Lesley Gore

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Lesley Gore
Background information
Birth name Lesley Sue Goldstein
Also known as Lesley Gore
Born May 2, 1946
Origin New York City
Genre(s) Pop
Occupation(s) Singer, Songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1963– Present
Associated
acts		 Sue Thompson, Brenda Lee
Website Lesley Gore Official Site

Lesley Gore (born May 2, 1946 in New York City as Lesley Sue Goldstein) is an American singer and songwriter of the so-called "girl group era". She is perhaps best-known for her 1963 Pop hit, "It's My Party," which she recorded at the age of 16. Following this hit, she became one of the most recognized Teen Pop singers of the 1960s.

Contents

[edit] Career

Gore was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey in a Jewish family.

Her giant first hit was followed by others, including "Judy's Turn to Cry" (the sequel to "It's My Party"), "She's a Fool", the proto-feminist "You Don't Own Me," and "Maybe I Know." Her record producer was Quincy Jones, who would later become one of the most famous producers in American music.

Instead of accepting the television and movie contracts that came her way, Gore chose to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. This limited her public career to weekends and summer vacations, and undoubtedly hurt her career. Nevertheless, throughout the mid-1960s, Gore continued to be the one of the most popular female singers in the United States and Canada.

Gore was given first shot at recording "A Groovy Kind of Love", but her then-producer Shelby Singleton refused to let her record a song with the word "groovy" in it.[citation needed] The Mindbenders went on to record the song, and it rocketed to #2 on the Billboard charts. Gore also released "Wedding Bell Blues" as a single in 1969,[citation needed] but her version flopped, while the Fifth Dimension's spent three weeks at #1.

By the late 1960s, her popularity had decreased, with the advent of harder-edged psychedelic music. Her last major hit was "California Nights," which she performed on the January 19, 1967, episode of the Batman TV series, in which she guest-starred as one of Catwoman's minions.[citation needed] Afterwards, she maintained a lower profile in the music industry, performing at concerts and in cabarets. She also kept busy writing songs, including composing songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film, Fame.[citation needed] She received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here on My Own," written with her brother Michael. The song was a Top 20 hit for Irene Cara.[citation needed]

Lesley Gore's French EP album.
Lesley Gore's French EP album.

Gore still maintains a busy schedule, playing concerts, appearing on television, and recently (2005) recording the Blake Morgan-produced and critically-acclaimed CD, "Ever Since." She is also known for tackling a variety of musical genres, including a credible take on AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

[edit] Sexual orientation, 2005 "coming out"

Gore announced in 2005 that she was a lesbian. [1] She stated further that she did not know her own orientation until she was in her twenties, and after she discovered that she was a lesbian, she never gave much thought to exposing it publicly, but at the same time she took no great lengths to hide it.

Gore provided musical aid for the 1996 film Grace of My Heart, which featured a character (played by Bridget Fonda), whose struggles over her sexual orientation were similar to Gore's. Beginning in 2004, Gore could be seen hosting the PBS television series, In the Life, which focused on GLBT issues. Gore currently lives with her partner of over twenty-three years.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

Year Single US Pop Singles Album
1963 "It's My Party" #1 I'll Cry if I Want To
1963 "Judy's Turn to Cry" #5 I'll Cry if I Want To
1963 "She's a Fool" #5 Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts
1964 "You Don't Own Me" #2 Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts 1964 "That's the Way Boys Are" #12 Boys, Boys, Boys 1964 "I Don't Wanna Be a Loser" #37 Boys, Boys, Boys 1964 "Maybe I Know" #14 Girl Talk 1964 "Hey Now" #76 Girl Talk 1964 "Sometimes I Wish I Were a Boy" #86 "Girl Talk" 1965 "Look of Love" #27 Girl Talk' ' 1965 "All Of My Life" #71 The Golden Hits of Lesley Gore


1965 "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" #13 Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts, The Golden Hits of Lesley Gore' ' 1965 "My Town, My Guy & Me" #32 My Town, My Guy & Me 1965 "I Won't Love You Anymore (Sorry)" #80 Lesley Gore Sings All About Love 1966 "We Know We're In Love" #76 Lesley Gore Sings All About Love
1966 "Young Love" #50 Lesley Gore Sings All About Love
1967 "California Nights" #16 California Nights 1967 "Summer and Sandy" #65 California Nights 1967 "Brink of Disaster" #82 California Nights

[edit] Selected Albums

Year Album US Peak
1963 I'll Cry If I Want To 24
1963 Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts 125
1964 Boys, Boys, Boys 127
1964 Girl Talk 146
1965 My Town, My Guy & Me 120
1965 The Golden Hits of Lesley Gore 95
1966 Lesley Gore Sings All About Love Failed to chart
1967 California Nights 169
1968 Magic Colors (cancelled) n/a
1968 Golden Hits Volume 2 Failed to chart
1972 Someplace Else Now Failed to chart
1975 Love Me By Name Failed to chart
2005 Ever Since Failed to chart

[edit] Television Appearances

[edit] External links

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