Editing Lesley Gore

{{Short description|American singer (1946–2015)}}
{{for|the English footballer|Les Gore}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Lesley Gore
| image              = Lesley Gore.jpg
| caption            = Gore in 1963
| birth_name         = Lesley Sue Goldstein
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1946|5|2|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[New York City]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2015|2|16|1946|5|2|mf=y}}
| death_place        = New York City, U.S.
| alma_mater         = [[Sarah Lawrence College]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|actress}}
| years_active       = 1963–2015
| notable_works      = {{unbulleted list| "[[It's My Party]]"|"[[You Don't Own Me]]"}}
| partner            = [[Lois Sasson]]<br/>(1982–2015; Gore’s death)
| relatives          = {{ubl|[[Michael Gore]] (brother)|[[Alan Dean Foster]] (cousin)|[[Howie Horwitz]] (uncle)}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes
| instrument         = Vocals
| background         = solo_singer
| genre              = {{hlist|[[Pop music|Pop]]}}
| label              = {{hlist|[[Mercury Records|Mercury]]|[[Motown#Secondary R.26B labels|MoWest]]|[[A&M Records|A&M]]}}}}
}}

                         {{Archival records|title=Lesley Gore papers: 1900-2017 bulk 1946-2017|location=Music Division,
                         [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]] 
                            |description_URL=https://archives.nypl.org/mus/185582}}

'''Lesley Gore''' (born '''Lesley Sue Goldstein''',<ref name=name/> May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song "[[It's My Party]]", a US number one in 1963. She followed it up with ten further US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' top 40 hits including "[[Judy's Turn to Cry]]" and "[[You Don't Own Me]]". Gore said she considered "You Don't Own Me" her [[List of signature songs|signature song]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-02-17 |title=Lesley Gore, It's My Party singer, dies aged 68 |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31500422 |access-date=2023-10-11 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231009035748/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-31500422 |archive-date=2023-10-09}}</ref>

Gore later worked as an actress and television personality. She composed songs with her brother [[Michael Gore]] for the 1980 film ''[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]]'', which received an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] Best Song nomination for "Out Here On My Own". She hosted several editions of the [[LGBT]]-oriented public television show ''[[In the Life]]'' on American TV in the 2000s.

==Early life and education==
Gore was born Lesley Sue Goldstein<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/lesley-gore-16606845 |title=Lesley Gore : Biography |publisher=Biography.com |access-date=June 29, 2014}}</ref> in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]],<ref name="NYDN"/> into a middle-class 
[[American Jews|Jewish]] family.<ref name=Guardian/> Her parents were Leo Goldstein and Ronny Gore. The family changed their surname to "Gore" soon after Leslie's birth.<ref name=name>{{cite web |last1=Salitsky |first1=Amy |title=Lesley Gore: The Jewish Feminist Lesbian Pop Star Ahead of Her Time {{!}} November 13, 2017 |url=https://www.heyalma.com/lesley-gore-the-jewish-feminist-lesbian-pop-star-ahead-of-her-time/ |website=heyalma.com |date=November 13, 2017 |publisher=[[70 Faces Media]] |access-date=24 March 2024  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240206184806/https://www.heyalma.com/lesley-gore-the-jewish-feminist-lesbian-pop-star-ahead-of-her-time/ |archive-date= 6 February 2024}}</ref> Her father was the owner of Peter Pan, a children's swimwear and underwear manufacturer,<ref name=Guardian>{{cite news | last=Laing | first=Dave | date=February 17, 2015 |title=Lesley Gore obituary |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/17/lesley-gore|newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=February 21, 2015 }} "Daughter of Ronny and Leo, she was born Lesley Sue Goldstein into a middle-class [[Jewish people|Jewish]] family in [[New York City]] and grew up in Tenafly, [[New Jersey]]."</ref> and later became a leading [[brand licensing]] agent in the apparel industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Salmans |first=Sandra |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/24/business/finding-the-products-for-famous-names.html |title=Finding the Products for Famous Names |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 24, 1981 |access-date=March 7, 2015 }}</ref> She was raised in [[Tenafly, New Jersey]],<ref>Fine, Arlene. [http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/archives/it-s-lesley-gore-s-party-at-cain-park/article_9d543b92-d2fa-5f23-9ab7-1c01dd751f23.html "It's Lesley Gore's party at Cain Park"]''[[Cleveland Jewish News]]'', July 31, 2008. Accessed July 12, 2017.</ref> and attended the [[Dwight-Englewood School|Dwight School for Girls]] in nearby [[Englewood, New Jersey|Englewood]]. She also attended [[Sarah Lawrence College]], graduating with a degree in American literature.<ref name=NPR>{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Dave |title=Fresh Air Remembers Lesley Gore Who Sang Hits Including 'You Don't Own Me' |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/02/20/387769267/fresh-air-remembers-lesley-gore-who-sang-hits-including-you-dont-own-me |website=npr.org |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=10 February 2024}}</ref>

