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The Body Acoustic (2005)

Where the lyrics of The Body Acoustic take you, and where it was really made.

Of all Cyndi Lauper's albums, only this acoustic re-recording set was copy-protected with Sony's controversial XCP technology.

Key places

Recorded at Water Music Studio (2005)

Recording site West's Hoboken apartment — Water Music Studio in Hoboken, New Jersey is listed as a recording location for this album. The pin is set at city-center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Elm Street Studios (2005)

Recording site Elm Street Studios — Elm Street Studios in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania is listed as a recording location for this album. The pin is set at city-center level, not at the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Stratosphere Sound (2005)

Recording site Stratosphere Sound — Stratosphere Sound in New York City is listed as a recording location for this album. The pin is set at the building's coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Body Acoustic: ninth studio album by American singer Cyndi Lauper
• Released in 2005, listed release date 8 November 2005
• Ten previously released songs re-recorded and re-arranged acoustically
• Two new songs included
• Twelve songs chosen, essentially Lauper's biggest hits
• Title is a play on Walt Whitman's poem I Sing the Body Electric
• The word body refers to Lauper's body of work as a recording artist
• Guest artists: Adam Lazzara, Shaggy, Sarah McLachlan, Jeff Beck, Vivian Green, Ani DiFranco, Puffy AmiYumi

Background

• Produced by Rick Chertoff and William Wittman
• Chertoff worked with Lauper on her 1983 debut She's So Unusual
• Wittman produced her album At Last
• Songs revamped with acoustic jams and dulcimer played by Lauper herself
• Lauper had a wish list of artists she always wanted to work with; many said yes
• In an interview with the Brazilian newspaper Extra, she called it a special project with record company intervention, and said she does not consider it a career album

Recording

• Recording locations listed: Water Music Studio (Hoboken, NJ), Elm Street Studios (Conshohocken, PA), Stratosphere Sound (New York, NY)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper, born June 22, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, is an American singer, songwriter and actress.
• Known for an eccentric image and a four-octave vocal range; dubbed the "Queen of Quirky Pop".
• Has sold over 50 million records worldwide.
• Debut solo album She's So Unusual (1983) produced four top-five Billboard Hot 100 hits, a first for a female debut artist, and won Best New Artist at the 27th Grammy Awards.
• Won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kinky Boots (2013), the first woman to win the category solo.
• Received two Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy, a Tony, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2015).
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025.
• Has been a prominent LGBTQ rights advocate, founding True Colors United in 2008 to address LGBTQ youth homelessness.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album received good reviews from music critics
• AllMusic: Thom Jurek gave 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Jurek wrote the idea of guest songs and acoustic versions might seem skewed, but the album comes across as "entirely new, full of adventure, courage, polish and soul"
• Rolling Stone: Barry Waters gave 3 out of 5 stars
• Waters noted the move to quieter material may have left mainstream rock fans behind, but clearly improved her chops
• Robert Christgau gave a Choice Cut to Money Changes Everything
• Christgau's rating implies the song is a good song on an album not worth time or money

Records

• Sold 17,000 copies in the United States according to MTV
• Time After Time with Sarah McLachlan entered the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title pun on Walt Whitman's poem I Sing the Body Electric uses body to mean Lauper's whole body of work
• The original pressing is the only Lauper album copy-protected with Sony's controversial XCP technology
• A DualDisc edition added the full album in enhanced stereo, four new videos directed by Lauper herself, and a behind-the-scenes featurette

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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