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Cyndi Lauper Recalls Being Told to 'Write a Song About Female Masturbation' and Ensuring the Lyrics Weren’t 'Obvious'

Cyndi Lauper shared the story behind her controversial 1984 hit "She Bop" in a new interview, recalling how she worked to make sure the lyrics about "female masturbation" weren't too "obvious."

"It really shocked me," she recalled of the track, which wound up on the Parents Music Resource Center's "Filthy 15" list of "profane or sexually explicit" songs upon its release. "And we did, but I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t obvious — that the grown-ups would know what it was about and have a chuckle, but then the kids would just think it’s about dancing," she added of the track, also crafted alongside Rick Chertoff and Gary Corbett. Lauper is currently celebrating her legacy on the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour, which wrapped its U.S. leg in December and hits Europe in February.

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