==Career==

===1963–1979: Commercial success===

Gore was discovered after her uncle gave [[Joe Glaser]] a tape of her singing that he forwarded to [[Irving Green]], president of [[Mercury Records]]. Green gave the tape to [[Quincy Jones]] for evaluation and Jones, recognizing her talent, became her producer. She was 16 years old.<ref name=NPR/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bever |first1=Lindsey |title=Lesley Gore: How she went from 'It's My Party' to 'You Don't Own Me' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/17/lesley-gore-teeny-bopper-turned-lesbian-icon-dies-at-68/#:~:text=Born%20Lesley%20Goldstein%2C%20Gore%20was,on%20the%20Billboard%20Hot%20100. |access-date=10 February 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=February 17, 2015}}</ref>  When she recorded her version of "[[It's My Party]]" in 1963, she was a junior in high school. It became a number-one, nationwide [[Hit single|hit]]. Gore's version was certified as a [[music recording sales certification|Gold record]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/159 159]
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/159
}}</ref> It also marked the beginning of a time when fans would show up on her front lawn.<ref name="NYDN"/>

"It's My Party" was followed by many other hits for Gore, including the sequel, "[[Judy's Turn to Cry]]" (US number five); "[[She's a Fool]]" (US number five); the [[Second-wave feminism|feminist]]-themed million-selling "[[You Don't Own Me]]",<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> which held at number two for three weeks behind [[the Beatles]]' "[[I Want To Hold Your Hand]]"; "[[That's the Way Boys Are]]" (US No. 12); "[[Maybe I Know]]" (US No. 14/UK No. 20); [[Look of Love (Lesley Gore song)|"Look of Love"]] (US No. 27); and "[[Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows]]" (US number 13), which she sang during a bus scene from the 1965 movie, ''[[Ski Party]].''<ref name="MSN">{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/its-my-party-singer-songwriter-lesley-gore-dies-at-68/ar-BBhE6hg?ocid=ansentap11|title='It's My Party' singer-songwriter Lesley Gore dies at 68|publisher=[[MSN]].com|access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref> In 1965, she also appeared in the [[beach party film]] ''[[The Girls on the Beach]]'' in which she performed three songs: "Leave Me Alone", "It's Gotta Be You", and "I Don't Want to Be a Loser".

Gore was given first shot at recording "[[A Groovy Kind of Love]]" by songwriters [[Carole Bayer]] and [[Toni Wine]] with a melody borrowed from a sonatina by [[Muzio Clementi]],<ref>Clementi, Muzio. Sonatina, Opus 36, Number 5 [see movement III, Rondo, measures 1–12]</ref> but [[Shelby Singleton]], a producer for Mercury subsidiary [[Smash Records]], refused to let Gore record a song with the word "groovy" in its lyrics.<ref name="MSN"/> [[The Mindbenders]] went on to record it, and it reached number two on the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref name=Sun-Times/>
[[File:Lesley Gore - Cash Box 1963.jpg|thumb|left|Gore on the cover of ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'', 15 June 1963]]

Gore recorded composer [[Marvin Hamlisch]]'s first hit composition, "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows", on May 21, 1963, while "It's My Party" was climbing the charts.<ref name="MSN"/> Her record producer from 1963 to 1965 was Quincy Jones. Jones's dentist was Marvin Hamlisch's uncle, and Hamlisch asked his uncle to convey several songs to Jones.<ref name="MSN"/> "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" was released on the LP ''[[Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts]]'', but did not surface as a single until June 1965.<ref name="MSN"/> Hamlisch composed three other Gore associated songs: "[[California Nights]]",<ref>PBS "American Masters: Marvin Hamlisch" edition</ref> "That's the Way the Ball Bounces" and "One by One". "That's the Way the Ball Bounces" was recorded September 21, 1963, at [[A&R Recording|A&R Studios]] in New York; it was released as the B-side of "That's the Way Boys Are" and appeared on the LP ''Boys Boys Boys''. "One by One" was an unreleased track recorded on July 31, 1969, in New York and produced by Paul Leka; it first appeared on the Bear Family five-CD anthology of Gore's Mercury work entitled ''It's My Party'' (1994).<ref name="NYDN">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/lesley-gore-party-singer-dead-68-article-1.2117563|title=Lesley Gore, who sang 'It's My Party,' dead at 68|date=February 16, 2015 |publisher=[[New York Daily News]].com|access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref><ref name="MSN"/>

