the stage

564
00:27:39,434 --> 00:27:40,803
and my foot slipped.

565
00:27:40,903 --> 00:27:43,906
I had been on stage and
I twisted my ankle.

566
00:27:44,006 --> 00:27:48,844
So, I couldn't really go
any place, right?

567
00:27:48,944 --> 00:27:50,612
"As I lay lazily
and watch,

568
00:27:50,712 --> 00:27:54,249
"I can't help thinking
about my mother.

569
00:27:54,349 --> 00:27:57,652
"Yesterday, I woke up.
I saw her face.

570
00:27:57,753 --> 00:28:00,322
"Her eyes twinkled with
the innocence of youth

571
00:28:00,422 --> 00:28:03,759
"and it seemed as though there
was so much life

572
00:28:03,859 --> 00:28:05,795
"to look forward to."

573
00:28:05,895 --> 00:28:08,463
"Somehow, she was me.

574
00:28:08,563 --> 00:28:11,466
"Or she was locked up as part
of me, inside.

575
00:28:11,566 --> 00:28:14,804
"I felt as if, in a crazy way,
I was straightening out

576
00:28:14,904 --> 00:28:16,939
"a great wrong
in my mother's life."

577
00:28:19,408 --> 00:28:23,979
ELLEN:
Cyndi challenged the legacy

578
00:28:24,079 --> 00:28:27,950
that was "supposed to be,"
the family drama.

579
00:28:28,050 --> 00:28:31,320
And said, "No,
we're going to rewrite this.

580
00:28:31,420 --> 00:28:33,989
"We're going to make
something else."

581
00:28:34,089 --> 00:28:35,925
(Crowd applauding)

582
00:28:36,025 --> 00:28:38,928
*

583
00:28:39,028 --> 00:28:42,097
<i>♪ Oh-oh, oh-oh... ♪</i>

584
00:28:42,197 --> 00:28:45,567
Cyndi came on my radar in
an interesting way.

585
00:28:45,667 --> 00:28:49,071
I had been invited to
a birthday party.

586
00:28:50,472 --> 00:28:52,674
I spent most of the evening
trying to pick up

587
00:28:52,774 --> 00:28:54,276
this young lady.

588
00:28:54,376 --> 00:28:56,345
Failing miserably,
I might add.

589
00:28:56,445 --> 00:28:59,915
And when she got up and went
to go to the bathroom,

590
00:29:00,015 --> 00:29:03,352
I saw Cyndi sitting on a little
couch near the bathroom.

591
00:29:03,452 --> 00:29:06,521
So, I walked up to Cyndi
and sat down with her.

592
00:29:06,621 --> 00:29:10,459
And she kind of looked at me
like "What is wrong with you?"

593
00:29:10,559 --> 00:29:13,528
You know, "You tell that lady
all this nonsense,

594
00:29:13,628 --> 00:29:15,797
and now you're saying
all this stuff to me."

595
00:29:15,898 --> 00:29:18,667
And then
we just kept talking.

596
00:29:18,767 --> 00:29:20,836
And I had no idea
who she was.

597
00:29:20,936 --> 00:29:22,071
How she sang.

598
00:29:22,171 --> 00:29:24,006
Nothing. I didn't know
anything about her.

599
00:29:24,106 --> 00:29:25,440
I'd never heard
of her before.

600
00:29:25,540 --> 00:29:27,209
(Singing "Maybe He'll Know")

601
00:29:27,309 --> 00:29:30,545
<i>♪ And call me back,
don't take too long... ♪</i>

602
00:29:30,645 --> 00:29:33,182
When I saw her
for the first time,

603
00:29:33,282 --> 00:29:36,218
I just remember being
so blown away.

604
00:29:36,318 --> 00:29:38,053
<i>♪ I got
this anxious feeling ♪</i>

605
00:29:38,153 --> 00:29:42,557
<i>♪ I got this ache engraved
in me like stone... ♪</i>

606
00:29:42,657 --> 00:29:47,496
ELLEN: Cyndi said that she'd met
this guy, David Wolff.

607
00:29:47,596 --> 00:29:50,032
And she asked me my opinion.
(Laughing)

608
00:29:50,132 --> 00:29:53,402
Should she go out on a date
with him?

609
00:29:53,502 --> 00:29:57,139
And I said...
"Oh, what the hell!"

610
00:29:58,373 --> 00:30:00,042
DAVE:
We were going home.

611
00:30:00,142 --> 00:30:02,912
She lived in the fifth floor of
a five floor walk-up.

612
00:30:03,012 --> 00:30:04,713
I was carrying her stuff.

613
00:30:04,813 --> 00:30:07,917
CYNDI: He was helping me
carry up my pots and pans

614
00:30:08,017 --> 00:30:10,886
because I'd always boil water
and steam my throat

615
00:30:10,986 --> 00:30:12,721
before and after the gig.

616
00:30:12,821 --> 00:30:14,924
DAVE: We're on our way
up the stairs.

617
00:30:15,024 --> 00:30:19,428
CYNDI: If a guy likes you, he
may go up to the fourth floor.

618
00:30:19,528 --> 00:30:22,564
But the fifth floor it's always
like "Hey, I'll call you.

619
00:30:22,664 --> 00:30:26,568
And when Dave Wolff passed
that third floor...

620
00:30:26,668 --> 00:30:28,603
Passed the fourth floor...

621
00:30:28,703 --> 00:30:30,940
and by the time we got
to the top floor,

622
00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:32,908
Dave Wolff turned around
and he said,

623
00:30:33,008 --> 00:30:35,978
"How do I love thee?
Let me count the steps."

624
00:30:36,078 --> 00:30:38,313
<i>♪ Like stone ♪</i>

625
00:30:38,413 --> 00:30:41,083
<i>♪ Don't take too long ♪</i>

626
00:30:41,183 --> 00:30:44,853
<i>♪ Say you'll never ♪</i>

627
00:30:44,954 --> 00:30:49,758
<i>♪ Say, say you'll never go ♪</i>

628
00:30:49,858 --> 00:30:51,961
(Audience cheering)

629
00:30:52,061 --> 00:30:55,664
At one point, there was a guy
at a radio station,

630
00:30:55,764 --> 00:31:00,435
there's always a guy at a radio
station, who decides,

631
00:31:00,535 --> 00:31:03,472
"Oh, this is oldies.

632
00:31:03,572 --> 00:31:07,109
"Blue Angel?
Definitely old. Out."

633
00:31:07,209 --> 00:31:12,047
And things just,
you know, went...

634
00:31:12,147 --> 00:31:13,115
the wrong way.

635
00:31:13,215 --> 00:31:16,485
We were just
on our knees.

636
00:31:16,585 --> 00:31:20,855
We couldn't get them to go with
any of the demos we sent.

637
00:31:20,956 --> 00:31:23,658
We couldn't get anything.

638
00:31:23,758 --> 00:31:27,296
DAN: Cyndi had a lot of pressure
to go solo.

639
00:31:27,396 --> 00:31:29,498
Everybody was saying,
"You're phenomenal,

640
00:31:29,598 --> 00:31:31,166
"you need to do this
on your own."

641
00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:34,369
And I think she fought that
for a long time

642
00:31:34,469 --> 00:31:37,172
and did protect the band.

643
00:31:37,272 --> 00:31:40,275
JOHN: So, I was very
disappointed that we broke up

644
00:31:40,375 --> 00:31:43,245
because things were really going
so well for the group.

645
00:31:43,345 --> 00:31:46,348
Just the reaction from
the people that heard us

646
00:31:46,448 --> 00:31:50,052
was so inspiring and gave me
chills at times.

647
00:31:51,620 --> 00:31:53,188
FRED: They were a good band,
you know?

648
00:31:53,288 --> 00:31:56,225
I'm pretty sure she had some
regrets that they were

649
00:31:56,325 --> 00:31:58,727
never able to go where they
wanted as a group.

650
00:31:58,827 --> 00:32:01,363
But even I could tell that
there was a point

651
00:32:01,463 --> 00:32:04,366
when she needed to break
and be on her own.

652
00:32:04,466 --> 00:32:06,368
But she didn't.
She was loyal.

653
00:32:06,468 --> 00:32:08,037
And she wanted to bring
everybody with her.

654
00:32:08,137 --> 00:32:09,238
Unfortunately, she couldn't.

655
00:32:09,338 --> 00:32:10,939
TV HOST: What was the band
you were in before?

656
00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:13,208
- Um, Blue Angel.
- What happened to them?

657
00:32:13,308 --> 00:32:14,543
Oh, it went lead.

658
00:32:14,643 --> 00:32:17,046
You know how some bands go gold?
Mine went lead.

659
00:32:17,146 --> 00:32:18,247
You mean.
It went down.

660
00:32:18,347 --> 00:32:19,714
Yeah, yeah.

661
00:32:19,814 --> 00:32:22,151
DAN: At the same time,
there were also people

662
00:32:22,251 --> 00:32:25,720
trying to convince her
she should be a Streisand.

663
00:32:25,820 --> 00:32:28,557
CYNDI: I was like "Well,
that's already taken, isn't it?"

664
00:32:28,657 --> 00:32:31,593
DAVE:
Everybody had a thought

665
00:32:31,693 --> 00:32:33,828
on what she should
do with her life,

666
00:32:33,928 --> 00:32:36,231
and sort of ignoring what
she wanted to do with her life.

667
00:32:36,331 --> 00:32:39,734
She would go to these meetings
with managers and every night

668
00:32:39,834 --> 00:32:41,503
she would come home crying.

669
00:32:41,603 --> 00:32:45,674
"I can't believe these guys.
Nobody wants me for who I am.

670
00:32:45,774 --> 00:32:47,576
They want to
make me into something."

671
00:32:47,676 --> 00:32:50,212
CYNDI: They thought
"Oh, we're not going to push it.

672
00:32:50,312 --> 00:32:53,315
She'll come around.
You'll see."

673
00:32:53,415 --> 00:32:56,918
Just because I can sing
whatever I freaking want,

674
00:32:57,018 --> 00:33:01,590
doesn't mean I'm gonna sing
what you would want to sing

675
00:33:01,690 --> 00:33:03,225
if you could sing.

676
00:33:04,793 --> 00:33:09,664
And Dave Wolff said,
"Well, I'll manage you then."

677
00:33:09,764 --> 00:33:12,267
I said
"Sure, we'll start together.

678
00:33:12,367 --> 00:33:14,636
I'll sing, you collect
the money. How's that?"

679
00:33:14,736 --> 00:33:17,672
DAVE:
I had introduced her

680
00:33:17,772 --> 00:33:19,808
to a great friend of mine
named Lennie Petze,

681
00:33:19,908 --> 00:33:22,577
and Lennie said
"I will sign her."

682
00:33:22,677 --> 00:33:25,780
And this was like
"Wow! This is major!"

683
00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:29,284
Her former manager,
when he got wind of this,

684
00:33:29,384 --> 00:33:31,786
initiated a lawsuit
against Cyndi,

685
00:33:31,886 --> 00:33:35,557
prohibiting her from signing
a new recording contract.

686
00:33:36,658 --> 00:33:38,460
CYNDI:
But he had a bit of a vendetta.

687
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,263
He had it in his mind

688
00:33:41,363 --> 00:33:44,499
that I wasn't going to sing.

689
00:33:44,599 --> 00:33:47,001
And I went into the bathroom
and closed the door and cried,

690
00:33:47,102 --> 00:33:49,070
because I was like
"Are you fucking kidding?"

691
00:33:51,039 --> 00:33:54,309
What finally happened
was we went to court.

692
00:33:54,409 --> 00:33:58,313
KATIE: Cyndi knew what
she wanted to be and do.

693
00:33:58,413 --> 00:34:01,483
There was no Plan B.

694
00:34:01,583 --> 00:34:03,485
Just said "Don't be a victim.
Take control."

695
00:34:03,585 --> 00:34:07,489
CYNDI: My lawyer said that
if I went bankrupt

696
00:34:07,589 --> 00:34:11,326
and I had nothing
for him to come after,

697
00:34:11,426 --> 00:34:13,862
that I would be
free of him.

698
00:34:13,962 --> 00:34:16,631
And I was like
"Well, I'm gonna go bankrupt,

699
00:34:16,731 --> 00:34:19,033
but what am I losing?
I don't have anything to lose"

700
00:34:19,134 --> 00:34:22,971
She had something to say
and was gonna fight the fight.

701
00:34:23,071 --> 00:34:25,674
Going to Catholic school,
you're taught endurance.

702
00:34:25,774 --> 00:34:28,510
You have to kneel
on that marble floor

703
00:34:28,610 --> 00:34:29,978
and say the Rosary.

704
00:34:30,078 --> 00:34:33,382
It really built up
how stubborn I could be

705
00:34:33,482 --> 00:34:35,150
if I knew I was right.

706
00:34:35,250 --> 00:34:38,653
So, finally,
the judge just--

707
00:34:38,753 --> 00:34:39,854
(Gavel thumping)

708
00:34:39,954 --> 00:34:42,157
he took the gavel and said,
"Let the canary sing."

709
00:34:42,257 --> 00:34:44,193
"Let the canary sing."

710
00:34:44,293 --> 00:34:46,195
And it was like "You won!"

711
00:34:46,295 --> 00:34:50,332
(Belting)

712
00:34:51,933 --> 00:34:55,237
(Audience cheering)

713
00:34:55,337 --> 00:35:00,442
(Belting)

714
00:35:09,117 --> 00:35:12,221
All of a sudden,
things moved fast.

715
00:35:12,321 --> 00:35:16,558
DAVE: When we signed to
Epic through my buddy,

716
00:35:16,658 --> 00:35:20,729
Lennie Petze, he was
the one person that I believed

717
00:35:20,829 --> 00:35:24,299
would understand Cyndi,
and when he signed her,

718
00:35:24,399 --> 00:35:26,568
we were obviously
looking for a producer

719
00:35:26,668 --> 00:35:29,304
and he said,
"Rick Chertoff is the guy."

720
00:35:30,639 --> 00:35:32,707
RICK: Lennie Petze and
I took a flight back

721
00:35:32,807 --> 00:35:34,576
from Los Angeles together
and he asked me

722
00:35:34,676 --> 00:35:37,746
what I was working on,
and I said I had

723
00:35:37,846 --> 00:35:39,714
a locked drawer full of songs

724
00:35:39,814 --> 00:35:41,583
looking for the right singer.

725
00:35:41,683 --> 00:35:43,252
<i>♪ Something inside
is erasing ♪</i>

726
00:35:43,352 --> 00:35:47,121
<i>♪ The time back
to the memory... ♪</i>

727
00:35:47,222 --> 00:35:49,491
He said "I might have
that right singer."

728
00:35:51,025 --> 00:35:53,262
And I thought
"Wow, here's just

729
00:35:53,362 --> 00:35:57,799
a great singer
with real power."

730
00:35:59,401 --> 00:36:03,272
I had learned about
the currency of songs.

731
00:36:03,372 --> 00:36:07,776
When I was at Columbia,
Robert Hazard and the Heroes

732
00:36:07,876 --> 00:36:10,945
sent me an audition tape,
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

733
00:36:11,045 --> 00:36:15,784
So, I had this great idea
to take Cyndi to Philly

734
00:36:15,884 --> 00:36:18,152
and see Robert Hazard
and the Heroes.

735
00:36:18,253 --> 00:36:21,089
They were selling out
these little clubs.

736
00:36:21,189 --> 00:36:23,091
They had a giant
local following.

737
00:36:23,191 --> 00:36:27,228
*

738
00:36:28,263 --> 00:36:31,300
<i>♪ Phone rings in
the middle of the night ♪</i>

739
00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,303
<i>♪ My father says, "My son, what
do you want from your life... ♪</i>

740
00:36:34,403 --> 00:36:37,406
The place was packed,
people are singing,

741
00:36:37,506 --> 00:36:41,009
and I'm thinking to myself.
"Wow, fantastic."

742
00:36:41,109 --> 00:36:44,012
<i>♪ Girls just wanna
have fun... ♪</i>

743
00:36:44,112 --> 00:36:47,982
In the middle of
this adulation for him,

744
00:36:48,082 --> 00:36:51,486
Cyndi pulls my ear down
and says,

745
00:36:51,586 --> 00:36:54,456
"I will never do
that fucking song!"

746
00:36:54,556 --> 00:36:58,026
No, not the way it was.
It was wrong for me.

747
00:36:58,126 --> 00:37:00,762
It was a masculine story.

748
00:37:00,862 --> 00:37:05,634
I figured "Uh-oh, I'm now
in really big trouble."

749
00:37:06,968 --> 00:37:08,036
We started a debate.

750
00:37:08,136 --> 00:37:11,706
"Oh, mama dear,
we're not the fortunate ones.

751
00:37:11,806 --> 00:37:13,942
Because girls
wanna have fun."

