In a solo career that's stretched past 40 years, Cyndi Lauper has gone from unlikely pop idol to one of the genre's great, enduring voices - not to mention an icon and activist for the LGBTQ+ community. All of those sides of her work are the subject of a forthcoming documentary this summer - and Legacy Recordings, keeper of most of Cyndi's catalogue (and a producer on the film) - will release a companion album to go with it.

Let the Canary Sing bows on Paramount+ on June 4. Directed by Alison Ellwood, who helmed documentaries on The Go-Go's and the Eagles, Canary traces Lauper's life story from her upbringing in the New York borough of Queens, raised by a single mother; to her earliest attempts at a singing career which eventually bore incredible fruit with the multiplatinum She's So Unusual (1983) and eight Top 10 hits across the decade of MTV. Her family life, charity work and forays into Broadway (writing the Tony-winning score to 2013's Kinky Boots) are all covered in Technicolor detail, with Lauper's signature wit guiding the way in interviews. (The Second Disc saw the documentary's premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, and we think it could make a convincing case to net Lauper a successful induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.)

The companion album to the film, available digitally and on vinyl, is a solid 13-track overview that also serves as the first truly career-spanning compilation devoted to Lauper's discography. In addition to songs from Lauper's '80s material - "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time" "She Bop" and "Money Changes Everything" from She's So Unusual; plus smashes "True Colors" and "I Drove All Night" - the set also includes favorites from Lauper's work in the '90s ("Who Let in the Rain," "Sisters of Avalon") and '00s (the Billboard No. 1 dance single "Into the Nightlife," a cover of Etta James' "At Last"). There's even a track from Lauper's rare 1980 album with the band Blue Angel, the stunning "I'm Gonna Be Strong."

The Let the Canary Sing album hits stores May 31, and you can pre-order the vinyl below. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn money from qualifying purchases.)

Let the Canary Sing (Epic/Legacy, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side A

1. I'm Gonna Be Strong - Blue Angel
2. Money Changes Everything
3. Time After Time
4. Who Let in the Rain
5. I Drove All Night
6. Into the Nightlife

Side B

1. Sisters of Avalon
2. Girls Just Want to Have Fun
3. The Goonies "R" Good Enough
4. She Bop
5. Early in the Mornin'
6. At Last
7. True Colors

Track 1 from Blue Angel - Polydor PD1-6300, 1980
Tracks 2-3, 8 and 10 from She's So Unusual - Portrait FR 38930, 1983
Track 4 from Hat Full of Stars - Epic EK 52878, 1993
Track 5 from A Night to Remember - Epic OE 44318, 1989
Track 6 from Bring Ya to the Brink - Epic 88697 06592-2, 2008
Track 7 from Sisters of Avalon - Epic EK 66433, 1996
Track 9 from The Goonies (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Epic SE 40067, 1985
Track 11 from Memphis Blues - Downtown Music/Mercer Street DWT70166, 2010
Track 12 from At Last - Epic/Daylight EK 90760, 2003
Track 13 from True Colors - Portrait OR 40313, 1986