Most known for It's My Party, Lesley Gore has intoxicated the audio memory of so many. Or at least mine. It's My Party [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRbsz1Ha7Zo[/YOUTUBE] Judy's Turn To Cry [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvPO2gJU4aI&feature=related[/YOUTUBE] Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_v468ptuXw&feature=related[/YOUTUBE] You Don't Own Me [YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmOrWG2FTbg[/YOUTUBE] And, yes, she is gay.
"You Don't Own Me" is one of my favorite songs ever. It's hard to think that such a mild chastisement would be considered a female anthem, but back in the early 60s, girls were supposed to WANT to be owned. That was their very raison d'etre - to have Johnny give you his letter jacket so he could show the world that you were "his". (Johnny wouldn't wear anything of yours, of course.) For her to state "You Don't Own Me" was a somewhat radical notion. It would've been her second #1 hit, too, had this British band called the Beatles not suddenly exploded on the scene... "Judy's Turn to Cry" remains, to me, one of the dumbest songs ever. You missed Johnny, so you found some guy, kissed him, Johnny got jealous and slugged the guy...hooray! I wanted a third installment where the slugged guy plants a bomb in Judy & Johnny's car. And now I'm gonna have "Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows" stuck in my head all day... Lex
