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About Lesley Gore
American singer-songwriter Lesley Sue Goldstein, better known by her stage name Lesley Gore, was born on May 2, 1946, and she passed away on February 16, 2015. She released the 1963 US number one pop smash “It’s My Party” when she was 16 years old. Ten more Billboard top 40 successes for her followed, including “You Don’t Own Me” and “Judy’s Turn to Cry.”
Later in life, Gore worked as an actor and television host. She and her brother Michael Gore wrote the music for the 1980 film Fame, for which he received an Academy Award. In the Life, an LGBT-focused public television program, was hosted by her on American TV during the 2000s on multiple occasions.
Her history in short
From 1963 to 1979, Lesley Gore experienced significant commercial success in her music career. It all began when she recorded “It’s My Party” with Quincy Jones while still in high school, and the song became a nationwide number-one hit, earning her a Gold record certification. This marked the start of her fame, with fans even showing up at her doorstep.
She went on to release several other hits, including “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” “She’s a Fool,” and the feminist anthem “You Don’t Own Me.” Despite strong competition from the Beatles, her songs performed remarkably well on the charts. Lesley also ventured into acting, appearing in films like “Ski Party” and “The Girls on the Beach.” She was offered the chance to record “A Groovy Kind of Love,” but the word “groovy” in the lyrics led to her passing on it, allowing The Mindbenders to score a hit with the song.
Marvin Hamlisch, a notable composer, contributed to her success with songs like “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows.” Lesley Gore appeared in the T.A.M.I. Show concert film and on the Batman TV series. After high school, she attended Sarah Lawrence College, studying English and American literature, which marked a transition in her career.
Despite her earlier success, Lesley faced challenges in the later part of her music career, as her contract with Mercury Records extended into the late 1960s without major hits. She experimented with different genres, including soul, but struggled to regain her earlier popularity. She signed with Crewe Records briefly and later with MoWest Records, but her albums and singles failed to gain traction.
From 1980 to 2014, Lesley Gore focused on composing music for films, receiving an Academy Award nomination for “Out Here on My Own” from the movie Fame. She continued performing and appeared in various television shows and concerts during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1996, she co-wrote “My Secret Love” for the film Grace of My Heart. In 2005, she recorded her first album of new material in nearly three decades, Ever Since, which received positive reviews. The album also featured a reimagined version of “You Don’t Own Me.” Lesley Gore’s career spanned multiple decades, leaving a lasting impact on the music industry.
