The mid-1980s heralded the coming of age of the music video as a mainstay of the rock music industry. Cyndi Lauper erupted into the music scene in 1984, bringing a color, vitality, and sassiness that seemed made for the new video medium. She made her dynamic songs into vibrant videos, full of kitchy, campy energy. Lauper's own appearance was a sort of camp, with asymmetrical hair dyed in bright fuchsias and magentas and flamboyant thrift-shop-chic outfits. That, along with her nasally New York voice, caused some critics to call her "Betty Boop" or "kewpie doll" and to dismiss her as a novelty act. However, behind the day-glo hair and the bohemian clothing, Lauper is a serious artist with a social conscience and a pragmatic approach to changing the world.

Lauper's first big hit, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," is a riotous anthem to...