Cyndi Lauper - Heading West

What this video is

Released in 1989 as the third international single from Cyndi Lauper's A Night to Remember (Epic Records), 'Heading West' represents a significant stylistic pivot from the brightly colored, hyper-eclectic visual identity that defined Lauper's mid-80s breakthrough era. The choice of a black-and-white, open-field visual language signals a conscious maturation—a move toward emotional directness over performative…

Why it matters

Occupies a liminal space in the late-80s pop canon: stylistically it bridges Lauper's New Wave iconicism with the adult contemporary introspection she pursued into the 1990s. The video's monochromatic minimalism is an early instance of the anti-spectacle aesthetic that would characterize much of…

The director

Lawrence Jordan is a director and producer known for music video and concert film work spanning the late 1980s through 2000s. His credits include Sting at the Hollywood Bowl (1991), Billy Joel: From the River of Dreams (1994), and Eddie Izzard: Dress to Kill…