Gore was one of the featured performers in the ''[[T.A.M.I. Show]]'' concert film, which was recorded and released in 1964 by [[American International Pictures]], and placed in the [[National Film Registry]] in 2006. Gore had one of the longest sets in the film, performing six songs, including "It's My Party", "You Don't Own Me", and "Judy's Turn to Cry".<ref>Vincent, Alice. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11417229/Lesley-Gore-9-things-you-didnt-know.html "Lesley Gore: Nine things you didn't know"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321043443/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/11417229/Lesley-Gore-9-things-you-didnt-know.html |date=March 21, 2016 }}.  ''[[The Independent]]'', February 17, 2015.</ref>

Gore performed on two consecutive episodes of the ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' television series (January 19 and 25, 1967), in which she guest-starred as Pussycat, one of [[Catwoman]]'s minions.<ref name="NYDN"/> In the January 19 episode "That Darn Catwoman", she lip-synched to the [[Bob Crewe]]-produced "California Nights", and in the January 25 episode "Scat! Darn Catwoman", she lip-synched to "Maybe Now".<ref name=Sun-Times>Hoekstra, Dave. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20070311/ai_n18709695 "Our favorite Lesley Gore moments"]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]],'' March 11, 2007. Accessed May 31, 2007.{{Dead link|date=June 2012}}</ref> "California Nights", which Gore recorded for her 1967 album of the same name, returned her to the top twenty of the [[Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100]].<ref name="MSN"/> The single peaked at number 16 in March 1967 (14 weeks on the chart). It was her first top-40 hit since "My Town, My Guy and Me" in late 1965 and her first top-20 since "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows".<ref name="NYDN"/>  Gore also performed "It's My Party" and "We Know We're in Love" 10 months earlier on the final episode of ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]'', which aired on March 19, 1966.<ref name="MSN"/>
[[File:Leslie Gore Batman 1967.JPG|thumb|Gore on the television program [[Batman television series|''Batman'']] in 1967]]
After high school, while continuing to make appearances as a singer, Gore attended [[Sarah Lawrence College]], studying English and American literature. At college, [[folk music]] was popularly lauded as "chic", whereas [[pop music]] was often derided as "uncool".<ref name="NYDN"/> "Had I been tall with blonde hair, had I been [[Mary Travers]], I would have gotten along fine."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1299&dat=19750414&id=6NNHAAAAIBAJ&pg=6327,1124595|date=April 14, 1975|newspaper=Village Voice|title=It's My Comeback and I'll Try If I Want To|author=David Tipmore|access-date=June 24, 2014|page=126}}</ref> She graduated in 1968.<ref>Patricia E. Davis, [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6dEbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HVEEAAAAIBAJ&dq=lesley%20gore%20sarah%20lawrence%20graduated%201968&pg=7314%2C3146544 "Lesley Gore In Comeback With Her College Degree"] ''[[Pittsburgh Press]],'' June 6, 1969.</ref><ref>Jon Bream, [http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=80951892 "It's Lesley Gore's party"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040002/http://www.startribune.com/templates/Print_This_Story?sid=80951892 |date=March 4, 2016 }}, ''[[Star Tribune]],'' January 10, 2010.</ref>

Gore signed a contract with [[Mercury Records]] with a five-year term that carried her obligations to the company through the spring of 1968.  Her last big hit had been 12 months prior to this time, but Mercury still saw promise in her as an artist and believed that one of her singles would make it, as they had in the past. They offered a one-year extension on the initial contract, and Gore was formally contracted to Mercury for a sixth year. During this time, "[[La La La (Massiel song)|He Gives Me Love (La La La)]]", a single release based on a [[Eurovision Song Contest]] winner, rose to number 96 on the Music Business charts, while bubbling under the Hot 100 in ''Billboard''.  Mercury took out a full-page ad in the trades to support the single, but its airplay was spotty, becoming a hit in only a few major markets.<ref>{{cite book|title=Record World|date=July 6, 1968|publisher=Record World|pages=25–28|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Record-World/60s/68/RW-1968-07-06.pdf}}</ref>  She was then paired with the successful soul producers [[Kenny Gamble]], [[Leon Huff]], and [[Thom Bell]] for two singles that took her into the "[[blue-eyed soul|soul]]" genre:  "I'll Be Standing By" and "Take Good Care (Of My Heart)".  These songs did not fit the image Mercury had crafted for her, and the singles were not played.  Her contract with Mercury ended after the release of "[[98.6 (song)|98.6]]/Lazy Day" and "[[Wedding Bell Blues]]" failed to make headway on the charts.<ref>{{cite book|title=Billboard|date=September 9, 1968|publisher=Billboard|page=110, review|url=http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/60s/1969/Billboard%201969-09-06.pdf}}</ref>

In 1970, she signed with Crewe Records and was reunited with producer Bob Crewe, who had produced her album ''California Nights.'' Her first release under the label, "Why Doesn't Love Make Me Happy", was a moderate hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, but none of her other singles would prove to be successful. She left Crewe Records in 1971 when the label went bankrupt.