752
00:37:14,042 --> 00:37:16,645
And, every time we
wanna have fun, what are we?

753
00:37:16,745 --> 00:37:19,781
We're whores.
We're this. We're that.

754
00:37:19,881 --> 00:37:21,282
We're problematic.

755
00:37:21,383 --> 00:37:23,752
This is an early
version of "Girls..."

756
00:37:23,852 --> 00:37:27,622
*

757
00:37:27,722 --> 00:37:31,326
For "Girls..." we tried it
this way, that way,

758
00:37:31,426 --> 00:37:33,362
and I was like,
"This is not...

759
00:37:33,462 --> 00:37:35,664
It's not going to work.
It's nothing special."

760
00:37:35,764 --> 00:37:37,899
*

761
00:37:37,999 --> 00:37:40,369
<i>♪ Come home in
the morning light... ♪</i>

762
00:37:40,469 --> 00:37:42,904
ROB: We worked for months
and months. Many demos.

763
00:37:43,004 --> 00:37:44,639
It's about fun,
but it wasn't always fun.

764
00:37:44,739 --> 00:37:46,408
(Laughing)
It was a work song.

765
00:37:46,508 --> 00:37:50,545
<i>♪ Girls just wanna
have fun ♪</i>

766
00:37:50,645 --> 00:37:52,381
<i>♪ Phone rings in the mi-- ♪</i>

767
00:37:52,481 --> 00:37:53,515
I fucked up.

768
00:37:53,615 --> 00:37:56,184
Heh, "I fucked up."
(Laughing) Love that.

769
00:37:56,284 --> 00:38:00,822
I realized that these songs
are arranged a certain way.

770
00:38:02,624 --> 00:38:05,360
We could create a sound
to make them unique.

771
00:38:05,460 --> 00:38:09,431
I could use my voice
in different keys.

772
00:38:09,531 --> 00:38:10,799
It would take on
a different--

773
00:38:10,899 --> 00:38:12,601
a totally different sound,
different personality.

774
00:38:12,701 --> 00:38:14,736
<i>♪ I come home
in the morning light... ♪</i>

775
00:38:14,836 --> 00:38:17,305
All I want to do is
make a modern record.

776
00:38:17,406 --> 00:38:20,942
I felt like we could
arrange this thing

777
00:38:21,042 --> 00:38:24,345
and make it sound
like such fun.

778
00:38:24,446 --> 00:38:27,816
<i>♪ And girls they
wanna have fun ♪</i>

779
00:38:27,916 --> 00:38:31,085
<i>♪ Oh, girls just
wanna have fun ♪</i>

780
00:38:31,185 --> 00:38:33,154
It's about fun.
It sounds like fun.

781
00:38:33,254 --> 00:38:34,523
It should have this sound.

782
00:38:34,623 --> 00:38:36,090
It should be in a trumpet key,

783
00:38:36,190 --> 00:38:38,092
because we are
trumpeting an idea.

784
00:38:38,192 --> 00:38:42,096
There is always both--
both an upfront message

785
00:38:42,196 --> 00:38:44,899
and an underlying message
in her music.

786
00:38:44,999 --> 00:38:49,270
CYNDI:
So, I did it with sound.

787
00:38:49,370 --> 00:38:52,541
(Opening of "Girls Just
Want To Have Fun" playing)

788
00:38:52,641 --> 00:38:55,644
Making it sound like
every Summer, commercial,

789
00:38:55,744 --> 00:38:59,113
vacation sound I ever heard.

790
00:38:59,213 --> 00:39:00,949
There's certain sounds
on there that were

791
00:39:01,049 --> 00:39:03,351
like when I was little.
Raceway Park.

792
00:39:03,452 --> 00:39:07,121
Summertime comes.
And you heard that organ.

793
00:39:07,221 --> 00:39:09,591
Which is that glitz.
You know, "Raceway Park!"

794
00:39:09,691 --> 00:39:10,792
You know?
(Laughing)

795
00:39:10,892 --> 00:39:13,227
HIGH-PITCHED VOICE: (Laughing)
Raceway Park!

796
00:39:13,327 --> 00:39:17,031
And there was this new sound,
a gated snare sound,

797
00:39:17,131 --> 00:39:19,468
that was coming
from the street.

798
00:39:19,568 --> 00:39:21,369
Eventually,
it was slowed down.

799
00:39:21,470 --> 00:39:23,137
Added a little reggaeness.

800
00:39:23,237 --> 00:39:25,640
Eric added-- (Humming)
- that guitar line.

801
00:39:25,740 --> 00:39:30,479
CYNDI: Rob knew every reggae
thing in the whole wide world.

802
00:39:30,579 --> 00:39:33,181
ROB:
And Eric can play any guitar.

803
00:39:33,281 --> 00:39:35,717
Cyndi added that
hiccupping vocal to it.

804
00:39:35,817 --> 00:39:36,985
(Vocalizing)

805
00:39:37,085 --> 00:39:40,188
And those great background,
kind of old girl group parts

806
00:39:40,288 --> 00:39:41,823
were so fun to do.

807
00:39:41,923 --> 00:39:43,725
And all of a sudden,
we all heard it.

808
00:39:43,825 --> 00:39:49,063
("Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
playing)

809
00:39:53,267 --> 00:39:55,837
<i>♪ I come home
in the mornin' light ♪</i>

810
00:39:55,937 --> 00:40:00,875
<i>♪ My mother says, "When you
gonna live your life right? ♪</i>

811
00:40:00,975 --> 00:40:04,479
<i>♪ Oh, Momma dear,
we're not the fortunate ones ♪</i>

812
00:40:04,579 --> 00:40:07,348
<i>♪ And girls,
they wanna have fun ♪</i>

813
00:40:07,448 --> 00:40:09,150
ROB: We were pretty beat up.
Pretty exhausted.

814
00:40:09,250 --> 00:40:11,486
We're just about done,
and Rick did come in and say,

815
00:40:11,586 --> 00:40:13,822
"You know, guys,
we could use one more song."

816
00:40:13,922 --> 00:40:16,991
At which point...
(Imitating gun firing, laughing)

817
00:40:17,091 --> 00:40:20,729
CYNDI: He was gonna have me
cover a Hooters song,

818
00:40:20,829 --> 00:40:24,833
and I told Dave Wolff
"That ain't right."

819
00:40:24,933 --> 00:40:28,269
'Cause I can arrange
anything with them,

820
00:40:28,369 --> 00:40:30,505
but we should
write something.

821
00:40:30,605 --> 00:40:34,876
Because then it's ours
and that's for this album.

822
00:40:34,976 --> 00:40:37,311
And so,
it became a fight.

823
00:40:38,647 --> 00:40:41,382
ROB: She was signed
primarily as a singer.

824
00:40:41,482 --> 00:40:43,217
I know there was pressure
and Rick was just

825
00:40:43,317 --> 00:40:46,555
"Let's find hit songs
for this hit voice."

826
00:40:46,655 --> 00:40:47,989
But she always wanted
to write

827
00:40:48,089 --> 00:40:50,559
and she always wanted to be
part of the process.

828
00:40:50,659 --> 00:40:53,194
She pushed to be
the creative force.

829
00:40:53,294 --> 00:40:55,697
I felt
I was always penalized

830
00:40:55,797 --> 00:40:59,467
because I had
a bigger voice.

831
00:40:59,568 --> 00:41:01,035
Remember those days?

832
00:41:01,135 --> 00:41:04,238
People with
big voices sing,

833
00:41:04,338 --> 00:41:07,075
and people who don't
have big voices write.

834
00:41:07,175 --> 00:41:09,744
There's nothing like
working with an artist

835
00:41:09,844 --> 00:41:11,245
who has a point of view.

836
00:41:11,345 --> 00:41:13,582
And you could see
hers coming together.

837
00:41:13,682 --> 00:41:16,284
She was galvanizing herself.

838
00:41:16,384 --> 00:41:18,753
DAVE: She was never afraid
to say what she thought.

839
00:41:18,853 --> 00:41:20,622
I was oftentimes the buffer.

840
00:41:20,722 --> 00:41:23,124
CYNDI: I really did love

841
00:41:23,224 --> 00:41:26,127
my boyfriend-manager
Dave Wolff,

842
00:41:26,227 --> 00:41:27,696
but we fought all the time

843
00:41:27,796 --> 00:41:32,433
because he thought
I was just going too fast.

844
00:41:32,533 --> 00:41:34,268
You have to just slow down.

845
00:41:34,368 --> 00:41:36,738
And I said
"I can't slow down,

846
00:41:36,838 --> 00:41:41,042
"because what if I die
before I even accomplish

847
00:41:41,142 --> 00:41:44,012
"being the songwriter
I want to be?"

848
00:41:44,112 --> 00:41:48,950
And then I started
writing with Rob and boom!

849
00:41:49,050 --> 00:41:50,785
(Playing piano)

850
00:41:50,885 --> 00:41:52,453
That was
my favorite part.

851
00:41:52,553 --> 00:41:56,925
*

852
00:41:57,025 --> 00:41:59,260
What happened?
We didn't...

853
00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:00,629
What did we actually have?

854
00:42:00,729 --> 00:42:03,397
We just said--
Did we even have them yet?

855
00:42:03,497 --> 00:42:07,636
We had...
(Singing "Time After Time")

856
00:42:07,736 --> 00:42:09,503
I think the chorus was
the last thing we wrote.

857
00:42:09,604 --> 00:42:10,538
<i>♪ Time after time ♪</i>

858
00:42:10,639 --> 00:42:11,773
That's all we had.

859
00:42:11,873 --> 00:42:14,308
Everybody went out to dinner,
we sat at the piano.

860
00:42:14,408 --> 00:42:16,611
Next night little more.
A little more.

861
00:42:16,711 --> 00:42:19,547
We literally wrote it
in the studio as the door

862
00:42:19,648 --> 00:42:21,315
was closing on the project.

863
00:42:21,415 --> 00:42:23,084
And the budget, I'm sure.

864
00:42:23,184 --> 00:42:25,319
<i>♪ Lying in my bed ♪</i>

865
00:42:25,419 --> 00:42:28,156
<i>♪ I hear
the clock tick ♪</i>

866
00:42:28,256 --> 00:42:30,124
<i>♪ And think of you... ♪</i>

867
00:42:30,224 --> 00:42:34,629
CYNDI: I actually was
listening to a conversation

868
00:42:34,729 --> 00:42:36,698
and Rick was just
standing there and his watch,

869
00:42:36,798 --> 00:42:38,867
he kept looking
at his watch going

870
00:42:38,967 --> 00:42:42,671
"Hm, my watch is
going backwards.

871
00:42:42,771 --> 00:42:44,973
"I'm not kidding.
Look at this.

872
00:42:45,073 --> 00:42:47,642
The second
hand's unwinding."

873
00:42:47,742 --> 00:42:49,678
"The second hand unwinds."

874
00:42:49,778 --> 00:42:52,180
And I'm thinking
"The second-hand unwinds,

875
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:53,181
what a great lyric."

876
00:42:53,281 --> 00:42:55,549
<i>♪ The second hand unwinds ♪</i>

877
00:42:55,650 --> 00:43:00,521
<i>♪ If you're lost you can look
and you will find me ♪</i>

878
00:43:00,621 --> 00:43:03,424
<i>♪ Time after time... ♪</i>

879
00:43:03,524 --> 00:43:05,359
ROB: Because it was
the first song we wrote,

880
00:43:05,459 --> 00:43:08,897
even though we spent many months
together working on other songs,

881
00:43:08,997 --> 00:43:11,032
we kind of opened up
to each other

882
00:43:11,132 --> 00:43:13,735
like you might
to a stranger.

883
00:43:13,835 --> 00:43:16,871
Cyndi and Dave were going
through their own relationship

884
00:43:16,971 --> 00:43:18,572
as we were making the record

885
00:43:18,673 --> 00:43:22,210
and we just put it all
out there in this song.

886
00:43:22,310 --> 00:43:23,544
It's a bittersweet song.

887
00:43:23,644 --> 00:43:26,080
It's up and it's positive,

888
00:43:26,180 --> 00:43:28,683
and on the other hand,
is it a breakup song?

889
00:43:32,153 --> 00:43:35,656
I was struggling
with my own anger.

890
00:43:35,757 --> 00:43:39,393
And I was alone
in my apartment,

891
00:43:39,493 --> 00:43:42,931
but I felt a hand on my shoulder
and I calmed down,

892
00:43:43,031 --> 00:43:46,534
and I started thinking

893
00:43:46,634 --> 00:43:48,569
"If you fall,
I will catch you.

894
00:43:48,669 --> 00:43:51,372
I will be waiting."

895
00:43:51,472 --> 00:43:54,408
<i>♪ Time after time ♪</i>

896
00:43:54,508 --> 00:43:57,045
<i>♪ If you fall,
I will catch you ♪</i>

897
00:43:57,145 --> 00:44:00,614
<i>♪ I will be waiting ♪</i>

898
00:44:00,715 --> 00:44:03,885
<i>♪ Time after time... ♪</i>

899
00:44:03,985 --> 00:44:05,920
DAVE: Cyndi comes up to
me in the studio and she says,

900
00:44:06,020 --> 00:44:08,389
"Hey, I want you to
hear this song."

901
00:44:08,489 --> 00:44:11,092
And I vividly
remember my reaction.

902
00:44:11,192 --> 00:44:13,427
It was like, "Whoa!"

903
00:44:13,527 --> 00:44:16,664
<i>♪ Time after... ♪</i>

904
00:44:20,168 --> 00:44:23,738
JANET PERR: When I met Cyndi,
she came up to the office.

905
00:44:23,838 --> 00:44:25,306
I didn't know who she was.

906
00:44:25,406 --> 00:44:29,710
We were talking about
what she wanted her cover

907
00:44:29,811 --> 00:44:32,246
to look or feel like.

908
00:44:32,346 --> 00:44:35,449
And usually when people come in,

909
00:44:35,549 --> 00:44:37,786
they kind of
don't have any idea.

910
00:44:37,886 --> 00:44:42,791
Cyndi had very
specific visions.

911
00:44:42,891 --> 00:44:47,061
She was talking
about layers of paint

912
00:44:47,161 --> 00:44:51,632
and peeling paint,
and colors,

913
00:44:51,732 --> 00:44:55,069
And I was like "Oh my God,
layers of paint, Okay."

914
00:44:55,169 --> 00:45:00,241
So, Coney Island
came into my head.

915
00:45:01,242 --> 00:45:04,312
In those days,
it was very dilapidated

916
00:45:04,412 --> 00:45:08,516
and full of peeling paint
and old signs.

917
00:45:08,616 --> 00:45:11,185
Bring both arms
in closer to your head.

918
00:45:11,285 --> 00:45:12,821
I thought of Annie,
because I thought

919
00:45:12,921 --> 00:45:14,923
it would be a good
collaboration.

920
00:45:15,023 --> 00:45:19,427
CYNDI:
I didn't know Annie Leibovitz.

921
00:45:19,527 --> 00:45:21,963
I just knew of her work.

922
00:45:22,063 --> 00:45:26,500
And I knew that her photographs,
to me, looked like paintings.

923
00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:29,670
And I wanted
to make art.

924
00:45:29,770 --> 00:45:32,773
I had an idea of doing
this picture

925
00:45:32,874 --> 00:45:37,611
that I saw on the book
"A Study of Latin America."

926
00:45:37,711 --> 00:45:40,681
And the outfits,
just a skirt,

927
00:45:40,781 --> 00:45:42,450
just kept hitting me,

928
00:45:42,550 --> 00:45:44,853
and the sun
and the shoes,

929
00:45:44,953 --> 00:45:46,921
and what it would be like,

930
00:45:47,021 --> 00:45:49,924
and who this woman in
this painting was gonna be.

931
00:45:51,059 --> 00:45:54,996
My hair wasn't big enough
so tied crinoline under it.

932
00:45:55,096 --> 00:45:56,530
And Cyndi comes with conviction

933
00:45:56,630 --> 00:45:58,366
and she brings
something to the table.

934
00:45:58,466 --> 00:46:00,034
Like, she has
her references.

935
00:46:00,134 --> 00:46:02,170
You know, she knows
how she wants to look.

936
00:46:02,270 --> 00:46:06,407
CYNDI: And what Laura did
was she brought this

937
00:46:06,507 --> 00:46:09,543
Gingham bathing suit
to wear under the skirt

938
00:46:09,643 --> 00:46:14,182
with the crinoline and I wore
the fishnet with the heels.

939
00:46:14,282 --> 00:46:17,051
JANET: Well, she had all
the bangles and all the hair

940
00:46:17,151 --> 00:46:18,752
and the makeup.

941
00:46:18,853 --> 00:46:19,888
That's the thing with Cyndi.

