By Andre Torrez
I”ve always known of her music, but a few months ago and admittedly after watching John Water’s Hairspray for the first time in its entirety, I became eerily obsessed with Lesley Gore‘s song “You Don’t Own Me.” That song is great. Almost immediately I bought one of her compilation CDs, shamelessly playing the track on repeat.
I guess there were hints of pessimism in some of those early ’60s hits although they maintained their poppy playfulness (i.e., “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and “It’s My Party”). It’s hard to believe Gore recorded them at the tender age of 16. Oddly enough, Quincy Jones of Thriller fame was responsible for many of her early gems – which could explain their broad appeal production-wise.