In 1972, Gore signed with MoWest Records, a subsidiary of [[Motown]], and in July of that year released her first studio album in five years, ''Someplace Else Now''. All of the songs were either written or co-written by Gore, with collaborators [[Ellen Weston]] and her brother Michael. Due to the failure of the album's sole single, "She Said That", along with poor promotion, ''Someplace Else Now'' died on the shelf.

===1980–2014: As composer===
Gore composed songs for the [[soundtrack]] of the 1980 film ''[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]]'', for which she received an [[Academy Award]] nomination for "[[Out Here on My Own]]," written with her brother, [[Michael Gore]].<ref>Jones, Chad. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080502032948/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060421/ai_n16154640 "It's still her party, and Lesley Gore's not crying"], ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'', April 21, 2006. Accessed May 31, 2007.{{Dead link |date=June 2012}}</ref> Michael won the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] for the theme song of the same film. Gore played concerts and appeared on television throughout the 1980s and 1990s.<ref name="MSN"/>

Gore co-wrote a song, "My Secret Love", for the 1996 film ''[[Grace of My Heart]]''.  The film includes a subplot about a young singer named Kelly Porter, who is based in part on Gore and is played by [[Bridget Fonda]]. The character, who is a closeted lesbian, performs "My Secret Love" in the film.<ref>Glitz, Michael.  [https://books.google.com/books?id=JGUEAAAAMBAJ&dq=lesley+gore+bridget+fonda+%22my+secret+love%22&pg=PA66 "Singing Her Own Tune: Lesley Gore Is on Her Second Run of Celebrity-From the "It's My Party" Songbird of the '60s to the out Singer-Songwriter of 2005's Quietly Haunting Indie CD Ever Since."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411083359/https://books.google.com/books?id=JGUEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA66&dq=lesley%20gore%20bridget%20fonda%20%22my%20secret%20love%22&pg=PA66#v=onepage&q=lesley%20gore%20bridget%20fonda%20%22my%20secret%20love%22 |date=April 11, 2016 }} ''[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]'', January 17, 2006. "Gore could have been out more prominently in the mid-'90s in connection with the movie ''Grace of My Heart'', which included a subplot about a Gore-like teen idol (played by Bridget Fonda) who was gay. Gore worked on the character's song—'My Secret Love'—until she was comfortable having her name on it as a co-writer, but she felt wary that she'd been brought in too late for a real collaboration, and when she wasn't even invited to the premiere, Gore was convinced the filmmakers had used her primarily for publicity. 'It turned into the opposite of what I would have wanted,' she says."</ref><ref>Childs, T. Mike. ''The Rocklopedia Fakebandica'' ([[St. Martin's Griffin]], 2014), {{ISBN|978-1466873018}}, p. 167. [https://books.google.com/books?id=6DZkAwAAQBAJ&dq=lesley+gore+bridget+fonda+%22my+secret+love%22&pg=PA167 Excerpts available] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405164045/https://books.google.com/books?id=6DZkAwAAQBAJ&lpg=PA167&dq=lesley%20gore%20bridget%20fonda%20%22my%20secret%20love%22&pg=PA167#v=onepage&q=lesley%20gore%20bridget%20fonda%20%22my%20secret%20love%22 |date=April 5, 2016 }} at [[Google Books]].</ref>

In 2005, Gore recorded ''[[Ever Since (Lesley Gore album)|Ever Since]]'' (her first album of new material since ''Love Me By Name'' in 1976), with producer/songwriter [[Blake Morgan]], with the label [[Engine Company Records]]. The album received favorable reviews from ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[Billboard Magazine|Billboard]]'', and other national press.<ref name="MSN"/> The album also included a revised version of "[[You Don't Own Me]]", about which the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' wrote: "In Lesley Gore's new version of 'You Don't Own Me'—cut more than 40 years after its initial recording—she lends a pop classic new life."<ref name="nydailynews.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/nydn-features/s-party-early-60s-legend-lesley-gore-cuts-studio-album-30-years-article-1.646772 |title=IT'S HER PARTY... Early '60s legend Lesley Gore cuts her first studio album in 30 years |publisher=NY Daily News |date=July 24, 2005 |access-date=August 18, 2015}}</ref> Gore commented: "Without the loud backing track, I could wring more meaning from the lyric". And: "It's a song that takes on new meaning every time you sing it."<ref name="nydailynews.com" />