942
00:46:19,988 --> 00:46:21,222
Like, sometimes I'd be like,

943
00:46:21,322 --> 00:46:24,092
"Okay, you know, maybe we need
to pull back a little."

944
00:46:24,192 --> 00:46:25,826
And she'd be like "No!"

945
00:46:25,927 --> 00:46:27,561
CYNDI: I was like "Where should
I put the umbrella?

946
00:46:27,661 --> 00:46:29,430
Here, right?" And then
I threw the flowers down

947
00:46:29,530 --> 00:46:32,800
and the shoes in front,
and then I was the girl.

948
00:46:34,335 --> 00:46:38,739
JANET:
Her energy was really beyond.

949
00:46:38,839 --> 00:46:39,807
She was dancing.

950
00:46:39,908 --> 00:46:42,610
She was actually
moving around and dancing.

951
00:46:42,710 --> 00:46:46,414
CYNDI: If you wear color
and underneath you have a color

952
00:46:46,514 --> 00:46:50,218
and the garment moves,
then, if you twirl,

953
00:46:50,318 --> 00:46:51,785
it's a painting.

954
00:46:51,886 --> 00:46:56,224
*

955
00:46:56,324 --> 00:46:59,928
DAVE: The album cover was done,
but we had to make a video

956
00:47:00,028 --> 00:47:01,495
for "Girls Just Want
to Have Fun".

957
00:47:01,595 --> 00:47:04,532
Making music videos
in those days

958
00:47:04,632 --> 00:47:09,303
was really new to most American
record companies.

959
00:47:09,403 --> 00:47:12,240
HOLLY: Cyndi used that
new video medium

960
00:47:12,340 --> 00:47:14,943
to really spread some of those
crazy ideas

961
00:47:15,043 --> 00:47:19,680
and her just really fresh,
powerful persona.

962
00:47:19,780 --> 00:47:21,115
It was made for her.

963
00:47:21,215 --> 00:47:24,285
RICK: She sees beyond just
the notes and the words.

964
00:47:24,385 --> 00:47:27,388
Cyndi sees
the visualization

965
00:47:27,488 --> 00:47:29,657
of where that emotion
wants to go.

966
00:47:29,757 --> 00:47:32,160
*

967
00:47:32,260 --> 00:47:34,662
RICK: The Girls video was
a real family affair.

968
00:47:34,762 --> 00:47:38,799
She asked me to walk
her dog in her bathrobe.

969
00:47:38,899 --> 00:47:40,634
CYNDI: I told my mother
"If you do this,

970
00:47:40,734 --> 00:47:44,005
it's going to bring mothers
and daughters closer,"

971
00:47:44,105 --> 00:47:45,773
and she said, "Let's do it."

972
00:47:45,873 --> 00:47:47,841
Hello!
I'm Cyndi Lauper's mother.

973
00:47:47,942 --> 00:47:50,144
CYNDI:
She was so great.

974
00:47:50,244 --> 00:47:51,479
I mean,
she's not a professional.

975
00:47:51,579 --> 00:47:53,747
She never did
anything like that.

976
00:47:53,847 --> 00:47:56,184
She just wanted to
spend time with me.

977
00:47:56,284 --> 00:47:59,988
DAVE: We needed
a father to be in the video.

978
00:48:00,088 --> 00:48:04,292
In my mind, Captain Lou Albano
came into my brain

979
00:48:04,392 --> 00:48:06,527
and I couldn't stop
thinking about that.

980
00:48:06,627 --> 00:48:07,962
Cause I was such
a wrestling fan.

981
00:48:08,062 --> 00:48:11,365
I met Cyndi Lauper.
In fact, I went to her concert.

982
00:48:11,465 --> 00:48:13,934
I was so amazed!
I was so happy!

983
00:48:14,035 --> 00:48:15,503
I was so elated,
that I said,

984
00:48:15,603 --> 00:48:18,139
"Captain, you've got
to be a part of that!"

985
00:48:18,239 --> 00:48:21,309
<i>♪ Oh, Daddy dear, you know
you're still number one ♪</i>

986
00:48:21,409 --> 00:48:24,612
<i>♪ But girls,
they wanna have fun ♪</i>

987
00:48:24,712 --> 00:48:28,182
And Lou Albano
is not our father. (Chuckling)

988
00:48:28,282 --> 00:48:32,186
<i>♪ That's all they really want ♪</i>

989
00:48:32,286 --> 00:48:36,357
BILLY PORTER: There was this
unbridled joyful abandon.

990
00:48:36,457 --> 00:48:38,359
The colors. The people.

991
00:48:38,459 --> 00:48:39,960
The storytelling.

992
00:48:40,061 --> 00:48:43,664
<i>♪ Some boys take
a beautiful girl ♪</i>

993
00:48:43,764 --> 00:48:48,302
<i>♪ And hide her away from
the rest of the world ♪</i>

994
00:48:48,402 --> 00:48:51,839
<i>♪ I wanna be the one
to walk in the sun ♪</i>

995
00:48:51,939 --> 00:48:54,708
<i>♪ Oh, girls,
they wanna have fun... ♪</i>

996
00:48:54,808 --> 00:48:58,146
CYNDI: I was so tired
of watching videos

997
00:48:58,246 --> 00:49:01,949
that were designated,
Oh, this is R&B.

998
00:49:02,050 --> 00:49:06,054
So, all Black people.

999
00:49:06,154 --> 00:49:09,857
This is rock and roll.
Oh, all white people.

1000
00:49:09,957 --> 00:49:12,526
It was just separate,
separate, separate, separate.

1001
00:49:12,626 --> 00:49:14,362
KATIE:
A lot of the videos then

1002
00:49:14,462 --> 00:49:16,897
were rock bands
with sexy models,

1003
00:49:16,997 --> 00:49:20,734
but she was pushing
to show women as women.

1004
00:49:20,834 --> 00:49:23,371
<i>♪ Oh, girls,
just wanna have fun ♪</i>

1005
00:49:23,471 --> 00:49:25,939
<i>♪ Girls, they wanna ♪</i>

1006
00:49:26,040 --> 00:49:27,375
<i>♪ Wanna have fun... ♪</i>

1007
00:49:27,475 --> 00:49:31,745
And I also wanted every little
girl to be able to see herself

1008
00:49:31,845 --> 00:49:34,515
no matter who she was
or where she was from.

1009
00:49:34,615 --> 00:49:38,419
<i>♪ They just wanna,
they just wanna ♪</i>

1010
00:49:38,519 --> 00:49:42,323
I wore red,
because red is a power color.

1011
00:49:42,423 --> 00:49:46,994
<i>♪ They just wanna,
they just wanna... ♪</i>

1012
00:49:47,095 --> 00:49:48,929
BOY GEORGE: It was also
quite ahead of itself.

1013
00:49:49,029 --> 00:49:51,799
You know, you think about
when girl power came along.

1014
00:49:51,899 --> 00:49:54,202
And there was this chick
in the early '80s going,

1015
00:49:54,302 --> 00:49:56,204
"Yeah, girls wanna go out
and party.

1016
00:49:56,304 --> 00:49:57,471
Girls wanna have fun."

1017
00:49:57,571 --> 00:50:00,441
It was a good message, you know,
for, I think kids

1018
00:50:00,541 --> 00:50:03,377
and teenage girls
particularly.

1019
00:50:03,477 --> 00:50:06,680
<i>♪ Girls just wanna have fun ♪</i>

1020
00:50:06,780 --> 00:50:09,317
<i>♪ Everybody... ♪</i>

1021
00:50:09,417 --> 00:50:11,152
DAVE:
And this is the first reaction

1022
00:50:11,252 --> 00:50:14,122
that I got
to Cyndi's music.

1023
00:50:14,222 --> 00:50:18,159
And it goes "I thought Cyndi
Lauper was pretty decent,

1024
00:50:18,259 --> 00:50:19,660
but not great.

1025
00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:23,997
I can foresee some problems
getting the song on AOR Radio,

1026
00:50:24,098 --> 00:50:25,966
which is adult-oriented radio,

1027
00:50:26,066 --> 00:50:27,801
and I'm not sure if
it is strong enough

1028
00:50:27,901 --> 00:50:30,404
to make much of
a top 40 impression."

1029
00:50:32,273 --> 00:50:35,676
So, this was
the first opinion I got

1030
00:50:35,776 --> 00:50:37,311
on the record that we made.

1031
00:50:37,411 --> 00:50:38,679
That it's not good enough.

1032
00:50:38,779 --> 00:50:42,150
I was a little dismayed when
they told me the first week

1033
00:50:42,250 --> 00:50:45,253
"Girls..." just got added
by five radio stations

1034
00:50:45,353 --> 00:50:48,156
and that was it, and they were
only looking at two

1035
00:50:48,256 --> 00:50:52,160
next week so why don't
we move to "Time After Time?"

1036
00:50:52,260 --> 00:50:53,127
And I said no.

1037
00:50:53,227 --> 00:50:54,795
If you move
to "Time After Time,"

1038
00:50:54,895 --> 00:50:56,197
you come out with that first,

1039
00:50:56,297 --> 00:50:57,931
that's what they did to
the Motels.

1040
00:50:58,031 --> 00:50:59,300
I'll never forget.

1041
00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:01,034
They were such
a great rock band

1042
00:51:01,135 --> 00:51:03,271
and they came out
with a ballad first.

1043
00:51:03,371 --> 00:51:05,173
Then when they tried to
come in with a rock song...

1044
00:51:05,273 --> 00:51:09,943
(Whistling, exploding)
No more Motels.

1045
00:51:10,043 --> 00:51:13,214
When you do this,
you gotta believe,

1046
00:51:13,314 --> 00:51:15,216
and Cyndi believed,
and I believed,

1047
00:51:15,316 --> 00:51:18,686
and you can't let
an opinion take you out of that.

1048
00:51:18,786 --> 00:51:22,190
I pleaded with them
"Please, don't quit.

1049
00:51:22,290 --> 00:51:23,957
Give it a little more time,"
and he goes to me,

1050
00:51:24,057 --> 00:51:27,695
"Okay, I'm gonna give
you two more weeks. Okay?

1051
00:51:27,795 --> 00:51:31,832
"If we don't make some noise in
the next two weeks, it's done.

1052
00:51:31,932 --> 00:51:33,967
We're going on to
the next single."

1053
00:51:34,067 --> 00:51:36,770
And I'm saying "Okay, great.
I'll take the two weeks."

1054
00:51:36,870 --> 00:51:40,174
And, I remember,
I go to Lou and I say,

1055
00:51:40,274 --> 00:51:44,412
"Could you imagine if you
pretended to be Cyndi's manager

1056
00:51:44,512 --> 00:51:47,548
"and that I really wasn't
involved with anything,

1057
00:51:47,648 --> 00:51:52,353
"and we just do what
you guys do in wrestling

1058
00:51:52,453 --> 00:51:54,522
and we make our
own soap opera?"

1059
00:51:54,622 --> 00:51:57,958
Cyndi, tell all these people
out here how I took you, Cyndi,

1060
00:51:58,058 --> 00:52:00,093
and found you in
New York City in Queens

1061
00:52:00,194 --> 00:52:01,595
and how made you
a super star!

1062
00:52:01,695 --> 00:52:02,896
ROB:
The wrestling was a surprise.

1063
00:52:02,996 --> 00:52:05,233
It was like, "Okay,
that's an interesting detour."

1064
00:52:05,333 --> 00:52:06,867
But I looked
at it differently.

1065
00:52:06,967 --> 00:52:10,871
I looked at it, we need
something to draw attention

1066
00:52:10,971 --> 00:52:12,906
to her in a unique way.

1067
00:52:13,006 --> 00:52:15,243
The album is called
She's So Unusual.

1068
00:52:15,343 --> 00:52:17,845
Tell 'em how you came
off my reputation Cyndi!

1069
00:52:17,945 --> 00:52:18,779
What?!

1070
00:52:18,879 --> 00:52:23,417
(People shouting)

1071
00:52:23,517 --> 00:52:25,853
There were certain things
I wouldn't stand for

1072
00:52:25,953 --> 00:52:28,289
and I just had to
set Lou straight.

1073
00:52:28,389 --> 00:52:29,890
So I wound up managing

1074
00:52:29,990 --> 00:52:33,093
the Female World
Wrestling Champ.

1075
00:52:33,193 --> 00:52:37,097
WENDI RICHTER: I was contacted
by her manager out of the blue.

1076
00:52:37,197 --> 00:52:38,732
Would I represent her
in a wrestling match?

1077
00:52:38,832 --> 00:52:42,069
I said, "Sure, I would."

1078
00:52:42,169 --> 00:52:43,971
That's what
changed everything.

1079
00:52:44,071 --> 00:52:46,440
Her being on there
mainstreamed it,

1080
00:52:46,540 --> 00:52:49,277
that's what made
everyone think, "Oh, wow!"

1081
00:52:49,377 --> 00:52:51,111
(Bell dinging)

1082
00:52:51,211 --> 00:52:54,648
ANNOUNCER: Very intense at
ring side. Wendi coming in!

1083
00:52:54,748 --> 00:52:56,750
- Now, The Fabulous Moolah--
- (Crowd cheering)

1084
00:52:56,850 --> 00:52:58,151
ELLEN:
It was theatre.

1085
00:52:58,252 --> 00:53:01,489
Not quite Shakespeare,
but kinda Shakespeare.

1086
00:53:01,589 --> 00:53:04,057
Without the big words.

1087
00:53:04,157 --> 00:53:05,659
'Shmoolah'! Lani Kai!

1088
00:53:05,759 --> 00:53:07,728
You better watch out, because
these are powerful words

1089
00:53:07,828 --> 00:53:09,297
because this is
a powerful woman

1090
00:53:09,397 --> 00:53:12,099
and I'm a powerful
manager now!

1091
00:53:12,199 --> 00:53:14,067
BOY GEORGE: That's about
creativity, isn't it?

1092
00:53:14,167 --> 00:53:16,304
It's about kind of,
again, girls being strong.

1093
00:53:16,404 --> 00:53:18,238
Cyndi just doing
what Cyndi does.

1094
00:53:18,339 --> 00:53:21,008
Kind of going out there
and saying, "Women can do that."

1095
00:53:23,711 --> 00:53:28,316
CYNDI: And it was so weird
and so funny, it kind of worked.

1096
00:53:28,416 --> 00:53:31,184
Two weeks later,
the song is a hit.

1097
00:53:32,753 --> 00:53:34,988
<i>♪ Girls just wanna have fun ♪</i>

1098
00:53:35,088 --> 00:53:37,325
INTERVIEWER: Did you ever
have any inkling

1099
00:53:37,425 --> 00:53:39,593
that "Girls..." would become
such an anthem?

1100
00:53:39,693 --> 00:53:42,195
It had to.
That's what we were doing.

1101
00:53:42,296 --> 00:53:43,096
You hoped.

1102
00:53:43,196 --> 00:53:45,198
You want me to
start a revolution?

1103
00:53:45,299 --> 00:53:46,266
My favorite thing.

1104
00:53:46,367 --> 00:53:49,002
A year ago, her career
was going nowhere.

1105
00:53:49,102 --> 00:53:52,105
Now, Cyndi Lauper in
on top of the pop world.

1106
00:53:52,205 --> 00:53:55,376
And then, all of a sudden,
this record is going crazy,

1107
00:53:55,476 --> 00:53:57,044
and she was everywhere.

1108
00:53:57,144 --> 00:53:59,513
CASEY KASEM: Not only is
she talented, she's hot,

1109
00:53:59,613 --> 00:54:01,315
gosh, everybody in the world's
talking about her,

1110
00:54:01,415 --> 00:54:03,283
but I think she
is a sentimentalist

1111
00:54:03,384 --> 00:54:05,018
because on the back
of this album,

1112
00:54:05,118 --> 00:54:06,987
now you may or may
not know what this is.

1113
00:54:07,087 --> 00:54:09,423
That is the parachute
jump at Coney Island.

1114
00:54:09,523 --> 00:54:11,725
LAURA: She was always
very influenced by art.

1115
00:54:11,825 --> 00:54:16,063
That image of Starry Night
just like really spoke to her.

1116
00:54:16,163 --> 00:54:18,866
In college, I...

1117
00:54:18,966 --> 00:54:21,502
I painted shoes.

1118
00:54:21,602 --> 00:54:23,070
I painted cans.

1119
00:54:23,170 --> 00:54:24,705
And my painting teacher
was like,

1120
00:54:24,805 --> 00:54:27,875
"Why can't you just paint on
a canvas like everybody else?

1121
00:54:27,975 --> 00:54:29,443
What is the matter with you?"

1122
00:54:30,478 --> 00:54:34,181
So, I took one of
my old books that I had,

1123
00:54:34,281 --> 00:54:37,551
but it had a print
of Starry night,

1124
00:54:37,651 --> 00:54:40,287
and I decided
to outline the shoe,

1125
00:54:40,388 --> 00:54:43,724
and then cut it out
and glue it on the shoe.

