Lesley Gore

Birthdate: May 2, 1946
Death date: February 16, 2015
NJ Town Affiliation: Tenafly

Lesley Gore emerged at age 16 as a voice for teenage heartbreak, but it didn’t take long for her message to mature into one of resilience and female empowerment.

Born Lesley Sue Goldstein, the future star was raised in Tenafly, New Jersey and attended the Dwight School for Girls, a prep school in neighboring Englewood. Her father, Leo, was a successful women’s swimwear manufacturer; her mother, Ronny, a homemaker. The family changed its name to Gore soon after Lesley’s birth.

Gore was a junior in high school when demo recordings she made with her vocal coach came to the attention of producer Quincy Jones, who at the time was responsible for signing talent to Mercury Records. The label rush-released Gore’s recording of “It’s My Party” in an effort to beat a competing version of the song to radio. The strategy worked and the single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart on June 1, 1963 —  four weeks after Gore’s 17th birthday.

“It’s My Party”– about a girl whose birthday bash goes wrong when she sees her fickle boyfriend with another girl — became an instant classic. The success of the song — one of four she recorded in her first session with Jones — was a total surprise to Gore. “I left the studio and forgot about the whole thing,” she told TV host Dick Clark, according to “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits.”

Gore next cut a sequel, “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” in which the protagonist turns the tables on her rival. The song went to No. 5 that July. In September, she reached No. 5 again with “She’s a Fool,” capturing still more teen angst. But by December, Gore changed her tone with the indelibly defiant “You Don’t Own Me,” an anthemic pop classic that climbed to No. 2 on the singles chart and has endured for over 60 years as a feminist anthem.

Gore’s success continued with hits including “That’s The Way Boys Are,” “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” “Maybe I Know,” “The Look of Love”, and “California Nights” – assuring her a place in pop’s pantheon. 

Even as Lesley was making hit records, she continued her education, earning a degree in English and American literature at Sarah Lawrence College.Continuing to record and perform as a singer and actress, she even landed a recurring role in TV’s “Batman” series as Pink Pussycat in 1967. More importantly, she began to write her own songs and earned an Oscar nomination for “Out Here on My Own,” which she penned with her composer brother, Michael Gore, for the 1980 hit movie,“Fame.”

Thanks to her early hits, Gore toured worldwide for decades. Her acting career took her to Broadway, where she guest starred in the musical revue “Smokey Joe’s Café.” On TV, she hosted several episodes of “In the Life,” a PBS series that focused on LGBTQ issues. In 2005, she came out publicly as gay. Her candor became part of her legacy as an icon of female self-determination.