==Personal life==
Beginning in 2003, Gore hosted several editions of the [[PBS]] television series ''[[In the Life]]'', which focused on [[LGBT]] issues.<ref name=2005interview /> In a 2005 interview with ''[[AfterEllen]]'', she stated she was a [[lesbian]] and had been in a relationship with luxury jewelry designer [[Lois Sasson]] since 1982.<ref name=2005interview>[http://www.afterellen.com/people/43863-interview-with-lesley-gore "Interview with Lesley Gore"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924134923/http://www.afterellen.com/people/43863-interview-with-lesley-gore |date=September 24, 2016 }}, ''[[After Ellen]]'', June 3, 2005</ref> She had known about her attraction to women from the time she was 20 and stated that although the music business was "totally [[homophobia|homophobic]]", she never felt she had to pretend she was straight. "I just kind of lived my life naturally and did what I wanted to do," she said. "I didn't avoid anything, I didn't put it in anybody's face."<ref name=NYDN />

Gore had been working on a memoir and a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show based on her life<ref name=nytobit/> when she died of [[lung cancer]] on February 16, 2015, at the [[NYU Langone Medical Center]] in [[Manhattan, New York City]], at the age of 68.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2015/music/news/lesley-gore-dead-its-my-party-singer-songwriter-1201434894/|title=Lesley Gore Dead: 'It's My Party' Singer-Songwriter Dies at 68|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=February 16, 2015|access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/party-singer-songwriter-lesley-gore-dies-68-29004127|title='It's My Party' Singer-Songwriter Lesley Gore Dies at 68|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|access-date=February 16, 2015}}</ref> At the time of her death, Gore and Sasson had been together for 33 years.<ref name="The Daily Telegraph">{{cite web|last=Furness |first=Hannah |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11416968/Lesley-Gore-the-singer-dies-aged-68.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11416968/Lesley-Gore-the-singer-dies-aged-68.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Lesley Gore, the singer, dies aged 68 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=February 16, 2015 |access-date=August 18, 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Her ''New York Times'' obituary stated "with songs like 'It's My Party,' 'Judy's Turn to Cry', and the indelibly defiant 1964 single 'You Don't Own Me' — all recorded before she was 18 — Gore made herself the voice of teenaged girls aggrieved by fickle boyfriends, moving quickly from tearful self-pity to fierce self-assertion."<ref name=nytobit>{{cite news|first=Jon|last=Pareles|authorlink=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/arts/music/lesley-gore-teenage-voice-of-heartbreak-dies-at-68.html|title=Lesley Gore, Teenage Voice of Heartbreak, Dies at 68|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107160402/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/17/arts/music/lesley-gore-teenage-voice-of-heartbreak-dies-at-68.html |archive-date=November 7, 2015 }}</ref>

==Awards and recognition==
In 1964, "It's My Party" was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] for rock-and-roll recording.<ref>Retro, Ricky. "It's her party, and it's Spector's turn to cry", ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', May 24, 2004.</ref>

[[NPR|National Public Radio]] named ''Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts'', Gore's second album, as forebearer of one of the top 150 albums recorded by women. The album missed the official list (1964–present) because it was released in 1963. "She is a forebearer for her assertion of feminine power in pop, and her validation of a female perspective."<ref>{{cite web |last1=FARRELL |first1=Margaret |title=Forebears: The Teenage Wisdom Of 'Lesley Gore Sings Of Mixed-Up Hearts' |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/08/30/546386766/forebears-the-teenage-wisdom-of-lesley-gore-sings-of-mixed-up-hearts |website=npr.org |access-date=June 2, 2018 |date=August 30, 2017}}</ref>

Lesley Gore's papers were donated to the [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]] and became accessible to the public in 2022. Catalogued by the library and her partner Lois Sasson, it includes family photos, scrapbook pages, annotated music and lyrics, business files, an unfinished memoir, and sound and video recordings.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Richardson |first=Kalia |date=2022-07-06 |title=Lesley Gore's Archive, Open to All, Arrives at the New York Public Library |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/06/arts/music/lesley-gore-archive-new-york-public-library.html |access-date=2022-07-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Lesley Gore discography}}
* ''[[I'll Cry If I Want To]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts]]'' (1963)
* ''[[Boys, Boys, Boys]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Girl Talk (Lesley Gore album)|Girl Talk]]'' (1964)
* ''[[My Town, My Guy & Me]]'' (1965)
* ''Lesley Gore Sings All About Love''  (1966)
* ''Off and Running'' (1967, canceled)
* ''[[California Nights (Lesley Gore album)|California Nights]]'' (1967)
* ''Magic Colors'' (1967, canceled)
* ''Someplace Else Now'' (1972)
* ''Love Me By Name'' (1976)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1349607-Lesley-Gore-Love-Me-By-Name |title=Lesley Gore - Love Me by Name |website=www.discogs.com |year=1976 |access-date=April 16, 2022}}</ref>
* ''The Canvas Can Do Miracles'' (1982)
* ''[[Ever Since (Lesley Gore album)|Ever Since]]'' (2005)
* ''Magic Colors: The Lost Album'' (2011)<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marchese|first=Joe|date=May 18, 2011|title=Where Are All The "Magic Colors": Lesley Gore's Lost Album Arrives on CD|url=https://theseconddisc.com/2011/05/18/where-are-all-the-magic-colors-lesley-gores-lost-album-arrives-on-cd/|access-date=March 28, 2021|website=The Second Disc|language=en-US}}</ref>''