1126
00:54:43,824 --> 00:54:45,759
LAURA: She had explained it to
me, so I know, like,

1127
00:54:45,859 --> 00:54:48,829
she did the thing with
the soles and your soul

1128
00:54:48,929 --> 00:54:50,931
and the sole of the shoes
and the shoes

1129
00:54:51,031 --> 00:54:52,232
are leading you someplace.

1130
00:54:52,332 --> 00:54:54,468
So, that was very Cyndi.

1131
00:54:55,803 --> 00:54:57,237
You are a kick
in the head, you are.

1132
00:54:57,337 --> 00:54:58,572
(Laughing)

1133
00:54:58,672 --> 00:55:03,343
Carson was,
at that time, the pinnacle.

1134
00:55:03,444 --> 00:55:04,612
Everyone watched it.

1135
00:55:04,712 --> 00:55:07,748
Don't you think you're
somewhat different than,

1136
00:55:07,848 --> 00:55:11,552
say, the average gal
your age?

1137
00:55:11,652 --> 00:55:12,753
No.

1138
00:55:12,853 --> 00:55:14,622
(Audience laughing)

1139
00:55:14,722 --> 00:55:17,057
When you're
that different,

1140
00:55:17,157 --> 00:55:19,893
you view other people

1141
00:55:19,993 --> 00:55:21,094
as having a problem.

1142
00:55:21,194 --> 00:55:23,263
I think you dress unusual.

1143
00:55:23,363 --> 00:55:25,265
- Really?
- (Audience laughing)

1144
00:55:25,365 --> 00:55:28,702
I know that people
thought I was being dumb,

1145
00:55:28,802 --> 00:55:29,870
but I wasn't.

1146
00:55:29,970 --> 00:55:33,541
I was actually figuring
out timing.

1147
00:55:33,641 --> 00:55:35,108
See, if I wasn't
doing this, Johnny,

1148
00:55:35,208 --> 00:55:37,578
I might've been a brain surgeon
or a rocket scientist.

1149
00:55:37,678 --> 00:55:39,647
JOHNNY: Could've been something
like that.

1150
00:55:39,747 --> 00:55:40,781
CYNDI:
I was having a good time.

1151
00:55:40,881 --> 00:55:42,783
I figured there's enough
people talking about

1152
00:55:42,883 --> 00:55:44,618
how serious their work is.

1153
00:55:44,718 --> 00:55:46,520
Obviously,
my work is serious.

1154
00:55:46,620 --> 00:55:48,021
Otherwise, it wouldn't
sound like that.

1155
00:55:48,121 --> 00:55:52,860
<i>♪ We have no past,
we won't reach back ♪</i>

1156
00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:55,228
<i>♪ Keep with me forward ♪</i>

1157
00:55:55,328 --> 00:55:58,265
<i>♪ All through the night... ♪</i>

1158
00:55:58,365 --> 00:56:00,601
HOST: As more and more talent
seems to come out of America

1159
00:56:00,701 --> 00:56:03,070
every year, and with all
that talent comes a selection

1160
00:56:03,170 --> 00:56:06,306
of what can only be termed
as fairly outrageous people.

1161
00:56:06,406 --> 00:56:07,808
Most of them seem
to be women.

1162
00:56:07,908 --> 00:56:11,378
And now there's a singer,
Cyndi Lauper.

1163
00:56:11,479 --> 00:56:14,515
She found that
she could thrive

1164
00:56:14,615 --> 00:56:16,349
by being unusual.

1165
00:56:16,450 --> 00:56:18,786
DAVID LETTERMAN:
Cyndi Lauper.

1166
00:56:18,886 --> 00:56:19,987
(Audience cheering)

1167
00:56:20,087 --> 00:56:21,955
She was doing her
version of Gracie Allen.

1168
00:56:22,055 --> 00:56:24,492
Now, Cyndi,
we saw your video.

1169
00:56:24,592 --> 00:56:26,159
Now, who plays
your mother in your video?

1170
00:56:26,259 --> 00:56:27,094
My mother.

1171
00:56:27,194 --> 00:56:30,498
I got to share
my success with my mom.

1172
00:56:30,598 --> 00:56:33,801
What has your mom done normally
before she got into this one?

1173
00:56:33,901 --> 00:56:36,169
Well, she's very creative.

1174
00:56:36,269 --> 00:56:37,070
Uh-huh.

1175
00:56:37,170 --> 00:56:39,039
She had a fish tank
for a long time.

1176
00:56:39,139 --> 00:56:40,307
Took care of fish.

1177
00:56:40,407 --> 00:56:44,845
The fish story that my sister
told is actually true.

1178
00:56:44,945 --> 00:56:48,582
One time a fish had an abscess
and I saw she took it right out

1179
00:56:48,682 --> 00:56:50,851
of the bowl
and put it down on the table.

1180
00:56:50,951 --> 00:56:54,121
I swear she cut the abscess away
and the fish lived.

1181
00:56:54,221 --> 00:56:58,091
My mother is a real,
like, she's a fish doctor.

1182
00:56:58,191 --> 00:57:01,128
DAN:
She was very self-deprecating.

1183
00:57:01,228 --> 00:57:04,031
She'd make jokes about it,
but she was dead serious

1184
00:57:04,131 --> 00:57:06,099
about where
she was going.

1185
00:57:06,199 --> 00:57:08,836
I want my MTV.

1186
00:57:08,936 --> 00:57:11,338
(Honking)

1187
00:57:11,438 --> 00:57:14,241
Our feet were off the ground,
but we didn't know for sure

1188
00:57:14,341 --> 00:57:17,277
are we going back down
or are we going up?

1189
00:57:18,679 --> 00:57:22,049
But when "Time After Time"
took off, we knew.

1190
00:57:22,149 --> 00:57:24,752
*

1191
00:57:24,852 --> 00:57:26,887
<i>♪ Lying in my bed ♪</i>

1192
00:57:26,987 --> 00:57:29,523
<i>♪ I hear
the clock tick ♪</i>

1193
00:57:29,623 --> 00:57:31,725
<i>♪ And think of you... ♪</i>

1194
00:57:31,825 --> 00:57:33,326
DAVE:
It's always difficult

1195
00:57:33,426 --> 00:57:34,762
when you bring
everything home.

1196
00:57:34,862 --> 00:57:37,264
You get no escape
from the business,

1197
00:57:37,364 --> 00:57:40,968
and, eventually, it takes
its toll on the personal side

1198
00:57:41,068 --> 00:57:43,737
and on the business side

1199
00:57:43,837 --> 00:57:47,541
because there's
no separation ever.

1200
00:57:47,641 --> 00:57:49,910
<i>♪ Sometimes you picture me ♪</i>

1201
00:57:50,010 --> 00:57:53,513
<i>♪ I'm walking
too far ahead ♪</i>

1202
00:57:54,815 --> 00:57:57,250
<i>♪ You're calling to me ♪</i>

1203
00:57:57,350 --> 00:58:00,588
<i>♪ I can't hear
what you've said... ♪</i>

1204
00:58:00,688 --> 00:58:03,591
She's very emotional
and so am I.

1205
00:58:03,691 --> 00:58:07,460
So, it was... it was--
it was difficult.

1206
00:58:07,561 --> 00:58:10,798
<i>♪ After my picture fades ♪</i>

1207
00:58:10,898 --> 00:58:14,902
<i>♪ And darkness has
turned to grey... ♪</i>

1208
00:58:15,002 --> 00:58:19,272
CYNDI: I didn't know
we were in a tough time.

1209
00:58:19,372 --> 00:58:22,075
I was just working
as hard as I could

1210
00:58:22,175 --> 00:58:24,578
and doing
everything I could.

1211
00:58:24,678 --> 00:58:27,547
So, I just continued.

1212
00:58:27,648 --> 00:58:31,318
<i>♪ You said,
"Go slow" ♪</i>

1213
00:58:31,418 --> 00:58:32,352
He said, "Go slow..."

1214
00:58:32,452 --> 00:58:34,021
<i>♪ I fall behind ♪</i>

1215
00:58:34,121 --> 00:58:36,289
...and I felt like
I was falling behind.

1216
00:58:36,389 --> 00:58:37,257
But I refused to see it.

1217
00:58:37,357 --> 00:58:38,626
<i>♪ The second hand unwinds ♪</i>

1218
00:58:38,726 --> 00:58:43,263
<i>♪ If you're lost you can look
and you will find me ♪</i>

1219
00:58:43,363 --> 00:58:45,232
<i>♪ Time after time... ♪</i>

1220
00:58:47,234 --> 00:58:50,470
DAN: Cyndi on her own came up
with the signing.

1221
00:58:50,570 --> 00:58:54,107
She signs
"Time after time."

1222
00:58:54,207 --> 00:58:57,811
It was Cyndi thinking,
"I'm gonna reach people

1223
00:58:57,911 --> 00:58:59,647
who nobody's thought
about reaching."

1224
00:59:01,581 --> 00:59:04,652
She was the first
artist ever

1225
00:59:04,752 --> 00:59:06,954
to have her music videos
closed captioned.

1226
00:59:14,027 --> 00:59:15,963
BILLY:
You know, when gospel artists

1227
00:59:16,063 --> 00:59:18,465
start covering...

1228
00:59:18,565 --> 00:59:21,501
the white rock artists,

1229
00:59:21,601 --> 00:59:22,736
it's a good thing.

1230
00:59:22,836 --> 00:59:26,674
<i>♪ Oh, sometimes
you picture me ♪</i>

1231
00:59:26,774 --> 00:59:31,344
<i>♪ I'm walking
too far ahead ♪</i>

1232
00:59:31,444 --> 00:59:34,982
<i>♪ You're calling to me ♪</i>

1233
00:59:35,082 --> 00:59:38,118
<i>♪ I can't hear
what you've said... ♪</i>

1234
00:59:38,218 --> 00:59:40,387
PATTI LABELLE: That's one of
my favorite songs ever,

1235
00:59:40,487 --> 00:59:41,689
"Time After Time."

1236
00:59:41,789 --> 00:59:43,223
We turned it out.

1237
00:59:43,323 --> 00:59:44,591
It was just
beautiful singing with her

1238
00:59:44,692 --> 00:59:46,526
because our voices
complement each other.

1239
00:59:46,626 --> 00:59:50,330
<i>♪ The second, the second,
the second, second ♪</i>

1240
00:59:50,430 --> 00:59:52,700
<i>♪ The second hand unwinds ♪</i>

1241
00:59:52,800 --> 00:59:57,204
CYNDI: I remember hearing
her voice singing my song.

1242
00:59:57,304 --> 00:59:59,673
<i>♪ Time after time ♪</i>

1243
00:59:59,773 --> 01:00:03,711
And then we just got lost
and sang together.

1244
01:00:03,811 --> 01:00:06,379
<i>♪ If you fall
I will catch you ♪</i>

1245
01:00:06,479 --> 01:00:09,182
<i>♪ I will be waiting ♪</i>

1246
01:00:09,282 --> 01:00:12,185
<i>♪ Time after time... ♪</i>

1247
01:00:12,285 --> 01:00:14,021
BILLY: Patti LaBelle has
a tendency

1248
01:00:14,121 --> 01:00:16,589
to scream all over you.

1249
01:00:16,690 --> 01:00:20,393
<i>♪ You say,
"Go slow" ♪</i>

1250
01:00:20,493 --> 01:00:22,062
<i>♪ "Go slow" ♪</i>

1251
01:00:22,162 --> 01:00:25,232
<i>♪ I fall, I fall, I fall ♪</i>

1252
01:00:25,332 --> 01:00:29,903
<i>♪ The second, the second,
the second hand unwinds... ♪</i>

1253
01:00:30,003 --> 01:00:33,673
And many recording
artists just stop singing

1254
01:00:33,774 --> 01:00:37,644
when they're dueting
with Patti LaBelle.

1255
01:00:37,745 --> 01:00:39,913
Then they did this duet...

1256
01:00:40,013 --> 01:00:42,916
<i>♪ I will be waiting ♪</i>

1257
01:00:43,016 --> 01:00:45,853
...and they were
across the stage.

1258
01:00:45,953 --> 01:00:47,721
Then Patti
started screaming,

1259
01:00:47,821 --> 01:00:49,422
and then Cyndi
started screaming,

1260
01:00:49,522 --> 01:00:51,558
and then Patti started screaming
and moving in closer,

1261
01:00:51,658 --> 01:00:54,094
and Cyndi started screaming
and moving in closer.

1262
01:00:54,194 --> 01:00:59,099
<i>♪ If you fall I will catch you
I will be waiting ♪</i>

1263
01:00:59,199 --> 01:01:02,702
<i>♪ Time after time,
I will be your friend... ♪</i>

1264
01:01:02,803 --> 01:01:04,938
It was just one of those
moments still to this day

1265
01:01:05,038 --> 01:01:08,275
where I was like,
"Oh no, not Miss Cyndi Lauper.

1266
01:01:08,375 --> 01:01:10,710
"You are not going to scream
her off the stage, honey.

1267
01:01:10,811 --> 01:01:14,281
She's gonna go toe to toe."
She went toe to toe.

1268
01:01:14,381 --> 01:01:19,519
<i>♪ (Both vocalizing) ♪</i>

1269
01:01:23,490 --> 01:01:25,258
PATTI:
Those moments are precious.

1270
01:01:25,358 --> 01:01:27,795
When you can go
big, big, big, and then--

1271
01:01:27,895 --> 01:01:29,029
(Whispering)
- time after time.

1272
01:01:29,129 --> 01:01:31,131
(Speaking)
Almost just like a whisper.

1273
01:01:31,231 --> 01:01:33,500
From a scream
to a whisper.

1274
01:01:33,600 --> 01:01:36,136
And that, ooh!

1275
01:01:36,236 --> 01:01:38,972
<i>♪ Time after time ♪</i>

1276
01:01:39,072 --> 01:01:44,244
(Audience cheering, applauding)

1277
01:01:46,113 --> 01:01:49,983
*

1278
01:01:50,083 --> 01:01:51,852
ROB:
It's all about the emotion.

1279
01:01:51,952 --> 01:01:53,787
You can have a great singer
and have great taste

1280
01:01:53,887 --> 01:01:55,856
and have great songs,
but I think what everybody

1281
01:01:55,956 --> 01:01:57,557
keys on is the emotion
of the singer.

1282
01:01:57,657 --> 01:02:00,327
You know, something connects
with you and that voice.

1283
01:02:00,427 --> 01:02:02,662
<i>♪ I said
I'm sorry, baby ♪</i>

1284
01:02:02,762 --> 01:02:06,066
<i>♪ I'm leaving you tonight ♪</i>

1285
01:02:08,135 --> 01:02:10,303
<i>♪ I've found
someone new ♪</i>

1286
01:02:10,403 --> 01:02:14,007
<i>♪ He's waiting
in the car outside... ♪</i>

1287
01:02:14,107 --> 01:02:15,308
FRED:
With her on stage,

1288
01:02:15,408 --> 01:02:17,210
there's a connection
between her and the audience.

1289
01:02:17,310 --> 01:02:20,380
She wants the audience
to be a part of the show,

1290
01:02:20,480 --> 01:02:23,016
and she wants to be
part of that audience.

1291
01:02:23,116 --> 01:02:26,186
Their soul, so to speak.
I mean, she connects with them.

1292
01:02:26,286 --> 01:02:27,354
She just wants to.

1293
01:02:27,454 --> 01:02:30,023
<i>♪ We think we know
what we're doin' ♪</i>

1294
01:02:30,123 --> 01:02:34,461
<i>♪ We don't hold
the strings... ♪</i>

1295
01:02:35,562 --> 01:02:37,664
You keep your eyes
on Cyndi when she's on stage.

1296
01:02:40,467 --> 01:02:43,503
CYNDI: I wanted
the freaking aerial thing.

1297
01:02:43,603 --> 01:02:46,206
I saw Tina Turner
and the Rolling Stones,

1298
01:02:46,306 --> 01:02:47,841
they use a cherry picker,

1299
01:02:47,941 --> 01:02:50,377
but they couldn't
get that.

1300
01:02:50,477 --> 01:02:52,045
It's too much money.

1301
01:02:52,145 --> 01:02:55,182
So, they got a garbage pail.
What? Like Oscar the Grouch?

1302
01:02:56,149 --> 01:02:58,518
I thought they
had a pulley system.

1303
01:02:58,618 --> 01:03:01,388
It wasn't. It was ten guys
and they were holding me.

1304
01:03:01,488 --> 01:03:04,391
And the minute I start going
like this, it started to slip.

1305
01:03:04,491 --> 01:03:07,060
So, that's why I went out
and I came right in.

