Editing Cyndi Lauper (section)

=== 1996–2000: Motherhood, ''Sisters of Avalon'' and ''Merry Christmas ... Have a Nice Life'' ===
[[File:Cyndi blue hair 2000.jpg|thumb|left|Lauper performing in 2000]]
On November 19, 1997, aged 44, Lauper gave birth to her son, [[Declyn Wallace Lauper Thornton]].<ref>{{cite news | title = Public Lives; In Their Words | first = James| last = Barron| author-link = James Barron (journalist)| author2 = Phoebe Hoban |url = https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/28/nyregion/public-lives-in-their-words.html?scp=2&sq=cyndi+lauper&st=nyt| newspaper = The New York Times | date = January 28, 1998| access-date = May 9, 2010 }}</ref> Her fifth studio album, ''[[Sisters of Avalon]]'', was released in Japan in October 1996, and elsewhere in April 1997. The album was written and produced with the help of Jan Pulsford (Lauper's keyboardist) and producer Mark Saunders. As in ''Hat Full of Stars'', some of the songs in ''Sisters of Avalon'' addressed dark themes. The song "[[Ballad of Cleo and Joe]]" addressed the complications of a [[drag queen]]'s double life. The song "Say a Prayer" was written for a friend of hers who had died from [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]]. "Unhook the Stars" was used in the drama film ''[[Unhook the Stars]]'' (1996). Again without support from her label, the release failed in America, spending a single week on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' album chart at No.&nbsp;188. This album also met with much critical praise, including ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine, which declared it "'90s nourishment for body and soul. Lauper sets a scene, makes us care, gives us hope."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://frontandcenter.com/?attachment_id=3828|title=Cyndi Lauper – Front and Center Entertainment|access-date=April 7, 2020|archive-date=May 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521094842/https://frontandcenter.com/?attachment_id=3828|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On October 27, 1998, she released her sixth studio album and first Christmas album, ''[[Merry Christmas ... Have a Nice Life]]''. It combines original compositions by Lauper and collaborator Jan Pulsford with traditional Christmas songs. "Feels Like Christmas" previously appeared on Lauper's studio album ''Hat Full of Stars'' (1993).

On January 17, 1999, Lauper appeared as an animated version of herself in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Wild Barts Can't Be Broken]]", singing "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" to the melody of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". That same year, Lauper opened for [[Cher]]'s [[Do You Believe? (tour)|Do You Believe? Tour]] alongside the girl group [[Wild Orchid (group)|Wild Orchid]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Cyndi Lauper|author2=Jancee Dunn|title=Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NtorDgAAQBAJ|date=February 28, 2017|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=978-1-4391-4789-4|chapter=13|pages=236, 243}}</ref> She also appeared in the films ''[[Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle]]'' (1994) and ''[[The Opportunists]]'' (1999).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~iss082/movies.htm |title=The Vibe starring Cyndi Lauper |access-date=May 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091114091909/http://www.bangor.ac.uk/~iss082/movies.htm |archive-date=November 14, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She contributed to the soundtrack of the animated comedy film, ''[[Rugrats in Paris: The Movie]]'' (2000), performing the song "I Want a Mom That Will Last Forever".