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The T.A.M.I Show]]''
| Herself
| Documentary
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Girls on the Beach]]''
| Herself
| Sings "Leave Me Alone", "It's Gotta Be You" and "I Don't Wanna Be A Loser"
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Ski Party]]''
| Herself
| Sings "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows"
|-
| 1968
| ''The Pied Piper of Astroworld''
| [[Little Bo-Peep|Bo Peep]]
| Television film
|-
| 1977
| ''Good Old Days''
| Herself
| Television film
|-
| 1985
| ''Good Time Rock 'n' Roll''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Deja View]]''
| Herself
| 
|-
| 1988
| ''Legendary Ladies of Rock & Roll''
| Herself
| Television special
|-
| 1990
| ''Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones''
| Herself
| Documentary
|-
| 1991
| ''Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 1992
| ''In the Life''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 1998
| ''Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 2000
| ''Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955–1970)''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 2003
| ''Rock at Fifty''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 2008
| ''An Evening with Quincy Jones''
| Herself
| Television documentary
|-
| 2008
| ''Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio''
| Herself
| Documentary
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Name
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1963
| ''Club 1270''
| Herself
| A teen-oriented dance-party television show on [[WXYZ-TV]] in [[Detroit]] ("1270" was a reference to the frequency of WXYZ-AM radio, a leading [[Top 40]] station in the Detroit area at the time, now [[WXYT (AM)|WXYT]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcrfb.com/?p=1593%22|title=Remembering Swingin Time and Club 1270|date=February 13, 2012|access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 1963
| ''The Keefe Brasselle Show''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1963
| ''[[American Bandstand]]''
| Herself
| Season 6, episode 194, AB-1528: Lesley Gore – aired 5/30/63.<ref name="tv.com">{{cite news |url=http://www.tv.com/people/lesley-gore/ |title=Lesley Gore |work=[[TV.com]] |access-date=July 12, 2017 |archive-date=December 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225211327/http://www.tv.com/people/lesley-gore/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
| 1963–<br />64
| ''[[Thank Your Lucky Stars (TV series)|Thank Your Lucky Stars]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes
|-
| 1963–<br />70
| ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 4 episodes: season 16, episode 3 – Other guests: Tony Bennett, Frank Gorshin, Bob & Ray – aired 10/13/63; season 17, episode 18 – Other guests: Burt Lancaster, Mickey Rooney, Miriam Makeba, Shelley Berman – aired 1/31/65; season 21, episode 32 – Other guests: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Gwen Verdon; season 22, episode 30 – Other guests: Richie Havens, Moms Mabley, Stiller & Meara – aired 4/26/70.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1963–<br />75
| ''[[American Bandstand|New American Bandstand 1965]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 3 episodes: season 10, episode 31 – Other guest: The Music Machine – aired 4/8/67; season 10, episode 4  – Other guest: ? (Question Mark) and the Mysterians – aired 10/1/66; season 19, episode 4 – aired 9/27/75.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The Beat Room]]''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1964
| ''[[The Lloyd Thaxton Show]]''
| Herself
| Season 4, episode 10 – aired September 28, 1964<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1965
| ''Fanfare''
| Herself
| Season 1, episode 7 – other guests: Tom Jones, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass – aired July 31, 1965<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Shindig!]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes: season 1, episode 30 – Show 30 – April 7, 1965 – other guests: Tina Turner, Marvin Gaye, Larry Hovis, [[Martha and the Vandellas]], Righteous Brothers
Season 2, episode 5 – Show 56 – September 30, 1965 – other guests: Mickey Rooney (guest host), Major Lance, The Turtles<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Hollywood A Go-Go]]''
| Herself
| 
|-
| 1965–<br />66
| ''[[Hullabaloo (TV series)|Hullabaloo]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 3 episodes: season 1, episode 8 – Show #8 – Host: Trini Lopez – aired 3/2/65; season 2, episode 7 – Show#25 – Host: Peter Noone (of [[Herman's Hermits]]) – aired 11/1/65; season 2, episode 16 – Show #34 – Host: Roger Smith – aired 1/3/66; season 2, episode 30 – Show #48 – Host: Paul Anka – aired 4/11/66.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1965–<br />70
| ''[[Merv Griffin show|Merv Griffin Show]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest: 8 episodes: season 2, episode 76 – aired 8/23/65; season 5, episode 104 – aired 1/25/68;  Season 5, episode 157 – aired 4/9/68; season 6, episode 96 – aired 1/13/69; season 6, episode 154 – aired 4/3/69; season 7, episode 162 – aired 4/2/70; season 7, episode 239 – aired 7/16/70; season 7, episode 243 – aired 7/22/70.<ref name="tv.com"/>