1306
01:03:07,160 --> 01:03:10,864
<i>♪ Money, money,
money, money, money... ♪</i>

1307
01:03:10,964 --> 01:03:12,966
And it was like
"Wow! That was quick!"

1308
01:03:13,066 --> 01:03:16,536
They did have me sign
a will before I went up.

1309
01:03:18,805 --> 01:03:20,874
<i>♪ Money, money, money,
money, money, money... ♪</i>

1310
01:03:20,974 --> 01:03:24,912
And the Best New Artist
is Cyndi Lauper!

1311
01:03:25,012 --> 01:03:29,316
- (Audience cheering)
- ("Money Changes Everything")

1312
01:03:30,650 --> 01:03:32,920
It was like "Wow!"
She had arrived.

1313
01:03:33,020 --> 01:03:34,287
There was no doubt about it,

1314
01:03:34,387 --> 01:03:37,891
and it was all unfolding
right in front of our eyes

1315
01:03:37,991 --> 01:03:39,726
at The Grammys.

1316
01:03:39,826 --> 01:03:41,594
What do you think, Ma?
(Laughing)

1317
01:03:41,694 --> 01:03:44,097
And the winner is...

1318
01:03:44,197 --> 01:03:45,232
Cyndi Lauper!

1319
01:03:45,332 --> 01:03:49,502
(Audience cheering)

1320
01:03:49,602 --> 01:03:52,906
KATIE: By the time
she because famous,

1321
01:03:53,006 --> 01:03:54,807
she had been
working for 15 years

1322
01:03:54,908 --> 01:03:56,476
to become
an overnight success.

1323
01:03:56,576 --> 01:03:59,079
I want to thank EPA,
who supported me

1324
01:03:59,179 --> 01:04:02,282
and allowed me to be myself,
as opposed to a clone.

1325
01:04:02,382 --> 01:04:06,086
I think fame caught Cyndi
at a good time in her life,

1326
01:04:06,186 --> 01:04:08,321
because she was
in her thirties

1327
01:04:08,421 --> 01:04:10,290
and you're a different
person in your thirties

1328
01:04:10,390 --> 01:04:12,225
than you are
when you're younger.

1329
01:04:12,325 --> 01:04:13,961
Who discovered you?

1330
01:04:14,061 --> 01:04:15,963
Well, I discovered myself.

1331
01:04:16,063 --> 01:04:18,198
ELLEN:
She allowed herself to thrive.

1332
01:04:18,298 --> 01:04:21,935
There's something in there
that she will not be deterred.

1333
01:04:22,035 --> 01:04:24,271
She will climb
that mountain.

1334
01:04:24,371 --> 01:04:26,606
*

1335
01:04:26,706 --> 01:04:29,442
WENDI: That was my first
video with Cyndi,

1336
01:04:29,542 --> 01:04:31,511
where I blew the bubble.

1337
01:04:31,611 --> 01:04:33,546
I never knew what
the song "She Bop" was about

1338
01:04:33,646 --> 01:04:34,948
till afterwards.

1339
01:04:35,048 --> 01:04:39,786
<i>♪ Well, I see 'em every night
in tight blue jeans... ♪</i>

1340
01:04:39,886 --> 01:04:41,621
I led a sheltered life.

1341
01:04:41,721 --> 01:04:44,724
(Chuckling)
And that was never discussed.

1342
01:04:44,824 --> 01:04:48,195
<i>♪ She bop, he bop,
we bop ♪</i>

1343
01:04:48,295 --> 01:04:51,664
<i>♪ I bop, you bop,
they bop ♪</i>

1344
01:04:51,764 --> 01:04:55,668
<i>♪ Be bop, be bop,
a-loo she bop... ♪</i>

1345
01:04:55,768 --> 01:04:56,836
TV PRESENTER:
It rocked!

1346
01:04:56,936 --> 01:04:58,838
ROB: "She Bop" is a primal
rock and roll song.

1347
01:04:58,938 --> 01:05:00,073
TV PRESENTER:
It was strange.

1348
01:05:00,173 --> 01:05:02,575
It was controversial
and fun all at the same time.

1349
01:05:02,675 --> 01:05:03,977
TV PRESENTER:
And it made you laugh.

1350
01:05:04,077 --> 01:05:06,479
So, what's the true
spin behind "She Bop?"

1351
01:05:06,579 --> 01:05:08,015
<i>♪ We bop, a-loo... ♪</i>

1352
01:05:08,115 --> 01:05:10,050
What's all that
bopping about?

1353
01:05:10,150 --> 01:05:11,751
I heard that song.

1354
01:05:11,851 --> 01:05:14,887
What is that "She Bops,
he bops, we bop, you bop?"

1355
01:05:14,988 --> 01:05:16,856
- What's that?
- But doesn't everybody bop?

1356
01:05:16,956 --> 01:05:18,458
I don't know what bopping is.
What's bopping?

1357
01:05:18,558 --> 01:05:23,196
It's about down there
of which we do not speak.

1358
01:05:23,296 --> 01:05:24,864
- Masturbating?
- Yeah.

1359
01:05:24,964 --> 01:05:26,199
What?

1360
01:05:26,299 --> 01:05:27,700
I heard the song a lot,

1361
01:05:27,800 --> 01:05:30,037
but I never knew
it was about that.

1362
01:05:30,137 --> 01:05:31,538
Just like I didn't
know "Lady Marmalade"

1363
01:05:31,638 --> 01:05:32,705
was about hookers.

1364
01:05:32,805 --> 01:05:35,375
Rock music has been
rolling against controversy

1365
01:05:35,475 --> 01:05:36,976
since its inception.

1366
01:05:37,077 --> 01:05:39,879
Lately that controversy has
become more heated than ever.

1367
01:05:39,979 --> 01:05:41,881
TV PRESENTER: Close inspection
of the video finds

1368
01:05:41,981 --> 01:05:43,950
several allusions
to the taboo topic.

1369
01:05:44,051 --> 01:05:48,721
<i>♪ Do I wanna go out
with a lion's roar? ♪</i>

1370
01:05:48,821 --> 01:05:50,590
She was the first
pop star to ever mention

1371
01:05:50,690 --> 01:05:53,560
a porn magazine
in a song lyric.

1372
01:05:53,660 --> 01:05:56,763
<i>♪ In the pages of
a Blueboy magazine ♪</i>

1373
01:05:56,863 --> 01:05:58,565
All my friends from
the "She Bop" video.

1374
01:05:58,665 --> 01:06:00,200
Carl and Gregory...

1375
01:06:00,300 --> 01:06:01,668
<i>♪ He-he, I've been thinking...*</i>

1376
01:06:01,768 --> 01:06:03,636
...they were magical.

1377
01:06:03,736 --> 01:06:04,937
Miss Diana.

1378
01:06:05,038 --> 01:06:09,342
One of the first transgender
people that I became close with.

1379
01:06:10,443 --> 01:06:13,080
Aunt Gracie's in there.
My mother.

1380
01:06:13,180 --> 01:06:16,916
I'm not sure that my mom
actually knew what

1381
01:06:17,016 --> 01:06:20,887
the song "She Bop" was about
when she starred in it.

1382
01:06:20,987 --> 01:06:22,489
Nor my other aunts.

1383
01:06:24,291 --> 01:06:26,359
No... no, they didn't.

1384
01:06:26,459 --> 01:06:30,630
<i>♪ I hope
he will understand ♪</i>

1385
01:06:30,730 --> 01:06:32,299
<i>♪ She bop, we bop... ♪</i>

1386
01:06:32,399 --> 01:06:34,334
They did find out later.

1387
01:06:34,434 --> 01:06:36,569
HOLLY:
"She Bop" was actually listed

1388
01:06:36,669 --> 01:06:39,072
on Tipper Gore's Filthy 15.
Yes!

1389
01:06:39,172 --> 01:06:42,442
But, ironically,
just a few months later,

1390
01:06:42,542 --> 01:06:45,212
Cyndi was named one of
12 women of the year.

1391
01:06:45,312 --> 01:06:47,380
Here it is, right on
the cover of Ms. Magazine,

1392
01:06:47,480 --> 01:06:49,182
their Twelve Women of the Year.

1393
01:06:49,282 --> 01:06:52,652
You'll find one of them is
wearing sequins on her eyes.

1394
01:06:52,752 --> 01:06:54,221
That's Cyndi Lauper,
the rock star.

1395
01:06:54,321 --> 01:06:57,790
GLORIA STEINEM: Cyndi has become
a great symbol to all of us,

1396
01:06:57,890 --> 01:06:59,659
but I think especially
to younger feminists,

1397
01:06:59,759 --> 01:07:02,162
because there was this
kind of dreadful notion

1398
01:07:02,262 --> 01:07:04,131
that you had to imitate
and dress for success

1399
01:07:04,231 --> 01:07:07,300
and conform in order
to be a feminist when,

1400
01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:10,603
in fact, the whole idea
of feminism is to be free,

1401
01:07:10,703 --> 01:07:13,940
to have the power to make
decisions for yourself,

1402
01:07:14,040 --> 01:07:15,308
and Cyndi said that.

1403
01:07:15,408 --> 01:07:17,744
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
has become a kind of anthem

1404
01:07:17,844 --> 01:07:19,479
for young feminists.

1405
01:07:19,579 --> 01:07:23,450
What was very important to
Cyndi was to infiltrate culture.

1406
01:07:23,550 --> 01:07:25,818
Here's to the rejects.

1407
01:07:25,918 --> 01:07:28,188
Kinda like us, Mike,
The Goonies.

1408
01:07:28,288 --> 01:07:29,689
The Goonies, the movie,

1409
01:07:29,789 --> 01:07:33,826
became very much
a part of the culture.

1410
01:07:33,926 --> 01:07:35,628
It meant a lot to people.

1411
01:07:35,728 --> 01:07:38,631
She had done the Goonies
song for Spielberg.

1412
01:07:38,731 --> 01:07:42,602
Her lyrics always had to
have meaning and be useful.

1413
01:07:42,702 --> 01:07:44,671
And really what it says
is just

1414
01:07:44,771 --> 01:07:46,706
"What's good enough for you
is good enough for me."

1415
01:07:46,806 --> 01:07:51,811
<i>♪ It's good enough for me... ♪</i>

1416
01:07:53,946 --> 01:07:56,048
Oh, The Goonies
was incredible fun.

1417
01:07:56,149 --> 01:07:59,552
With all the wrestlers.
Andre the Giant. Roddy.

1418
01:07:59,652 --> 01:08:02,189
Lou.
They were all there.

1419
01:08:02,289 --> 01:08:04,056
My mom got to be in it.

1420
01:08:04,157 --> 01:08:05,192
Oh my God,

1421
01:08:05,292 --> 01:08:08,195
she was having trouble with
the dialogue,

1422
01:08:08,295 --> 01:08:11,164
so the director told her
to eat a cookie and say,

1423
01:08:11,264 --> 01:08:13,065
I'm gonna miss
the smell of what

1424
01:08:13,166 --> 01:08:15,835
I've been baking
all these years.

1425
01:08:15,935 --> 01:08:20,540
I'm always surprised at
Goonies who come up to me.

1426
01:08:20,640 --> 01:08:23,042
"You know, I'm a big fan.
I'm a Goonie."

1427
01:08:23,142 --> 01:08:25,178
<i>♪ Goonies, Goonies,
Goonies ♪</i>

1428
01:08:25,278 --> 01:08:29,015
*

1429
01:08:29,115 --> 01:08:30,717
We did that project.

1430
01:08:30,817 --> 01:08:33,553
It was an interim project to
kind of bridge the time gap

1431
01:08:33,653 --> 01:08:36,323
that we had
anticipated between

1432
01:08:36,423 --> 01:08:39,526
She's So Unusual
and her second album.

1433
01:08:39,626 --> 01:08:42,395
CYNDI:
"True Colors" is a lovely song.

1434
01:08:42,495 --> 01:08:44,264
I knew that
the melody was stunning

1435
01:08:44,364 --> 01:08:46,098
and the words were stunning.

1436
01:08:46,199 --> 01:08:48,301
And I asked
my friend Peter Wood

1437
01:08:48,401 --> 01:08:51,471
"What if we do
this song

1438
01:08:51,571 --> 01:08:54,173
with our kind
of chords?"

1439
01:08:55,475 --> 01:08:58,745
So he said, "Okay,"
and he started playing.

1440
01:08:58,845 --> 01:08:59,746
And he started--

1441
01:08:59,846 --> 01:09:04,016
(singing opening notes
to "True Colors")

1442
01:09:05,418 --> 01:09:08,621
And I was like...

1443
01:09:08,721 --> 01:09:09,756
I just started singing.

1444
01:09:09,856 --> 01:09:14,461
<i>♪ You with
the sad eyes ♪</i>

1445
01:09:14,561 --> 01:09:16,796
<i>♪ Don't be discouraged ♪</i>

1446
01:09:16,896 --> 01:09:19,266
<i>♪ Oh, I realize ♪</i>

1447
01:09:19,366 --> 01:09:20,867
<i>♪ It's hard
to take courage ♪</i>

1448
01:09:20,967 --> 01:09:24,136
The intimacy became...

1449
01:09:24,237 --> 01:09:25,605
<i>♪ In a world
full of people... ♪</i>

1450
01:09:25,705 --> 01:09:26,939
...of paramount,

1451
01:09:27,039 --> 01:09:31,411
that the intimacy between
the listener and the singer

1452
01:09:31,511 --> 01:09:33,446
were never lost.

1453
01:09:33,546 --> 01:09:37,284
<i>♪ But I see your
true colors ♪</i>

1454
01:09:37,384 --> 01:09:39,286
<i>♪ Shining through ♪</i>

1455
01:09:39,386 --> 01:09:42,855
<i>♪ I see your
true colors ♪</i>

1456
01:09:42,955 --> 01:09:44,724
<i>♪ And that's why
I love you... ♪</i>

1457
01:09:44,824 --> 01:09:49,161
So that I could call

1458
01:09:49,262 --> 01:09:53,333
to the archaic part
of a human being.

1459
01:09:53,433 --> 01:09:58,705
So, he comes up with
...(Imitating drum beat)

1460
01:10:00,740 --> 01:10:03,310
And then we started...
(singing the opening melody)

1461
01:10:03,410 --> 01:10:05,945
*

1462
01:10:06,045 --> 01:10:09,982
I wanted my voice
to be warm,

1463
01:10:10,082 --> 01:10:13,686
but have that sibilance
so that it could sound like,

1464
01:10:13,786 --> 01:10:17,256
if you're singing
really soft,

1465
01:10:17,357 --> 01:10:19,492
it would sound like you're
whispering in someone's ear.

1466
01:10:19,592 --> 01:10:22,862
<i>♪ In a world
full of people ♪</i>

1467
01:10:22,962 --> 01:10:25,298
<i>♪ You can lose sight
of it all ♪</i>

1468
01:10:25,398 --> 01:10:30,470
<i>♪ And the darkness inside you
can make you feel so small... ♪</i>

1469
01:10:30,570 --> 01:10:34,040
I wanted to speak
to a human being

1470
01:10:34,140 --> 01:10:36,208
in the most tender spot.

1471
01:10:36,309 --> 01:10:39,278
<i>♪ True colors ♪</i>

1472
01:10:39,379 --> 01:10:41,881
<i>♪ Your true colors ♪</i>

1473
01:10:41,981 --> 01:10:46,218
<i>♪ Are beautiful
like a rainbow... ♪</i>

1474
01:10:47,153 --> 01:10:50,890
I had to learn
the power of a whisper.

1475
01:10:50,990 --> 01:10:55,828
<i>♪ Can't remember
when I last saw you laughing..*</i>

1476
01:10:55,928 --> 01:10:59,366
When "True Colors"
came to me,

1477
01:10:59,466 --> 01:11:02,101
it was when Gregory
was dying of AIDS...

1478
01:11:03,970 --> 01:11:06,906
...which totally freaked me out,
because in those days

1479
01:11:07,006 --> 01:11:08,140
that was a death sentence.

1480
01:11:08,240 --> 01:11:11,544
I went to the hospital
to visit him.

1481
01:11:11,644 --> 01:11:15,748
My friends,
they didn't want me near them,

1482
01:11:15,848 --> 01:11:17,484
because nobody
knew about AIDS.

1483
01:11:18,751 --> 01:11:22,188
ELLEN: When he passed of AIDS,
that almost killed her.

1484
01:11:22,288 --> 01:11:26,926
It struck deep in
her soul when he passed.

1485
01:11:27,026 --> 01:11:30,196
Because she-- you know,
she tried everything to help.

1486
01:11:31,698 --> 01:11:33,900
I dedicate it
to my friend Gregory

1487
01:11:34,000 --> 01:11:37,169
and to Carl
who survived him.

