The Party's Over

I was feeling somewhat taken aback while I was perusing my Twitter account & I glanced at the trending list. Lesley Gore's name appeared & I was hoping it was some cruel hoax. After all, in her heyday, she was the Taylor Swift of her generation. Weaving tales of teenage angst, boyfriends ( losing them, loyalty to them, standing by them while they cheat with some high school harlot named Judy ). Well, she passed away and I couldn't help but feel that the legacy she left was more than her biggest hit "It's My Party."

Fact - Her birth name was Lesley Sue Goldstein from Brooklyn but she was raised in Tenafly, NJ. Her father, Leo Gore, was a wealthy children's clothing manufacturer. She sang in bands at 14 doing bar mitzvahs, Italian weddings & Irish bread brakes.

Fact - Quincy Jones heard Lesley singing jazz vocals on a demo tape. He couldn't believe this 16 year old had such technique at that age. Her first single, 1963's "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To)," was arranged by famed Brill Building songwriter Ellie Greenwich and produced by Quincy Jones. The song resonated with millions of teenage girls across America, becoming an overnight success.

Fact - Over the next two years, while she remained in high school, Gore released a string of bubble-gum hits like "She's a Fool," "That's the Way Boys Are," "Look of Love," "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" and "My Town, My Guy, and Me."

Fact - One particular song, "You Don't Own Me," an unapologetic declaration that women are not objects that men can possess and control. Perhaps ironically, the song was actually written by male songwriting duo John Madera and Dave White, but Gore's powerful vocals and passion for the lyrics inspired teenage girls to not let boys push them around. The song held steady at No. 2 for weeks, surpassed only by The Beatles world-changing smash, "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

Fact - After graduating from high school, Gore continued to pursue music but did not let her career get in the way of higher education. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, an all-female university, and reserved summers and holidays for performances, recording sessions and tours. Later in the 1960s, Gore released singles such as "Treat Me Like a Lady," "He Gives Me Love (La, La, La)" and "California Nights," but she remained more focused on studying than performing, a move that ultimately slowed down her career.

Fact - In the '80s, she also wrote songs for the hit movie Fame. One of the tracks, "Out Here on My Own," a powerful anthem that she wrote with her younger brother, Michael, was nominated for an Academy Award. Around the same time, she fell in love with the woman who would become her life partner.

All in all, I will miss her talent, her courage and drive to be original. We can use a lot of that these days.