Shine (Cyndi Lauper album)
Encyclopedia
Shine was an album released exclusively in Japan
in 2004 by singer Cyndi Lauper
. The album was ready for release in 2001 but Edel Records, the label it was recorded with, folded. The leaked tracks from a demonstration disc quickly circulated on the Internet
and by 2002 Lauper realized there was no point in trying to release it in a widespread fashion. Two EP
s were released instead: One was also called "Shine" and the other was called "Shine Remixes".
The album expounds on the sound Lauper developed with her 1997 album Sisters of Avalon
. Mostly pop song
s, it flirts with electronica
and New Wave
while incorporating traditional instruments like sitar
s and fiddle
s. The songs are not lyrically linked, and explore themes ranging from the Madonna-Whore Complex
to celebrity life.
The track "It's Hard to be Me" was penned about Anna Nicole Smith
; Smith attempted to buy it as the theme song to her reality show, but Lauper declined. In 2010, Lauper did allow the independently produced television pilot Hard to Be Me
use the track for its theme song.
and Jan Pulsford, except where noted.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 2004 by singer Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
. The album was ready for release in 2001 but Edel Records, the label it was recorded with, folded. The leaked tracks from a demonstration disc quickly circulated on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
and by 2002 Lauper realized there was no point in trying to release it in a widespread fashion. Two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s were released instead: One was also called "Shine" and the other was called "Shine Remixes".
The album expounds on the sound Lauper developed with her 1997 album Sisters of Avalon
Sisters of Avalon
Sisters of Avalon is the fifth studio album released by singer and actress Cyndi Lauper.Thematically the album expounded on the issue of complacency and ignorance in popular culture and the discrimination of minorities, gays, and women. Songs like "Love to Hate" and "You Don't Know" address the...
. Mostly pop song
Pop Song
Pop Song is the first single by the Drugs. It was released in 2000 and earned the Drugs some positive press. It has been described as "addictive". A live version was released on The Only Way Is Up...
s, it flirts with electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
while incorporating traditional instruments like sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
s and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
s. The songs are not lyrically linked, and explore themes ranging from the Madonna-Whore Complex
Madonna-whore complex
In Freudian psychoanalysis, a Madonna–whore complex is a psychological complex that is said to develop in the human male when he sees all women not as individuals, but as either saintly Madonnas or debased prostitute-like personalities. This dichotomy limits women's sexual expression because it...
to celebrity life.
The track "It's Hard to be Me" was penned about Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
; Smith attempted to buy it as the theme song to her reality show, but Lauper declined. In 2010, Lauper did allow the independently produced television pilot Hard to Be Me
Hard to Be Me
Hard to Be Me is an independently produced dramedy series created by and starring Edward Robert Bach. The show follows second year art student Kevin Hamilton and his vlog in which he tells the story of his week more through his art than his words...
use the track for its theme song.
Track listing
All songs were written by Cyndi LauperCyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
and Jan Pulsford, except where noted.
- "ShineShine (Cyndi Lauper song)"Shine" was the title track and only single released from Cyndi Lauper's Shine album.-Song information:It was performed for the first time at Vienna, City Hall on June 16, 2001....
" (Lauper, William Wittman) - "It's Hard to Be Me" (Lauper, Rob Hyman, Wittman)
- "Madonna Whore" (Lauper, Wittman)
- "Wide Open"
- "Rather Be with You" (Lauper, Doc Fleming, Marcello Nines)
- "Who Let in the RainWho Let In The Rain"Who Let in the Rain" is a single by Cyndi Lauper released in 1993.-Song information:The single was the first from the Hat Full of Stars album. It is a ballad about the end of a relationship that proved popular among Lauper's fans. Outside the United States, it was a modest hit peaking in the top...
" (Lauper, Alley Willis) - "Comfort You"
- "Eventually" (Lauper, Ryuichi SakamotoRyuichi SakamotoAfter working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
) - "Valentino"
- "This Kind of Love" (Lauper, Nines)
- "Higher PlaneShine (Cyndi Lauper song)"Shine" was the title track and only single released from Cyndi Lauper's Shine album.-Song information:It was performed for the first time at Vienna, City Hall on June 16, 2001....
" (Misspelled on CD as "Higher Place") - "Water's Edge" (Lauper, Hyman)
- "I Miss My Baby"
EP track listing
- "Shine"
- "It's Hard to Be Me"
- "Madonna Whore"
- "Water's Edge"
- "Shine" (Illicit Mix)
Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
Total weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese Albums Chart | 120 | ? |