1488
01:11:38,037 --> 01:11:42,008
<i>♪ You with the sad eyes ♪</i>

1489
01:11:42,108 --> 01:11:44,444
<i>♪ Don't be discouraged ♪</i>

1490
01:11:44,544 --> 01:11:46,779
<i>♪ Oh, I realize ♪</i>

1491
01:11:46,879 --> 01:11:49,916
<i>♪ It's hard
to take courage... ♪</i>

1492
01:11:50,016 --> 01:11:51,984
When I listen
to that song...

1493
01:11:53,386 --> 01:11:54,253
(Exhaling)

1494
01:11:54,353 --> 01:11:55,788
<i>♪ You can lose
sight of it all ♪</i>

1495
01:11:55,888 --> 01:12:00,527
<i>♪ And the darkness inside you
can make you feel so small ♪</i>

1496
01:12:00,627 --> 01:12:04,196
<i>♪ But I see
your true colors ♪</i>

1497
01:12:04,296 --> 01:12:05,865
<i>♪ Shining through ♪</i>

1498
01:12:05,965 --> 01:12:09,301
<i>♪ I see
your true colors ♪</i>

1499
01:12:09,402 --> 01:12:12,772
<i>♪ And that's
why I love you ♪</i>

1500
01:12:12,872 --> 01:12:14,941
<i>♪ So, don't be afraid ♪</i>

1501
01:12:15,041 --> 01:12:17,944
<i>♪ To let them show ♪</i>

1502
01:12:18,044 --> 01:12:20,980
<i>♪ Your true colors... ♪</i>

1503
01:12:21,080 --> 01:12:25,284
BILLY:
"True Colors" had a resonance

1504
01:12:25,384 --> 01:12:27,754
with queer people because...

1505
01:12:29,221 --> 01:12:31,924
...so much of how
we communicated was in code.

1506
01:12:32,024 --> 01:12:35,127
Because queer people
weren't really allowed

1507
01:12:35,227 --> 01:12:37,764
to be queer and out.

1508
01:12:37,864 --> 01:12:41,167
So, it was our
straight allies

1509
01:12:41,267 --> 01:12:43,570
who were having
the conversations

1510
01:12:43,670 --> 01:12:46,138
that the actual queer
people in the same industry

1511
01:12:46,238 --> 01:12:49,976
could not have, for fear
of exposure and then rejection.

1512
01:12:50,076 --> 01:12:53,913
What I saw was so bad
and so unjust.

1513
01:12:54,013 --> 01:12:54,947
<i>♪ And I see your-- ♪</i>

1514
01:12:55,047 --> 01:12:58,851
CROWD:
<i>♪ True colors shining through ♪</i>

1515
01:12:58,951 --> 01:13:02,655
DAN: Cyndi was
there very, very early,

1516
01:13:02,755 --> 01:13:06,493
and really before people
knew what AIDS was all about,

1517
01:13:06,593 --> 01:13:10,296
and Cyndi was a big part of
bringing that message forward,

1518
01:13:10,396 --> 01:13:13,700
not just to the public,
but I think also to people

1519
01:13:13,800 --> 01:13:15,034
in the music business

1520
01:13:15,134 --> 01:13:16,769
and getting people
really involved.

1521
01:13:16,869 --> 01:13:21,808
<i>♪ Are beautiful
like a rainbow ♪</i>

1522
01:13:21,908 --> 01:13:23,543
Thank you very much.

1523
01:13:23,643 --> 01:13:25,845
I love you. Take care.

1524
01:13:25,945 --> 01:13:30,683
(Audience cheering)

1525
01:13:30,783 --> 01:13:32,652
Have you ever thought
of acting yourself?

1526
01:13:32,752 --> 01:13:36,689
Um... Well, yeah,
we're looking for something.

1527
01:13:36,789 --> 01:13:38,224
- It's hard to find, you know?
- Sure.

1528
01:13:38,324 --> 01:13:39,692
And action!

1529
01:13:39,792 --> 01:13:42,862
REPORTER: This is the first time
on the big screen for Lauper,

1530
01:13:42,962 --> 01:13:46,499
and, like the star herself,
her character is a bit offbeat.

1531
01:13:46,599 --> 01:13:50,136
Worse! She's playing
bouncy-bouncy with another guy.

1532
01:13:50,236 --> 01:13:52,605
Trying to be
as delicate as I can.

1533
01:13:52,705 --> 01:13:53,706
CYNDI:
And I did Vibes

1534
01:13:53,806 --> 01:13:55,341
and it was... (Exhales)
bad.

1535
01:13:55,441 --> 01:13:56,909
Then I went on Letterman.

1536
01:13:57,009 --> 01:13:58,144
What was the movie?

1537
01:13:58,244 --> 01:13:59,411
(Chuckling)
Vibes.

1538
01:13:59,512 --> 01:14:00,713
Vibes?
And what was the film about?

1539
01:14:00,813 --> 01:14:02,715
That was the problem.

1540
01:14:02,815 --> 01:14:04,717
(Audience laughing)

1541
01:14:04,817 --> 01:14:07,086
That was the problem.
Everybody was asking that.

1542
01:14:07,186 --> 01:14:09,155
DAVID LETTERMAN:
Uh-huh. And, but--

1543
01:14:10,489 --> 01:14:13,225
CYNDI: I think fame got
in my way. I hated it.

1544
01:14:13,325 --> 01:14:15,728
I hated that I was
labeled an icon.

1545
01:14:15,828 --> 01:14:20,199
I hated that people thought
that it was manufactured.

1546
01:14:21,033 --> 01:14:23,435
I don't want
to be an icon.

1547
01:14:23,536 --> 01:14:25,738
I'm a real person
on this planet

1548
01:14:25,838 --> 01:14:29,375
and I always, always
wanted to be an artist.

1549
01:14:30,209 --> 01:14:32,579
When you cease to
become an artist,

1550
01:14:32,679 --> 01:14:35,481
and you're
just a personality,

1551
01:14:35,582 --> 01:14:37,516
well, that's
heartbreaking.

1552
01:14:39,986 --> 01:14:41,754
BOY GEORGE: I didn't ever feel
like I had to change

1553
01:14:41,854 --> 01:14:43,422
who I was around her.

1554
01:14:43,522 --> 01:14:45,725
She was always just Cyndi.

1555
01:14:46,826 --> 01:14:49,395
Fame is a figment of
other people's imaginations.

1556
01:14:49,495 --> 01:14:51,430
You never choose what
fame you're going to get,

1557
01:14:51,530 --> 01:14:55,101
and it always kinda
comes out of nowhere,

1558
01:14:55,201 --> 01:14:59,138
and if you don't have a sense of
who you are and what you want

1559
01:14:59,238 --> 01:15:01,207
it can make you
quite unhappy.

1560
01:15:01,307 --> 01:15:05,044
DAVE:
With success comes a price,

1561
01:15:05,144 --> 01:15:08,715
because it steps on
your privacy in so many ways.

1562
01:15:09,548 --> 01:15:12,451
When that fame hits
to that extent,

1563
01:15:12,551 --> 01:15:15,454
everything is scrutinized.

1564
01:15:15,554 --> 01:15:17,590
I hear you are
engaged to be married.

1565
01:15:17,690 --> 01:15:19,391
Are you looking forward
to being married?

1566
01:15:19,491 --> 01:15:21,594
Um... yeah.

1567
01:15:21,694 --> 01:15:23,129
(All laughing)

1568
01:15:23,229 --> 01:15:25,431
I mean, he keeps saying,
you know,

1569
01:15:25,531 --> 01:15:28,500
we gotta wait till
I'm a bigger success.

1570
01:15:28,601 --> 01:15:31,270
- You're a huge success.
- You see, Dave?

1571
01:15:31,370 --> 01:15:34,974
<i>♪ I'm driving home
from work ♪</i>

1572
01:15:36,242 --> 01:15:38,611
<i>♪ Knowing you're not there ♪</i>

1573
01:15:41,413 --> 01:15:44,350
<i>♪ I used to hurry home... ♪</i>

1574
01:15:44,450 --> 01:15:48,120
DAVE: Our relationship
started to deteriorate.

1575
01:15:49,689 --> 01:15:51,090
CYNDI: We made a promise
that the business

1576
01:15:51,190 --> 01:15:53,159
would never come between
us and, of course,

1577
01:15:53,259 --> 01:15:56,629
the business
always comes between you.

1578
01:15:59,866 --> 01:16:02,034
But I kept on
as her manager.

1579
01:16:02,134 --> 01:16:03,535
The least you could
do is give is a shot!

1580
01:16:03,636 --> 01:16:05,337
CYNDI:
I am giving it a shot!

1581
01:16:05,437 --> 01:16:06,706
Oh, you're doing a fine job!

1582
01:16:06,806 --> 01:16:11,077
Then it just got to the point
where we had to say goodbye.

1583
01:16:11,177 --> 01:16:14,113
That was very, very difficult,
but we had no--

1584
01:16:14,213 --> 01:16:15,314
we had no option.

1585
01:16:15,414 --> 01:16:18,284
<i>♪ I drop my hat ♪</i>

1586
01:16:18,384 --> 01:16:21,020
<i>♪ To a restless wind ♪</i>

1587
01:16:21,120 --> 01:16:26,158
<i>♪ Ooh, this time I'm not
gonna chase it again ♪</i>

1588
01:16:26,258 --> 01:16:28,227
<i>♪ In a jigsaw dream ♪</i>

1589
01:16:28,327 --> 01:16:30,663
<i>♪ With soft-spoken words ♪</i>

1590
01:16:32,431 --> 01:16:36,769
<i>♪ I woke up crying
and no one heard... ♪</i>

1591
01:16:37,970 --> 01:16:39,706
CYNDI: And I was so lonely

1592
01:16:39,806 --> 01:16:43,542
and I didn't mind sacrificing
everything for the work,

1593
01:16:43,642 --> 01:16:46,412
because that's what we're
supposed to do as artists.

1594
01:16:48,948 --> 01:16:50,883
You are lonely.

1595
01:16:50,983 --> 01:16:52,719
Too fucking bad.

1596
01:16:52,819 --> 01:16:54,420
The work comes first.

1597
01:16:54,520 --> 01:16:57,223
(Announcer speaking,
audience cheering)

1598
01:16:57,323 --> 01:16:58,991
FRED: She had several
years of problems

1599
01:16:59,091 --> 01:17:02,729
with the record companies after
the She's So Unusual album

1600
01:17:02,829 --> 01:17:05,031
because they wanted to
put her into this mold,

1601
01:17:05,131 --> 01:17:06,933
and she didn't want
to go into that mold.

1602
01:17:07,033 --> 01:17:09,401
She wanted
to make her music.

1603
01:17:09,501 --> 01:17:12,939
Cyndi needed control.
She lost it as a child.

1604
01:17:13,039 --> 01:17:15,074
She was angry.

1605
01:17:15,174 --> 01:17:18,911
HOLLY: In 1989, her third album,
A Night to Remember,

1606
01:17:19,011 --> 01:17:21,247
just didn't achieve
the commercial success

1607
01:17:21,347 --> 01:17:23,149
of the first two.

1608
01:17:23,249 --> 01:17:25,617
She was
not given the respect

1609
01:17:25,718 --> 01:17:29,455
and the creative
freedom to evolve.

1610
01:17:29,555 --> 01:17:32,859
So, she stepped away from
the limelight for a few years.

1611
01:17:34,060 --> 01:17:37,263
I had a struggle
around 1990.

1612
01:17:37,363 --> 01:17:40,232
And I was walking away
from music for a second.

1613
01:17:41,567 --> 01:17:44,603
That fire gives you
momentum to change stuff.

1614
01:17:44,703 --> 01:17:46,973
MAN: 129, take one.
(Clacking)

1615
01:17:47,073 --> 01:17:49,108
Here we go. Ready?
And action!

1616
01:17:49,208 --> 01:17:53,212
*

1617
01:17:53,312 --> 01:17:55,748
CYNDI: Everything in
my life fell apart.

1618
01:17:55,848 --> 01:17:59,451
So, I decided
to do a movie.

1619
01:17:59,551 --> 01:18:03,255
I felt like,
"Let me just live on the page."

1620
01:18:03,355 --> 01:18:05,291
And that didn't work.

1621
01:18:06,558 --> 01:18:08,795
But I lucked out.

1622
01:18:08,895 --> 01:18:10,329
I met somebody
really extraordinary.

1623
01:18:10,429 --> 01:18:12,464
INTERVIEWER: Yeah, what about
when you actually met David?

1624
01:18:12,564 --> 01:18:13,933
You were working together,
weren't you?

1625
01:18:14,033 --> 01:18:15,768
- CYNDI: We did a movie.
- INTERVIEWER: But how did you

1626
01:18:15,868 --> 01:18:17,503
sort of become
romantically entwined?

1627
01:18:17,603 --> 01:18:19,772
Well, he was
the murderer in the movie

1628
01:18:19,872 --> 01:18:22,374
and I've always had
a penchant for the bad guys.

1629
01:18:22,474 --> 01:18:23,475
INTERVIEWER: Mm.

1630
01:18:23,575 --> 01:18:26,245
Yeah, it was left over
from wrestling I guess.

1631
01:18:27,713 --> 01:18:29,982
Hey, I met my husband.

1632
01:18:30,082 --> 01:18:31,283
That was good.

1633
01:18:34,153 --> 01:18:35,822
I was very lucky.

1634
01:18:35,922 --> 01:18:38,324
I met another artist

1635
01:18:38,424 --> 01:18:40,827
who I would like to share
the rest of my life with.

1636
01:18:40,927 --> 01:18:44,363
<i>♪ On the snow-lit trees ♪</i>

1637
01:18:44,463 --> 01:18:49,268
I've been searching
all my life to find myself.

1638
01:18:51,103 --> 01:18:53,039
When I left
my house at 17,

1639
01:18:53,139 --> 01:18:57,243
it was the first time I thought
about what it would be like

1640
01:18:57,343 --> 01:19:01,513
to consider
the world differently.

1641
01:19:01,613 --> 01:19:04,050
ELLEN:
Her life wasn't working

1642
01:19:04,150 --> 01:19:07,053
and she needed to get away.

1643
01:19:07,153 --> 01:19:10,489
To kind of reassess,
she needed to start over.

1644
01:19:11,523 --> 01:19:14,226
CYNDI:
I wound up in Vermont.

1645
01:19:14,326 --> 01:19:16,728
I had my dog.

1646
01:19:16,829 --> 01:19:21,267
I had never ever
camped in my life.

1647
01:19:21,367 --> 01:19:25,171
The stars were
so incredibly beautiful.

1648
01:19:26,405 --> 01:19:30,542
I felt like, "Wow, I wish I had
someone to share this with.

1649
01:19:31,643 --> 01:19:34,914
There was this hat
that I got.

1650
01:19:35,014 --> 01:19:37,083
I mean, I was poor
as a church mouse,

1651
01:19:37,183 --> 01:19:40,419
but it was so beautiful.

1652
01:19:40,519 --> 01:19:43,255
One night, when the stars
were really extraordinary...

1653
01:19:44,656 --> 01:19:47,759
...I lifted my hat up

1654
01:19:47,860 --> 01:19:51,563
and I imagined
the sky in this hat

1655
01:19:51,663 --> 01:19:53,900
and filled
the hat with the sky.

1656
01:19:55,367 --> 01:19:59,471
So that the next time
I put it on, I could remember.

1657
01:20:01,540 --> 01:20:03,675
I had to go and follow
my dreams.

1658
01:20:04,911 --> 01:20:07,279
You have to remember
why you came to the form

1659
01:20:07,379 --> 01:20:09,781
in the first place.

1660
01:20:09,882 --> 01:20:11,951
For me, it was about
that hat full of stars.

1661
01:20:12,051 --> 01:20:17,256
<i>♪ From a long,
long time ago ♪</i>

1662
01:20:19,191 --> 01:20:22,494
<i>♪ When all I had was ♪</i>

1663
01:20:22,594 --> 01:20:25,197
<i>♪ A hat full of stars... ♪</i>

1664
01:20:25,297 --> 01:20:27,466
HOLLY: I thought it was
such an ambitious album,

1665
01:20:27,566 --> 01:20:28,968
her voice
never sounded better

1666
01:20:29,068 --> 01:20:31,137
and she was doing
so many different things.

1667
01:20:31,237 --> 01:20:35,674
<i>♪ The rent is due
and the pockets are empty ♪</i>

1668
01:20:35,774 --> 01:20:38,877
<i>♪ People ask machines
for the truth ♪</i>

1669
01:20:40,112 --> 01:20:44,917
<i>♪ No crystal ball
to help see it all ♪</i>

1670
01:20:45,017 --> 01:20:46,852
<i>♪ But where
we gonna find ♪</i>

1671
01:20:46,953 --> 01:20:50,656
<i>♪ The dreams to
feed the babies? ♪</i>

1672
01:20:50,756 --> 01:20:52,691
REPORTER:
Cyndi Lauper, her new album,

1673
01:20:52,791 --> 01:20:56,528
Hat Full of Stars,
addresses some heavy topics.

