ABOUT
Lesley Gore (May 2, 1946 - February 16, 2015) was a highly acclaimed pop singer, songwriter, and cultural icon who became famous during the early 1960s. Best known for the chart-topping "It's My Party" (1963), other big hits include "Judy's Turn To Cry" (1963) and her tour de force, "You Don't Own Me" (1963).
Born Lesley Sue Goldstein in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, she was only 16 and a junior in high school when "It's My Party" soared to the top of both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts in 1963. The first in a long series of hits produced for Gore by famed producer Quincy Jones, this oldies classic soon after became a million-seller and was later nominated for a Grammy award. It was followed immediately by the sequel, "Judy's Turn To Cry" (1963), which made the Pop/Rock Top 5. Other hits include "She's A Fool," (1963), "You Don't Own Me," (1963), "That's The Way Boys Are" (1964), "Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows" (1965), and "California Nights" (1967). "You Don't Own Me," an unapologetic declaration of autonomy that anticipated the emergence of the feminist movement in the late 1960s, peaked at #2 on the Pop/Rock charts and remained there for three weeks, eclipsed only by The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
Gore was also an actress who performed in the 1965 movies, "Ski Party" and "The Girls On The Beach." She made numerous TV appearances on such shows as "The Ed Sullivan Show," "Shindig," and "Hullabaloo," and she guest starred as "Pussycat" in several episodes of the "Batman" TV series. After high school, she attended Sarah Lawrence College where she majored in British and American English literature and graduated in 1968.
Throughout the 1980s-1990s, Lesley Gore performed in concerts and made many TV appearances. She composed songs for the 1980 movie, "Fame," that include the Academy Award-nominated "Out Here On My Own," which she co-wrote with her brother Michael. She also co-wrote "My Secret Love" for the 1996 film, "Grace Of My Heart." In the 2000s, she hosted several episodes of the PBS television news magazine, "In The Life," the longest running lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) TV show in history.
SHOP EXCLUSIVE RECORDINGS FOR LESLEY GORE
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SONGS
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Lesley Gore
- California Nights 1967
- I Don't Wanna Be A Loser 1964
- It's My Party 1963
(This song topped both the R&B and Pop/Rock charts and later also became a hit for Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin (1982).) - Judy's Turn To Cry 1963
- Look Of Love 1964
(This song was written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry.) - Maybe I Know 1964
- My Town, My Guy And Me 1965
- She's A Fool 1963
- Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows 1965
- That's The Way Boys Are 1964
- You Don't Own Me 1963
(A longtime favorite of allbutforgottenoldies.net, "You Don't Own Me" was truly ahead of its time in that it was one of very few songs in its day that had any feminist sensibilities. In this song, the woman (song narrator) declares her independence and rightly demands respect from her boyfriend - themes which still resonate today. This rare oldies gem peaked at #2 on the charts behind the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand.")
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