The
most commercially successful solo singer to be identified with the girl
group sound, Lesley Gore hit the number one spot with her very first release,
"It's My Party," in 1963. Produced by Quincy Jones, who fattened the teenager's
sound with double-tracked vocals and intricate backup vocals and horns,
she reeled off a few more big hits in 1963 and 1964, including "Judy's
Turn to Cry," "She's a Fool," "You Don't Own Me," "That's the Way Boys
Are," and "Maybe I Know." Her best songs survive as classics, particularly
the irrestistibly melodic "Maybe I Know" and "Look of Love" (both written
by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry) and "You Don't Own Me," an anthem of
independence with a feminist theme that was considerably advanced for early
1964.
So what was Quincy
Jones doing producing a White suburban teenager who had never recorded
before? A couple of demos she recorded with her vocal coach made their
way to Mercury's president, who recommended her to Jones, the label's A&R
head. For their first session, Gore and Jones picked "It's My Party" out
of a pile of about 200 demos. The "It's My Party" single was rush-released
when Jones found out that Phil Spector had plans to record the same song
with the Crystals.
"It's My Party"
and the weaker sequel, "Judy's Turn to Cry," have given Gore a somewhat
unfair bratty image. Those are the hits that are remembered the most, but
much of her subsequent material was both more mature (or, perhaps more
accurately, less immature) and stronger. The singles were also very well-produced,
with orchestral arrangements (by Claus Ogermann) that hewed closer to mainstream
pop than Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Retrospectives of Quincy Jones'
career usually downplay or omit his work with Gore, although it was among
his most commecially successful; he's known now for recordings that are,
well, funkier. But his success with Gore did a lot to build his already
impressive résumé within the industry.
Gore appeared
on the legendary T.A.M.I. Show alongside such heavyweights as the
Rolling Stones, James Brown, and Smokey Robinson, but after 1964 her star
plummeted rapidly. Mercury was still investing a lot of care in her sessions
throughout the rest of the '60s, and her material and arrangements showed
her capable of greater stylistic range than many acknowledged. But after
the mid-'60s, Jones no longer worked with the singer on a regular basis.
"Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (1965) and "California Nights" (1967),
both of which were co-written by Marvin Hamlisch, would be her only Top
20 entries after 1964. She played the cabarets after her days as an active
recording artist, and eventually had some success as a songwriter for other
performers. -- Richie Unterberger
Richie
Unterberger
All
Music Guide
The
Official Lesley Gore Web Site
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