1674
01:20:56,628 --> 01:20:59,031
Themes include abortion,
incest, and racism.

1675
01:20:59,131 --> 01:21:03,369
<i>♪ On the dresser
sits a frame ♪</i>

1676
01:21:04,270 --> 01:21:06,805
<i>♪ With a photograph ♪</i>

1677
01:21:07,974 --> 01:21:11,443
<i>♪ Two little girls
in ponytails ♪</i>

1678
01:21:11,543 --> 01:21:15,147
<i>♪ Some 21 years back... ♪</i>

1679
01:21:15,247 --> 01:21:18,517
The record company was like,
"What are you doing?!

1680
01:21:18,617 --> 01:21:20,852
Why can't you just do
a video like Madonna?!"

1681
01:21:20,953 --> 01:21:24,223
<i>♪ Was lost from
some back alley job ♪</i>

1682
01:21:24,323 --> 01:21:26,692
<i>♪ I close my eyes ♪</i>

1683
01:21:26,792 --> 01:21:29,461
<i>♪ And Sally's
pigeons fly... ♪</i>

1684
01:21:29,561 --> 01:21:31,697
I didn't just want
to have a hit song.

1685
01:21:31,797 --> 01:21:33,699
I wanted to have a hit song
that meant something.

1686
01:21:33,799 --> 01:21:35,534
<i>♪ They brought her in
in a new white dress ♪</i>

1687
01:21:35,634 --> 01:21:38,204
<i>♪ But the stain left an ache
on her mother's breast ♪</i>

1688
01:21:38,304 --> 01:21:40,339
<i>♪ Now all that's left
are the ghostly steps ♪</i>

1689
01:21:40,439 --> 01:21:42,341
<i>♪ From a distant corridor ♪</i>

1690
01:21:42,441 --> 01:21:44,010
<i>♪ Hey... ♪</i>

1691
01:21:44,110 --> 01:21:46,045
My journey was painful,

1692
01:21:46,145 --> 01:21:49,748
because my career just
didn't go like my peers.

1693
01:21:49,848 --> 01:21:52,451
My career was up and down and up
and down and up and down.

1694
01:21:52,551 --> 01:21:56,555
<i>♪ Shake your money maker,
I will never be a faker now ♪</i>

1695
01:21:56,655 --> 01:21:59,258
<i>♪ Hey, hey, hey... ♪</i>

1696
01:21:59,358 --> 01:22:01,093
Now, you know,
you're a pop star

1697
01:22:01,193 --> 01:22:03,562
and your last CD
was a dance album.

1698
01:22:03,662 --> 01:22:05,264
- Yeah.
- Now you have a blues album.

1699
01:22:05,364 --> 01:22:06,898
You keep changing it up, huh?

1700
01:22:06,999 --> 01:22:08,567
<i>♪ Early in the morning ♪</i>

1701
01:22:08,667 --> 01:22:11,203
<i>♪ And I ain't
got nothing, nothing ♪</i>

1702
01:22:11,303 --> 01:22:13,872
<i>♪ Nothing,
nothing but the blues... ♪</i>

1703
01:22:13,972 --> 01:22:16,575
PATTI: We pray that
we have a record label

1704
01:22:16,675 --> 01:22:18,944
that's going to push us
and push everything

1705
01:22:19,045 --> 01:22:21,413
that we record,
because we believe in it,

1706
01:22:21,513 --> 01:22:23,882
but when you have some people
who are stuck on wanting

1707
01:22:23,982 --> 01:22:25,951
to hear what you did
back in the day,

1708
01:22:26,052 --> 01:22:27,386
they put you in a box.

1709
01:22:27,486 --> 01:22:28,920
Keep on doing
a Lady Marmalade,

1710
01:22:29,021 --> 01:22:31,823
keep on doing a
Girls Just Want To Have Fun.

1711
01:22:31,923 --> 01:22:34,060
When we have other
things to talk about.

1712
01:22:34,160 --> 01:22:36,928
(Singing "Funnel of Love")

1713
01:22:37,029 --> 01:22:39,965
<i>♪ Here I go going
down, down, down ♪</i>

1714
01:22:40,066 --> 01:22:44,570
<i>♪ My head is blank,
my head is spinning around ♪</i>

1715
01:22:44,670 --> 01:22:48,407
<i>♪ And around as I go deep
into the funnel of love... ♪</i>

1716
01:22:48,507 --> 01:22:53,412
Come 2000,
I had my head in the dirt.

1717
01:22:53,512 --> 01:22:54,613
2002, they were asking me

1718
01:22:54,713 --> 01:22:55,947
"What the hell
happened to you?"

1719
01:22:56,048 --> 01:22:59,118
*

1720
01:22:59,218 --> 01:23:01,453
And when I was
pregnant with my son,

1721
01:23:01,553 --> 01:23:04,123
I was on the computer,

1722
01:23:04,223 --> 01:23:06,058
and it was the
beginning of email.

1723
01:23:06,158 --> 01:23:10,396
<i>♪ You with the sad eyes... ♪</i>

1724
01:23:10,496 --> 01:23:12,664
Letter after
letter was about

1725
01:23:12,764 --> 01:23:16,968
someone who was gay,
lesbian,

1726
01:23:17,069 --> 01:23:19,638
a bisexual person,
a transgender person,

1727
01:23:19,738 --> 01:23:24,476
anywhere where
you don't fall into line.

1728
01:23:24,576 --> 01:23:29,448
ELLEN: Her fans would write her
and talk about

1729
01:23:29,548 --> 01:23:31,283
being thrown out
of the house

1730
01:23:31,383 --> 01:23:32,951
because their families
rejected them.

1731
01:23:33,051 --> 01:23:37,123
<i>♪ In a world
full of people ♪</i>

1732
01:23:37,223 --> 01:23:39,491
<i>♪ You can lose sight
of it all ♪</i>

1733
01:23:39,591 --> 01:23:41,260
<i>♪ And the darkness
inside you... ♪</i>

1734
01:23:41,360 --> 01:23:44,363
REPORTER: Now, Grammy Award
winning singer Cyndi Lauper

1735
01:23:44,463 --> 01:23:45,631
is really fired up.

1736
01:23:45,731 --> 01:23:48,167
She's just launched
the Forty to None Project.

1737
01:23:48,267 --> 01:23:50,169
It's a campaign to battle
the growing number

1738
01:23:50,269 --> 01:23:51,770
of homeless gay youth.

1739
01:23:51,870 --> 01:23:53,071
ELLEN: She read the letters

1740
01:23:53,172 --> 01:23:55,241
so she had the personal
experience,

1741
01:23:55,341 --> 01:23:57,843
but there's the part of her
that's also the technician.

1742
01:23:57,943 --> 01:24:00,679
(Chuckling) And so,
she wanted to get it right.

1743
01:24:00,779 --> 01:24:04,683
Only up to seven percent of
American youth identify

1744
01:24:04,783 --> 01:24:08,053
as gay or transgender, right?

1745
01:24:08,154 --> 01:24:11,790
But yet, the homeless
population has up to 40%.

1746
01:24:11,890 --> 01:24:13,825
She goes and talks
in front of Congress!

1747
01:24:13,925 --> 01:24:15,227
So, you can see the disparity,

1748
01:24:15,327 --> 01:24:17,429
and you can see there's
something bigger at play here.

1749
01:24:17,529 --> 01:24:20,699
We actually did
help change the laws.

1750
01:24:20,799 --> 01:24:24,403
Places that had
government funding

1751
01:24:24,503 --> 01:24:28,374
would not let LGBT kids in

1752
01:24:28,474 --> 01:24:30,909
because of their
religious beliefs,

1753
01:24:31,009 --> 01:24:33,679
but if you're taking
government money,

1754
01:24:33,779 --> 01:24:35,347
that has nothing to do
with your religion.

1755
01:24:35,447 --> 01:24:37,383
It has to do
with your service.

1756
01:24:37,483 --> 01:24:40,486
So, you can't mix
religion and politics.

1757
01:24:40,586 --> 01:24:43,722
So, we went to work

1758
01:24:43,822 --> 01:24:47,058
on making an amendment
to fix that.

1759
01:24:47,159 --> 01:24:50,028
I want to implore you

1760
01:24:50,128 --> 01:24:53,599
not to pray to God to change
your kid.

1761
01:24:53,699 --> 01:24:55,234
I'm a mom.

1762
01:24:55,334 --> 01:24:58,069
Pray to God to change
your heart

1763
01:24:58,170 --> 01:25:00,239
so you can love
and help your kid.

1764
01:25:00,339 --> 01:25:01,507
Bam.

1765
01:25:03,509 --> 01:25:05,777
You know? You gotta--
You gotta respect that.

1766
01:25:05,877 --> 01:25:09,648
That's some...
That's Italian moxie there.

1767
01:25:09,748 --> 01:25:13,919
BOY GEORGE: People are so still
shocked by the same things.

1768
01:25:14,019 --> 01:25:15,821
And I think that it's really
important that somebody

1769
01:25:15,921 --> 01:25:20,426
like Cyndi is out there talking
about homelessness

1770
01:25:20,526 --> 01:25:22,494
and LGBTQ+ rights.

1771
01:25:22,594 --> 01:25:25,030
Happy Pride!

1772
01:25:25,130 --> 01:25:28,600
ELLEN: Going to these events by
myself or with my friends

1773
01:25:28,700 --> 01:25:31,102
is one thing,
but going with my family

1774
01:25:31,203 --> 01:25:33,372
adds a whole other level
of meaning.

1775
01:25:33,472 --> 01:25:35,974
It was the first time
that I got to have

1776
01:25:36,074 --> 01:25:37,443
that experience
with my mom.

1777
01:25:37,543 --> 01:25:39,711
She'd never been
to the parade.

1778
01:25:39,811 --> 01:25:42,881
<i>♪ Don't be afraid ♪</i>

1779
01:25:42,981 --> 01:25:45,284
(Audience cheering)

1780
01:25:45,384 --> 01:25:47,152
KATIE: There was a time
where you'd think,

1781
01:25:47,253 --> 01:25:48,954
"Has my train passed?"

1782
01:25:49,054 --> 01:25:51,423
The train always stops
for people with talent.

1783
01:25:51,523 --> 01:25:52,724
It's the talent.

1784
01:25:52,824 --> 01:25:54,125
It's the talent.
It's the talent.

1785
01:25:54,226 --> 01:25:55,627
It's the talent.

1786
01:25:55,727 --> 01:25:56,962
I never planned it like this,

1787
01:25:57,062 --> 01:25:59,231
but all of a sudden, everything
started happening at once.

1788
01:25:59,331 --> 01:26:01,132
Tell us what has happening.
What kind of things?

1789
01:26:01,233 --> 01:26:04,002
Well, you know,
Harvey Fierstein called me up

1790
01:26:04,102 --> 01:26:05,471
and said "What are you doing?"

1791
01:26:05,571 --> 01:26:07,739
And at that point,
I had just finished the dishes.

1792
01:26:07,839 --> 01:26:09,441
And he said "Kinky Boots".

1793
01:26:09,541 --> 01:26:12,644
And I thought
"Well, the shoes alone..."

1794
01:26:12,744 --> 01:26:16,815
I came for one thing
and one thing only.

1795
01:26:16,915 --> 01:26:18,617
Adulation!

1796
01:26:18,717 --> 01:26:21,720
Kinky Boots was
considered the underdog

1797
01:26:21,820 --> 01:26:24,756
because there was a pop writer
coming to write a musical.

1798
01:26:24,856 --> 01:26:27,359
<i>♪ Put your faith in me and I
was challenged to be strong...*</i>

1799
01:26:27,459 --> 01:26:31,763
It's about a shoe factory
in England that's going under.

1800
01:26:31,863 --> 01:26:35,033
A drag queen named
Lola decides

1801
01:26:35,133 --> 01:26:36,502
to save the factory,

1802
01:26:36,602 --> 01:26:39,738
making high heeled
shoes for men.

1803
01:26:39,838 --> 01:26:41,307
<i>♪ Light you up... ♪</i>

1804
01:26:41,407 --> 01:26:45,511
SAMMY JAMES JR: I was surprised
at the story-telling instinct

1805
01:26:45,611 --> 01:26:48,614
that she did have,
but we know plenty

1806
01:26:48,714 --> 01:26:50,349
of jukebox musicals

1807
01:26:50,449 --> 01:26:51,483
by some of the greatest

1808
01:26:51,583 --> 01:26:52,518
songwriters of all time

1809
01:26:52,618 --> 01:26:53,719
that did not connect

1810
01:26:53,819 --> 01:26:54,853
with an audience.

1811
01:26:54,953 --> 01:26:56,455
Why? Cause the songs
weren't good.

1812
01:26:56,555 --> 01:26:58,924
No, the songs were songs
that defined generations,

1813
01:26:59,024 --> 01:27:02,994
but that doesn't necessarily
tell a theatrical story

1814
01:27:03,094 --> 01:27:05,897
in a satisfying,
you know, musical theatre.

1815
01:27:05,997 --> 01:27:10,602
<i>♪ When I was
just a kid ♪</i>

1816
01:27:11,570 --> 01:27:16,408
<i>♪ Everything I did ♪</i>

1817
01:27:16,508 --> 01:27:20,178
<i>♪ Was to be like him... ♪</i>

1818
01:27:20,278 --> 01:27:23,382
BILLY: Cyndi Lauper is the
perfect writer for Kinky Boots.

1819
01:27:23,482 --> 01:27:26,184
She understood,
instinctively,

1820
01:27:26,284 --> 01:27:29,688
the whole play, the whole piece,
was about forgiveness.

1821
01:27:29,788 --> 01:27:31,557
<i>♪ Look at me ♪</i>

1822
01:27:31,657 --> 01:27:36,227
<i>♪ Powerless
and holding my breath... ♪</i>

1823
01:27:36,328 --> 01:27:37,563
Inside of the character

1824
01:27:37,663 --> 01:27:41,032
I got to practice
what forgiveness looked like

1825
01:27:41,132 --> 01:27:43,234
and then apply it
to my own life,

1826
01:27:43,335 --> 01:27:47,238
and I think that's
a revolutionary act unto itself.

1827
01:27:47,339 --> 01:27:49,741
And the Tony Award goes to...

1828
01:27:50,976 --> 01:27:53,412
"Girl, You're Gonna
Have Fun Tonight!" Cyndi Lauper!

1829
01:27:53,512 --> 01:27:57,048
(Audience cheering)

1830
01:27:57,148 --> 01:27:59,250
That's why she was the first
woman to win the Tony Award

1831
01:27:59,351 --> 01:28:02,053
for Music and Lyrics
in a Musical.

1832
01:28:02,153 --> 01:28:03,789
All right,
I gotta thank my mom

1833
01:28:03,889 --> 01:28:05,557
for sharing all
that wonderful music.

1834
01:28:05,657 --> 01:28:08,427
I wrecked all her Broadway
musicals when I was a kid,

1835
01:28:08,527 --> 01:28:09,895
the cast albums.

1836
01:28:09,995 --> 01:28:11,863
That's how
I learned how to sing.

1837
01:28:11,963 --> 01:28:14,099
I wanna thank Harvey Fierstein
for calling me up.

1838
01:28:14,199 --> 01:28:16,267
I'm so glad I was
done with the dishes.

1839
01:28:16,368 --> 01:28:17,969
I'm so happy
I answered the phone.

1840
01:28:18,069 --> 01:28:20,238
We're conditioned
in our society.

1841
01:28:20,338 --> 01:28:23,241
"What is the success?
What is the success?

1842
01:28:23,341 --> 01:28:25,844
The graph. The graph."

1843
01:28:25,944 --> 01:28:28,614
But it's not the graph.

1844
01:28:28,714 --> 01:28:29,915
It's a journey.

1845
01:28:30,015 --> 01:28:33,184
The desire to hit
that freaking moment.

1846
01:28:33,284 --> 01:28:35,654
You know, I feel like
I've forgotten it now

1847
01:28:35,754 --> 01:28:37,623
in this time in my life,

1848
01:28:37,723 --> 01:28:41,292
and I started to see it again
when I saw the signs

1849
01:28:41,393 --> 01:28:42,928
at the women's demonstration,

1850
01:28:43,028 --> 01:28:45,397
"Girls Just Wanna Have
Fundamental Rights".

1851
01:28:45,497 --> 01:28:48,667
I thought
"Wow. You heard me."

1852
01:28:51,269 --> 01:28:54,105
ELLEN:
We are in a time right now

1853
01:28:54,205 --> 01:28:56,942
where women are being told

1854
01:28:57,042 --> 01:28:59,911
that the '50s was
a good place to be.

