Growing up, I wasn't very familiar with Lesley Gore. Sure, I'd heard a couple of her songs here and there, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I really developed an appreciation for her music. They are 60's pop confections that sound cute and bouncy but really have several things going on at once. Every now and then, I'll scroll to her Greatest Hits album on my iPod and just smile. Here's a quick tour through my favorite songs of hers:
It's My Party
I first heard this song listening to an oldies station with my folks back in the early 80's. I remember bouncing my head to the beat, and humming along. Then a couple hours later, I started processing the lyrics. Her boyfriend dumped her and is now going with some slag and it's totally bumming out her birthday party. The chorus is a bit self-indulgent, I admit, but I can imagine many teenage girls in the 60's acting out this song whether they were conscious of it or not. The sight of all these kids dancing around as Lesley sings about being rather humiliated is a sort of cognative dissonance that I can get into.
You Don't Own Me
A better feminist ballad than "I Am Woman", You Don't Own Me is bold. Pretty ballsy for 1964 for a woman to very loudly put her foot down and say she's going to do whatever she pleases. Being the 80's kid that I am, I first heard the Blow Monkeys' version and then heard Gore's years later. While I like both, I way prefer Lesley's.
Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows
The first time I heard this song was while Tom and I were watching The Simpsons where Chief Wiggum and Homer are chasing a runaway Marge. Wiggum needs some chase music and accidentally plays this song. Tom laughed and laughed. I had never heard it before and I didn't really get the joke.
Tom: You don't know this? This is definitely your theme song.
I'm a rather upbeat person with an optimist's view on things, so this song gets me in more ways that one. And it's also super catchy.
California Nights (song starts at the 1:10 mark)
Lesley Gore made a guest appearance on Batman back in the 60's as Catwoman's ward Pussycat, a frustrated singer who ends up under Catwoman's wing. During the middle of Catwoman's lair, she busts out her single, a whistful number about the wonders of the Golden State. There's a level of melancholy to the song, a whistfulness that gets me in just the right place. Probably my favorite song of hers.
Judy's Turn To Cry
The spiteful single to "It's My Party", Johnny's now back with Lesley and now it's time for that bitch Judy to get what's coming to her. I'll get this song going through my head every now and then (like yesterday, which was the impetus for me doing this post in the first place). It's kind of a mean song, and a bit messed up due to how Johnny broke her heart earlier, but you are most likely too busy pogoing to notice.
If you can, drop the $10 on her greatest hits and pick up some Lesley Gore for your iPod. Trust me, it'll be a breath of fresh air in a library full of earnest indie rock and plaintive 80's pop songs.
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