Aired April 2, 1970<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/april-2-1970-1557800/|title=The Merv Griffin Show, April 2, 1970|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=May 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530072115/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-merv-griffin-show/april-2-1970-1557800/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 1965–<br />71
| ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 13 episodes:  The Mike Douglas Show Herself
Season 4: episode 237 – aired 8/4/65, season 5: episode 47 – aired 11/9/65, season 5, episode 216 – aired 7/11/66, season 6: episode 16 – aired 9/26/66, season 6: episode 92 – aired 1/10/67, season 6: episode 176 – aired 5/8/67, season 7: episode 106 – aired 1/29/68, season 7: episode 201 – aired 6/10/68, season 8: episode 42 – aired 11/5/68, season 8: episode 150 – aired 4/4/69, season 9: episode 25 – – aired 10/3/69, season 9: episode 51 – aired 11/10/69, season 9: episode 136 – aired 3/9/70, season 10: episode 118 – aired 2/17/71<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Shivaree (TV series)|Shivaree]]''
| Herself
| Season 2, episode 16 – Show #48 0 aired 12/25/65.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Andy Williams Show]]''
| Herself
| Season 5, episode 10 – aired November 13, 1966.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Donna Reed Show]]''
| Herself
| Season 8, episode 27: "By-Line—Jeff Stone" – aired 3/19/66<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minorcon.org/lesley_gore.html |title=A Minor Consideration Website |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160110142747/http://www.minorcon.org/lesley_gore.html |archive-date=January 10, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Where the Action Is]]''
| Herself
| Season 6, episode 237 – aired 9/10/66, other guests: the [[Four Tops]]<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Match Game|The Match Game]]''
| Herself
| Season 6, episode 6 – Lesley Gore & Soupy Sales – aired 10/9/67<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]''
| Pussycat
| Recurring role; 2 episodes: season 2 episodes 40 – That Darn Catwoman – aired 1/19/67; season 2, episode 41 – Scat! Darn Catwoman – aired 1/25/67.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1967
| ''Dream Girl of '67''
| Herself
| Recurring role; 5 episodes
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Malibu U]]''
| Herself
| Season 1, episode 4 – aired 8/11/67 – Other guests include The Turtles and Lou Rawls<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1967
| ''Binnen en Buiten''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1967–<br />68
| ''[[The Joey Bishop Show (talk show)|The Joey Bishop Show]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 3 episodes: season 1, episode 78 – aired 8/2/67; season 2, episode 122 – aired 3/8/68; season 2, episode 128 – aired 3/18/68.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Happening '68]]''
| Herself
|Rock music series on the ABC network. It aired Saturday afternoons following ''American Bandstand''. ''Happening'' aired Mon through Fri from 7/15/68-10/25/68.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/happening-68|title=Happening '68|last=TV.com|access-date=June 6, 2016|archive-date=June 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614164539/http://www.tv.com/shows/happening-68/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 1968
| ''[[What's My Line?]]''
| Herself
| Mystery guest; season 1, episode 131 – aired 1/31/1968
|-
| 1969–<br />70
| ''Della''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes: season 1, episode 14 – aired 6/26/69; season 1, episode 154 – aired 1/13/70.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1970
| ''[[Playboy After Dark]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes – season 2, episode 11 – Other guests: Don Adams, Fleetwood Mac, Arte Johnson – aired 1/8/70.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1970
| ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''
| Herself
| Season 8, episode 41 700701 – aired 7/1/70.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1970–<br />71
| ''The Rolf Harris Show''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes
|-
| 1970
| ''[[The David Frost Show]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes – season 2, episode 104 – aired January 22, 1970; season 3, episode 59 – aired December 17, 1970.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1970
| ''[[The Dick Cavett Show]]''
| Herself
| Season 5, episode 55 – aired January 22, 1970.<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1971
| ''The Virginia Graham Show''
| Herself
| 
|-
| 1975–76
| ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]''
| Herself
| Guest host – season 5, episode 2 – aired 9/24/76. Guest on 2 episodes: season 3, episode 34 – Host: Chubby Checker; season 4, episode 21 – Host: David Brenner, Other guest: Fleetwood Mac<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Dinah!]]''
| Herself
| Season 2, episode 167 – aired May 24, 1976<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Sha Na Na (TV series)|Sha Na Na]]''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Pyramid (game show)|$20,000 Pyramid]]''
| Herself
| ''$20,000 Pyramid'' – season 6, episode 6 – Soupy Sales & 5 female stars – aired 10/10/77<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 1970