1855
01:29:01,880 --> 01:29:03,782
And that we need
to go back there.

1856
01:29:03,882 --> 01:29:06,618
She is not afraid
to speak her mind.

1857
01:29:06,718 --> 01:29:09,354
And so,
Cyndi's at it again.

1858
01:29:09,455 --> 01:29:11,322
PRODUCER: You ready?
Here we go.

1859
01:29:11,423 --> 01:29:16,061
<i>♪ When I was eight
I had a friend ♪</i>

1860
01:29:17,062 --> 01:29:19,631
<i>♪ With a pirate smile... ♪</i>

1861
01:29:19,731 --> 01:29:21,833
When I wrote
"Sally's Pigeons",

1862
01:29:21,933 --> 01:29:24,703
I wrote with
Mary Chapin Carpenter.

1863
01:29:24,803 --> 01:29:29,007
<i>♪ We were innocent
and wild... ♪</i>

1864
01:29:29,107 --> 01:29:33,579
At that time, in 1998,
we were being challenged again.

1865
01:29:33,679 --> 01:29:36,848
Our rights.
Our civil rights.

1866
01:29:36,948 --> 01:29:39,250
And we can't
go back to this.

1867
01:29:39,350 --> 01:29:40,986
Know what I mean?

1868
01:29:41,086 --> 01:29:43,221
No more hangers!

1869
01:29:43,321 --> 01:29:46,725
Women died.
Lots of women died.

1870
01:29:46,825 --> 01:29:48,527
Young girls died.

1871
01:29:48,627 --> 01:29:51,863
<i>♪ I had a fool's confidence ♪</i>

1872
01:29:51,963 --> 01:29:56,802
<i>♪ That the world
had no boundaries... ♪</i>

1873
01:29:57,803 --> 01:29:59,871
That's why I've redone it.

1874
01:29:59,971 --> 01:30:01,540
INTERVIEWER: And what
did you change about it?

1875
01:30:01,640 --> 01:30:03,074
There's one
line though, right?

1876
01:30:03,174 --> 01:30:07,913
CYNDI: Yeah, I-- Unfortunately.
"51 years back."

1877
01:30:08,013 --> 01:30:11,883
<i>♪ Two little girls
in ponytails ♪</i>

1878
01:30:11,983 --> 01:30:15,821
<i>♪ Some 51 years back ♪</i>

1879
01:30:16,988 --> 01:30:21,259
<i>♪ She left one night
with just a nod ♪</i>

1880
01:30:21,359 --> 01:30:25,196
<i>♪ Was lost from
some back alley job... ♪</i>

1881
01:30:25,296 --> 01:30:29,234
A lot of us never felt
we'd have to fight this again,

1882
01:30:29,334 --> 01:30:32,504
but sometimes
you gotta stand up

1883
01:30:32,604 --> 01:30:34,405
and let your voice
be heard.

1884
01:30:34,506 --> 01:30:37,442
<i>♪ I close my eyes ♪</i>

1885
01:30:37,543 --> 01:30:40,311
<i>♪ And Sally's pigeons ♪</i>

1886
01:30:42,548 --> 01:30:45,416
<i>♪ Fly ♪</i>

1887
01:30:45,517 --> 01:30:48,754
<i>♪ Ooh... ♪</i>

1888
01:30:48,854 --> 01:30:50,288
You know,
as you get older,

1889
01:30:50,388 --> 01:30:51,723
you just keep
learning and learning,

1890
01:30:51,823 --> 01:30:55,093
and I started to do different
things in different areas

1891
01:30:55,193 --> 01:30:59,565
of creativity so that
the gatekeepers

1892
01:30:59,665 --> 01:31:01,767
start to get
a little confused,

1893
01:31:01,867 --> 01:31:03,935
'cause they don't know
where you're coming from.

1894
01:31:04,035 --> 01:31:06,271
You know,
"Oh, she's over there!

1895
01:31:06,371 --> 01:31:08,273
Now she's over there!
Oh, my God."

1896
01:31:08,373 --> 01:31:09,440
<i>♪ You steal the-- ♪</i>

1897
01:31:09,541 --> 01:31:10,742
No, no, that's it.

1898
01:31:10,842 --> 01:31:11,777
<i>♪ Dirty dealing ♪</i>

1899
01:31:11,877 --> 01:31:12,711
Right.

1900
01:31:12,811 --> 01:31:16,147
<i>♪ Hiding behind the facade ♪</i>

1901
01:31:16,247 --> 01:31:19,150
<i>♪ But you can't conceal--
Reveal-- ♪</i>

1902
01:31:19,250 --> 01:31:22,153
<i>♪ The truth will reveal
you can't trust nobody ♪</i>

1903
01:31:22,253 --> 01:31:24,956
Okay, again. Okay.
Who wants to get it right?

1904
01:31:25,056 --> 01:31:26,992
Two, three, go!

1905
01:31:27,092 --> 01:31:28,560
SAMMY:
Working Girl, as a musical,

1906
01:31:28,660 --> 01:31:30,428
is supposed to
transport you to the '80s,

1907
01:31:30,528 --> 01:31:32,297
and then you turn
and six feet away

1908
01:31:32,397 --> 01:31:34,232
is Cyndi Lauper's
larynx, right?

1909
01:31:34,332 --> 01:31:36,401
And I was like "Oh, yeah,
I think we'll be all right

1910
01:31:36,501 --> 01:31:38,704
in getting
an '80s sound here.

1911
01:31:38,804 --> 01:31:40,806
<i>♪ The truth will reveal ♪</i>

1912
01:31:40,906 --> 01:31:43,675
<i>♪ You can't trust nobody... ♪</i>

1913
01:31:43,775 --> 01:31:47,545
CYNDI: I've been working on
Working Girl for a long time,

1914
01:31:47,646 --> 01:31:51,817
and I'm going to get this done
because I lived it, I know it.

1915
01:31:51,917 --> 01:31:56,688
<i>♪ Singing the blues,
I'm spreading the news... ♪</i>

1916
01:31:57,923 --> 01:32:00,025
INTERVIEWER: Working Girl's
been in development for a while.

1917
01:32:00,125 --> 01:32:01,960
It's still not
greenlit for Broadway.

1918
01:32:02,060 --> 01:32:04,395
Are you worried at all about it
living up to the success

1919
01:32:04,495 --> 01:32:05,931
of Kinky Boots?

1920
01:32:06,031 --> 01:32:08,099
It's different.

1921
01:32:08,199 --> 01:32:09,968
It's a different story,

1922
01:32:10,068 --> 01:32:12,103
but it's one
that I believe in.

1923
01:32:12,203 --> 01:32:15,506
<i>♪ Here have some speed ♪</i>

1924
01:32:15,607 --> 01:32:18,009
<i>♪ Welcome to
Wall Street dreams ♪</i>

1925
01:32:18,109 --> 01:32:22,213
<i>♪ No one's ever
who they seem ♪</i>

1926
01:32:22,313 --> 01:32:25,116
The bridge, wrong chords.

1927
01:32:25,216 --> 01:32:27,518
Fucking wrong chords!
I don't care who wrote it!

1928
01:32:27,619 --> 01:32:29,487
Jesus could've wrote that!
It's wrong!

1929
01:32:29,587 --> 01:32:31,022
BOY GEORGE: You know,
initially you go through

1930
01:32:31,122 --> 01:32:32,390
the door and, if you're
lucky to be let in,

1931
01:32:32,490 --> 01:32:34,325
and then you have your
spell in the lime light

1932
01:32:34,425 --> 01:32:36,728
and then you kind of-- then you
have to keep proving yourself.

1933
01:32:36,828 --> 01:32:38,229
<i>♪ Break in ♪</i>

1934
01:32:38,329 --> 01:32:40,899
It's a big end!
A big end!

1935
01:32:40,999 --> 01:32:45,570
(Vocalizing)

1936
01:32:45,671 --> 01:32:48,039
<i>♪ New ♪</i>

1937
01:32:48,139 --> 01:32:49,675
Yeah!

1938
01:32:49,775 --> 01:32:51,542
(Strumming)

1939
01:32:51,643 --> 01:32:52,811
- Wham! Yeah!
- Whoo!

1940
01:32:52,911 --> 01:32:56,648
The reason you pick yourself up,
dust yourself off,

1941
01:32:56,748 --> 01:32:58,850
and start all
over again

1942
01:32:58,950 --> 01:33:02,187
is because I want
in again, you know?

1943
01:33:02,287 --> 01:33:04,055
It doesn't last
long enough

1944
01:33:04,155 --> 01:33:06,792
and you always want to
go back in to that spot,

1945
01:33:06,892 --> 01:33:10,862
that place where it
just opens up and it happens.

1946
01:33:10,962 --> 01:33:16,001
*

1947
01:33:27,012 --> 01:33:30,115
<i>♪ Here I am ♪</i>

1948
01:33:30,215 --> 01:33:34,853
<i>♪ Just like
I said I would be ♪</i>

1949
01:33:34,953 --> 01:33:38,356
<i>♪ I'm your friend ♪</i>

1950
01:33:38,456 --> 01:33:41,727
<i>♪ Just like you
think it should be ♪</i>

1951
01:33:41,827 --> 01:33:45,063
<i>♪ Did you think I would
stand here and lie? ♪</i>

1952
01:33:45,163 --> 01:33:49,467
<i>♪ While our moment
was passing us by? ♪</i>

1953
01:33:49,567 --> 01:33:51,937
<i>♪ Oh, while I am here ♪</i>

1954
01:33:52,037 --> 01:33:55,673
<i>♪ Waiting for
your change of heart ♪</i>

1955
01:33:55,774 --> 01:33:59,410
<i>♪ It just takes a beat
to turn it around... ♪</i>

1956
01:33:59,510 --> 01:34:03,749
It was difficult,
but I got to here,

1957
01:34:03,849 --> 01:34:06,284
and I'm still creating,

1958
01:34:06,384 --> 01:34:10,621
and I've had extraordinary
moments in my life

1959
01:34:10,722 --> 01:34:12,991
where I got to be places
and do things

1960
01:34:13,091 --> 01:34:16,327
and see things
and sing with people

1961
01:34:16,427 --> 01:34:18,830
that were extraordinary,

1962
01:34:18,930 --> 01:34:23,634
and that is
the penultimate for me.

1963
01:34:23,735 --> 01:34:25,603
Hit it!

1964
01:34:25,703 --> 01:34:30,742
*

1965
01:34:34,913 --> 01:34:37,282
So, that's all I want to say.
Long and short.

1966
01:34:37,382 --> 01:34:38,784
Mostly long.
Always long.

1967
01:34:40,952 --> 01:34:44,022
*

1968
01:34:45,924 --> 01:34:49,560
<i>♪ Just when everything's
in order and good ♪</i>

1969
01:34:52,097 --> 01:34:56,167
<i>♪ Things fall apart ♪</i>

1970
01:34:57,135 --> 01:34:59,971
<i>♪ Just when life
should be resolving ♪</i>

1971
01:35:00,071 --> 01:35:03,208
<i>♪ I'm back at the beginning ♪</i>

1972
01:35:03,308 --> 01:35:07,979
<i>♪ And it comes
back to the heart ♪</i>

1973
01:35:09,280 --> 01:35:11,649
<i>♪ I'm not really sad ♪</i>

1974
01:35:11,749 --> 01:35:13,018
<i>♪ I'm not running ♪</i>

1975
01:35:13,118 --> 01:35:14,452
<i>♪ I'm looking ♪</i>

1976
01:35:14,552 --> 01:35:15,854
<i>♪ Did I tell you ♪</i>

1977
01:35:15,954 --> 01:35:18,356
<i>♪ I kept all your letters ♪</i>

1978
01:35:18,456 --> 01:35:19,624
<i>♪ And cards? ♪</i>

1979
01:35:23,128 --> 01:35:25,931
Hi. I just, um...

1980
01:35:26,031 --> 01:35:28,399
I just wanna tell you
I came here

1981
01:35:28,499 --> 01:35:31,736
because we can rest easy
tonight.

1982
01:35:31,837 --> 01:35:33,571
(Cheering)

1983
01:35:33,671 --> 01:35:35,974
PRESIDENT BIDEN:
Today I sign

1984
01:35:36,074 --> 01:35:37,909
the Respect For Marriage Act
into law!

1985
01:35:38,009 --> 01:35:39,244
(Cheering)

1986
01:35:39,344 --> 01:35:42,413
CYNDI:
Our families are validated.

1987
01:35:42,513 --> 01:35:45,150
Now, we're allowed
to love who we love.

1988
01:35:47,352 --> 01:35:48,686
<i>♪ Do you remember ♪</i>

1989
01:35:48,786 --> 01:35:50,688
<i>♪ When I told you ♪</i>

1990
01:35:50,788 --> 01:35:53,024
<i>♪ All that I could ♪</i>

1991
01:35:53,124 --> 01:35:57,695
<i>♪ And it seemed
like too much? ♪</i>

1992
01:35:58,596 --> 01:36:01,066
<i>♪ I was living your life ♪</i>

1993
01:36:01,166 --> 01:36:04,369
<i>♪ Hoping you'd never fall ♪</i>

1994
01:36:04,469 --> 01:36:08,874
<i>♪ If I held on tight enough ♪</i>

1995
01:36:10,675 --> 01:36:13,044
<i>♪ And letting go now ♪</i>

1996
01:36:13,144 --> 01:36:16,047
<i>♪ Is like
a passport to anywhere ♪</i>

1997
01:36:16,147 --> 01:36:18,049
<i>♪ With time on my hands ♪</i>

1998
01:36:18,149 --> 01:36:21,619
<i>♪ I can make a new start ♪</i>

1999
01:36:23,054 --> 01:36:26,124
<i>♪ I just didn't
wanna stay here ♪</i>

2000
01:36:26,224 --> 01:36:28,626
<i>♪ And unhook the stars ♪</i>

2001
01:36:28,726 --> 01:36:31,796
<i>♪ I just didn't
wanna stay here ♪</i>

2002
01:36:31,897 --> 01:36:35,066
<i>♪ And unhook the stars ♪</i>

2003
01:36:38,803 --> 01:36:41,539
<i>♪ Don't worry for me ♪</i>

2004
01:36:41,639 --> 01:36:44,109
<i>♪ It's just I'm inspired ♪</i>

2005
01:36:44,209 --> 01:36:47,212
<i>♪ Waiting in the wings ♪</i>

2006
01:36:47,312 --> 01:36:50,615
<i>♪ Made me drunk
with possibilities ♪</i>

2007
01:36:50,715 --> 01:36:53,851
<i>♪ Rivals my memories ♪</i>

2008
01:37:07,865 --> 01:37:10,468
<i>♪ I didn't wanna stay here ♪</i>

2009
01:37:10,568 --> 01:37:12,870
<i>♪ And unhook the stars ♪</i>

2010
01:37:12,971 --> 01:37:16,141
<i>♪ I just didn't
wanna stay here ♪</i>

2011
01:37:16,241 --> 01:37:18,776
<i>♪ And unhook the stars ♪</i>

2012
01:37:20,611 --> 01:37:24,549
<i>♪ Everything's in order
and good ♪</i>

2013
01:37:26,251 --> 01:37:30,388
<i>♪ Things fall apart ♪</i>

2014
01:37:31,589 --> 01:37:34,325
<i>♪ Just when life
should be resolving ♪</i>

2015
01:37:34,425 --> 01:37:37,362
<i>♪ And I'm back
at the beginning ♪</i>

2016
01:37:37,462 --> 01:37:42,100
<i>♪ And it comes
back to the heart ♪</i>

2017
01:37:43,534 --> 01:37:45,870
<i>♪ I'm not really sad ♪</i>

2018
01:37:45,971 --> 01:37:48,673
<i>♪ I'm not running,
I'm looking ♪</i>

2019
01:37:48,773 --> 01:37:50,976
<i>♪ Did I tell you I kept ♪</i>

2020
01:37:51,076 --> 01:37:54,345
<i>♪ All your letters and cards? ♪</i>

2021
01:37:55,947 --> 01:37:58,883
<i>♪ There's just nothing
left for me to do here ♪</i>

2022
01:37:58,984 --> 01:38:01,352
<i>♪ But unhook the stars ♪</i>

2023
01:38:01,452 --> 01:38:04,622
<i>♪ There's just nothing
left for me to do here ♪</i>

2024
01:38:04,722 --> 01:38:06,891
<i>♪ But unhook the stars ♪</i>

2025
01:38:12,197 --> 01:38:15,033
<i>♪ Mm ♪</i>

2026
01:38:15,133 --> 01:38:17,535
<i>♪ Didn't wanna stay here ♪</i>

2027
01:38:17,635 --> 01:38:18,203
<i>♪ And unhook the stars ♪</i>