Cyndi Lauper: How drinking in the CBGB shaped a pop sensation
New York City has always been a haven for musicians of all sensibilities; its harsh concrete surroundings have provided a home for countless pioneering artists over the years, ranging from the architects of the American jazz boom to the pioneering DJs who carved out the sounds of hip-hop. Even during the 1970s, when the city was plagued by Taxi Driver-style seediness, New York still prevailed, fostering the emerging sounds of punk rock from dark and dingy East Side venues like CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City.
It was the sticky floors and sweat-stained walls of these venues which helped to establish the cultural revolution of punk rock, providing a place for inventive artists like Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads, The Ramones, Blondie, and many more to get their start. Each of these artists went on to forge their own distinctive path through the music industry, and each have been noted for consistently pushing the envelope of innovative and rebellious rock and roll music. However, CBGBs wasn’t just a place for punks to hang out, it also provided a sense of artistic inspiration to the next generation of pop stars, like Cyndi Lauper.
On the face of it, Lauper is about as far away as you can get from the dark and abrasive tones of the CBGB club. After all, she made a name for herself during the pop age of the 1980s, opting for bright colours, mainstream appeal, and upbeat anthems like ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. In actuality, Cyndi Lauper took much of her early inspiration from the underground rock sounds of New York City, much like her fellow 1980s pop sensation, Madonna.
Born in Brooklyn, and raised in Queens, Cyndi Lauper is about as New York as a person can be. During the 1970s, as a rebellious youth with a rapidly expanding interest in music, she had a front-row seat to the development of punk rock in her home city. Back in 2022, she recalled to Pitchfork, “I went to the clubs. […] It was an incredible time in New York for music, and there was actually a place for musicians to play.” Invariably, that place was the CBGB club, where Lauper was introduced to the infectious sounds of groups like Blondie.
Founded by Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein in 1974, Blondie typified the CBGB age, creating rough and ready punk anthems and reflecting their surroundings living in Manhattan squats. Before too long, though, the sound of Blondie began to eclipse its punk rock roots, incorporating elements of new wave, disco, and pop. As Lauper recalled, “Debbie Harry was singing pop, and the melodies were so strong; it was innovative, and she didn’t have to stick to one thing.”
Blondie provided Lauper with a wealth of influence during those early years, showing the budding young artist that you could be rebellious and pop at the same time, so long as you had the attitude to pull it off. As a result of this trailblazing inspiration, Blondie have been a lifelong favourite of the pop star. During a recent appearance on Desert Island Discs, she selected their seminal track ‘One Way or Another’, citing it as “one of [her] favourite songs.”
“We were all rooting for Blondie,” Lauper shared, remembering that prolific time in New York’s musical history. Expanding upon her love of the band, she continued, “There’s a sound, there’s an idea, there’s a brain, it all works. It’s fantastic. […] We were rooting for them, and when this came out, we all went bonkers. They were ours; they were from New York.”
Not only did Blondie capture the expansive spirit of the punk age in New York, but they also played an essential role in inspiring the next generation of artists to hail from the five boroughs, including Cyndi Lauper. According to the vocalist, it was Blondie who inspired her distinctive mix of pop-centric recordings and the infallible attitude of resistance and defiance, which has made her a favourite among audiences for upwards of four decades at this point.
