"She Bop" is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, written by Lauper, Stephen Broughton Lunt, Gary Corbett, and Rick Chertoff, and produced by the lattermost. It was released on July 2, 1984, via Portrait Records as the third single from her debut studio album She's So Unusual (1983). Lyrically, the song talks about the subject of female masturbation, which caused controversy upon its release at the time.
One of Lauper's most successful singles, "She Bop" peaked within the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number three in September 1984. The track peaked within the top ten of Australia and New Zealand, reached the top twenty of the European Hot 100 Singles chart, and topped the Israeli Singles Chart. Due to a lack of promotion, the track stalled at number 46 in the United Kingdom. The music video for the track, which utilized animated segments and multiple visual effects, would receive a nomination at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video. Lauper would re-record a quieter version of the song for her 2005 studio album The Body Acoustic.
Recording and composition
"She Bop" moves at a tempo of 137 beats per minute. The song was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City and was produced by Rick Chertoff. Lauper said she recorded the song naked in an interview with The Howard Stern Show.
Lyrical content
The track is an ode to masturbation. It was included on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy Fifteen" list in 1984 due to it being considered "profane or sexually explicit"; The magazine is mentioned in the first verse.
Reception
Cash Box said that "with characteristic zaniness, Lauper takes a be-bop back beat and sparks it with an inspired vocal that pops and chirps with rhythmic intensity."
Billboard described "She Bop" as "Yet another radically different style from the not-so-daffy new star" and "hard rock bordering on metal, with a nonsense chorus to lighten the tone". The remix by Arthur Baker on the 12-inch single was described by Billboard as a "radical" rework which was "full of new, rhythmic crosscurrents".
Chart performance
"She Bop" was released on July 2, 1984. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 52 in the issue dated July 21, 1984, and spent a total of 18 weeks on the chart, reaching a peak position of No. 3 in the issue dated September 8, 1984. With "She Bop", Lauper became the first female artist to reach the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100 with her first three chart entries, and her album She's So Unusual became the fourth debut album, and first by a female artist, to achieve three Top-10 hits (following Introducing... The Beatles, Lionel Richie and Kissing to Be Clever by Culture Club).
The single also reached number 10 on the Hot Dance/Club Play Songs chart the week of September 15, 1984,
Music video
The accompanying music video for "She Bop" was directed by Edd Griles. Mark Marek designed the characters in the animated sections of this music video, which were produced and directed by Jerry Lieberman, of NYC's Jerry Lieberman Productions, and the cover of the US 12" version. Wendi Richter, Lou Albano, and Gary Howard Klar appear in the video, with Richter lip-synching the first line of the song.
The video expands upon the references to masturbation in the song's lyrics, although not overtly. Among the images presented are an upright bottle shooting mayonnaise into the air, a sign at a gas station that displays 'GIT OFF HERE', gas pumps (labelled 'good x', 'better xx', 'nirvana xxx', 'single', and 'multiple'), a large sign that reads "Self Service", a dance sequence where Lauper portrays a blind person with a cane, and that same person winning a game of "Masterbingo"– both a reference to the myth that masturbation causes blindness.
British music magazine Melody Maker complimented the video, noting that it worked well because "Lauper has a certain Boop-cheeked charm" and also because of the "superb bits of animation" used in it.
Formats and track listings
- US/UK 7" single
- "She Bop" – 3:47
- "Witness" – 3:40
- US 12" single
- "She Bop" (Special Dance Mix) – 6:16
- "She Bop" (Instrumental) – 6:30
- UK 12" single
- "She Bop" (Special Dance Mix) – 6:16
- "She Bop" (Instrumental) – 5:20 (stated)
- "Witness" – 3:40
Official versions
- Album version – 3:42
- Single version – 3:47 <small>(7" single)</small>
- Special dance mix – 6:27 <small>(12" single)</small>
- Instrumental – 5:21 <small>(12" single)</small>
- Video mix – 4:35 <small>(Philippines 7" single)</small>
- Live at Le Zenith <small>(Recorded 1987)</small> – 5:12 <small>(From Heading West UK single – CD & 12" versions)</small>
- Live at Irvine Meadows <small>(Recorded 1983)</small> – 5:20 <small>(From She's So Unusual 2000 CD reissue)</small>
- The Body Acoustic Version – 4:16 <small>(From The Body Acoustic)</small>
- Live <small>(True Colors Live 2008)</small> – 3:46 <small>(From True Colors Live 2008 EP)</small>
- Live at the Warehouse, Memphis – 4:04 <small>(From To Memphis, with Love)</small>
- Live <small>(Front and Center Presents)</small> – 3:59 <small>(From Front and Center Presents Cyndi Lauper) (2014)</small>
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!style="width: 200pt;"|Chart (1984–1985)
!style="width: 40pt;"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)
|6
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)
|27
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (CHUM)
|5
|-
!scope="row"|Chile (Clasificación Nacional del Disco)
|8
|-
!scope="row"|European Top 100 Singles (Music & Media)
|17
|-
!scope="row"|European Airplay Top 50 (Music & Media)
|12
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)
|22
|-
!scope="row"| Guatemala (UPI)
|8
|-
!scope="row"| Israel (IBA)
|1
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Puerto Rico (UPI)
|6
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|US Dance/Disco Top 80 (Billboard)
|10
|-
|-
!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100
|3
|-
!scope="row"|US Top 40 (Gavin Report)
|3
|-
!scope="row"|US AOR Hot Tracks (Radio & Records)
|26
|-
!scope="row"|US Contemporary Hit Radio (Radio & Records)
|2
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Zimbabwe (ZIMA)
|15
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
!style="width: 200pt;"|Chart (1984)
!style="width: 40pt;"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report)
|align="center"|61
|-
!scope="row"|Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)
|align="center"|27
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Israel (IBA)
|align="center"|34
|-
!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100
|align="center"|23
|-
!scope="row"|US Top 40 (Gavin Report)
|align="center"|26
|-
!scope="row"|US Contemporary Hit Radio (Radio & Records)
|align="center"|28
|}
Certifications
Awards and nominations
Won
- 1985 – BMI Awards for Pop Award
Nominations
- 1985 – MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
Release history
{| class="wikitable"
|+Release dates and formats for "She Bop"
!Region
!Date
!Format(s)
!Label(s)
!
|-
|United States
|July 2, 1984
| rowspan="2" |
|Portrait
|
|-
|August 27, 1984
|5-inch picture disc single
|
|}
Cover versions
- Howie Beno and Cruella DeVille recorded a version of the song for the 1999 movie Jawbreaker.
- Hong Kong singer Aaron Kwok recorded a Cantonese and a Mandarin version of the song, both called "絕對美麗".
- Greek band Matisse covered the song for their 2007 album, Toys Up.
- Chilean hard rock band Betty Black Boots covers this song in their presentations in the Chilean rock scene.
- In July 2008, J-pop singer Nana Kitade covered "She Bop" for the album We Love Cyndi – Tribute to Cyndi Lauper; another version of the cover was featured on her 2009 album Bondage.
- South Korean pop singer Wax covered the song. Her version of it is called "Oppa", which means "Brother".
- American heavy metal band Gwar performed a version of the song in October 2015 for The A.V. Club A.V. Undercover series, in a medley with The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop".
- Ex-Reuben frontman Jamie Lenman covered the song for his 2019 album Shuffle.
References
External links
- Cyndi Lauper – She Bop – YouTube – Uploaded by CyndiLauperVEVO