| ''Our Time''
| Herself
|
|-
| 1982–83
| ''[[All My Children]]''
| June Gordan
| A music publicist for 6 episodes; performed the song "Easy to Say, Hard to Do" which was written for the show
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Murphy Brown]]''
| Herself
| Episode: season 10 episode 16: "Opus One"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locatetv.com/tv/murphy-brown/1126284/episode-guide%22|title=LocateTV.com Is Closed|access-date=June 6, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007062035/http://www.locatetv.com/tv/murphy-brown/1126284/episode-guide%22|archive-date=October 7, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Frank recreates ''American Bandstand'' for Murphy's 50th birthday; guests Dick Clark; Fabian; Lesley Gore; Chubby Checker; Sally Field.
|-
| 1998
| ''[[A Capitol Fourth]]''
| Herself
| Lesley performed in concert for the annual "A Capitol Fourth" July 4 celebration in Washington. The show was nationally televised by PBS on the evening of July 4, 1998. (Frank Dixon original source on this).<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.patswayne.com/lesley/lesnews.htm| title=Lesley's News| access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| 2001
| ''Walk on By: The Story of Popular Song''
| Herself
| Episode: "Producer Pop"
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Biography (TV series)|Biography]]''
| Herself
| Episode: "Lesley Gore: 'It's Her Party'"
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Hollywood Squares]]''
| Herself
| Recurring guest; 2 episodes
|-
| 2005
| ''Party Planner with David Tutera''
| Herself
| Episode: "Broadway Legend's Soiree"
|-
| 2006
| ''In the Life''
| Herself
| Season 1, episode 116 on Logo Borders – aired 1/1/06<ref name="tv.com"/>
|-
| 2007
| ''[[TV Land Confidential]]''
| Herself
| Episode: "Music"
|-
| 2024
| ''My Music: New Rock, Pop & Doo Wop''
| Herself 
| [[PBS]] fund-raising special in the My Music series; singing ''You Don’t Own Me''; Volume Two: Doo Wop 51 and Rock At 50.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rock, Pop & Doo Wop {{!}} Volume Two: Doo Wop 51 and Rock At 50 |url=https://treasurycollection.com/products/rock-pop-doo-wop-7-dvd-2-cd-set |website=treasurycollection.com |publisher=Treasury Collection |access-date=24 March 2024  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230320221336/https://treasurycollection.com/products/rock-pop-doo-wop-7-dvd-2-cd-set |archive-date= 20 March 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Marchese |first1=Joe |title=A Second Disc Interview: TJ Lubinsky Shares Details on New "Rock, Pop, and Doo Wop" DVD Set |url=https://theseconddisc.com/2020/07/08/a-second-disc-interview-tv-and-radio-personality-tj-lubinsky-shares-details-on-new-rock-pop-and-doo-wop-dvd-set/ |website=theseconddisc.com |date=July 8, 2020 |publisher=The Second Disc |access-date=24 March 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230302165808/https://theseconddisc.com/2020/07/08/a-second-disc-interview-tv-and-radio-personality-tj-lubinsky-shares-details-on-new-rock-pop-and-doo-wop-dvd-set/ |archive-date=2 March 2023}}</ref>
|-
| Unknown
| ''[[Days of Our Lives]]''
| Unknown
| 
|-
| Unknown
| ''[[Gay USA]]''
| Unknown
| 
|}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book | last1=Tollivier | first1=Trevor| title=You Don't Own me: Life & the times of Lesley Gore| publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation | date=2015|isbn=9781-4950-2441-2}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Biography}}
* [http://www.lesleygorefanclub.com/8.html Discography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230302165807/https://lesleygorefanclub.com/8.html |date=March 2, 2023 }}
* {{discogs artist|Lesley Gore}}
* {{allMusic}}
* {{IMDb name|0330753}}
{{Archival records|title=Lesley Gore papers, 1900-2017|location= Music Division, [[New York Public Library for the Performing Arts]]|description_URL=https://archives.nypl.org/mus/185582}}

{{Lesley Gore}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gore, Lesley}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:2015 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:Actresses from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:American child singers]]
[[Category:American women singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American women pop singers]]
[[Category:American child pop musicians]]
[[Category:Dwight-Englewood School alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:American feminist musicians]]
[[Category:Jewish American songwriters]]
[[Category:Jewish feminists]]
[[Category:American lesbian actresses]]
[[Category:American lesbian artists]]
[[Category:American lesbian musicians]]
[[Category:Lesbian feminists]]
[[Category:Lesbian Jews]]
[[Category:Lesbian singers]]
[[Category:Lesbian songwriters]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ songwriters]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New Jersey]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Singers from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Actresses from Tenafly, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New Jersey]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century American Jews]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from New York (state)]]