This was a revolutionary song because of the lyrics. Girls were expected to live their life for men.... period! It became an anthem for women tired of the "barefoot and pregnant" train of thought.
I remember my mother telling her boyfriend/man at the time these wordsI'm young and I love to be young “I'm free and I love to be free” And of course I knew right where it came from...My mother was an Independent and Self Dependent woman who raise three girls mostly by herself..( in a time when woman was barely able to work).She gave me my spirit and taught me never let anyone hold you down..Lord how I miss her advice
I am surprised they didn't do an an entire movie about Leslie. She was groundbreaking in many ways. As a little boy when her hits came out, i was just fascinated with her, she was unusual. Especially on this song.
Her facial expressions, superbly timed smiles, eye movements, and overall delivery coupled with those fantastic ‘60’s chord changes make this one GREAT video.
He established his name as a producer having produced several hits for Dinah Washington on Mercury record label. Lesley was signed to the same label matched with Quincy to produce her records.
Teenage pop singers like Leslie were pretty popular in the early 60s. Kind of set the foundation of girl groups that would be signed to Motown. Oh and the reason, it hasn't been updated is because nobody could come close to her voice and nobody wants to hear remixes of 50-60 year old songs on radio. There's a reason why certain songs and artists still hold up over the years.
They used a remake of this track, in "Suicide Squad" for Harley Quinn's introduction. -- If you like this song, try Frank Sinatra's daughter, Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made Walking." -- I also 2nd a vote for Lulu "To Sir With Love", which is also one of my Sidney Poitier favorite films.
Sung by Grace Sewell (aka Saygrace) a young Aussie singer who recorded this song at the tender age of 19yo. A nice play as well for intro to Harley Quinn (aka Margot Robbie) another great Aussie artist...
Leslie first recorded this in 1963, she was 17 at the time. Major sentiment in the song for the time. My sister, Leslie’s age, took this song to heart for the rest of her living days. Being a 13 y.o. boy then, I only knew I loved her voice and her looks. (Dusty Springfield as well.) - BG
This song brings memories when my mom would be be cleaning the house and signing along with the song. I'd be in my room listening to music like Queen,Def Leppard, Led Zeppelin,Prince etc :) But now,I sure appreciate my mom's music. 🥰❤ I'll take those good ol happy times with today's times any day.
Me too. I never got this when I was a kid, but man, when my dad was away my mum and her best friend would open a bottle of wine, bring out the cigarettes, crank up the old turntable and Lesley would play at full volume over and over again…..
underrated and way ahead of her time and what an incredible performance - there have been many covers over the years, like Grace and G-Eazy, but none have come up to the level of passion and commitment to the lyrics as Lesley Gore
This song came out in 1963. The iconic movie To Sir with Love with Sidney Poitier featured the song To Sir with Love by Lulu in 1967. The feminist movement with Gloria Steinem being one of the facesGloria of the movement began in the late 60s early 70s. Bra burning was in 1968. When you wrap it all up with a pretty bow this song was really far ahead of its time
I'm so proud of you young men for reacting so positively to this song. What a difference from the time when this was written and performed. Change is happening. It may be slower than we'd like but it is happening. Great reaction!
Lesley Gore also has a song called maybe I know which is one of my favorites of her songs along with the one you're listening to now she got about four or five others but they're the typical boy girl relationship songs.
Lesley Gore has always been one of my very favorite singers. "You Don't Own Me" was one of her favorites, and lots of times she closed her concerts with this song. I would love to see your reaction to dimash kudaibergen - sos d'un terrien en détresse english
Always loved this song, even though it came out when I was 6. She did It's My Party, which was great, and a big hit for her, and the follow up, and the rest of the story, It's Judy's Turn To Cry. I would love for you to react to them. Like others have said, this video doesn't do her voice justice!
The lyrics sound even more personal for Gore when you realize that she was lesbian, but in those days it was not a good career move to make that information public (not that it's anybody's business other than hers). Great record and the best of the 60s Girl Group singers.
Try "It's My Party" ( and I'll Cry if I want To ) This song, You Don't Own Me, was remade for a movie with Goldie Hawn and two other Hollywood stars, Diane Keaton and Bette Midler ) ...who sang it in trio. Trying to remember the name of the movie! ( late 80s or 90s)
As others have mentioned this was not her best performance and add my name to the list of those who cite "Maybe I Know" as their favorite Lesley Gore song. "You Don't Own Me" was written by two men (John Madara and David White) who wanted to create a song where a woman made a statement but they didn't expect it to become an anthem for independence. It was a noticeable break from the usual kind of song that girl and girl groups had been singing such as Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him," and Marcie Blane's "(I Want To Be) Bobby's Girl." For Lesley it was a case of bad timing because "You Don't Own Me" was at number two on the charts at the end of 1963 but was denied the number one spot when a new band called The Beatles took the US by storm in January 1964. Lesley continued to record but this was her last top ten hit although she made it into the top 20 with "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows" and "California Nights." She later found success as a songwriter and released an album in 2005 that had a remake of "You Don't Own Me." She was able to make a singing comeback on the nostalgia circuit but sadly she passed away in early 2015.
Lesley Gore had a little string of hits in the early-to-mid '60s that lasted about 3 or 4 years, and then she sort of fell of the radar screen, never to be heard from again. Her biggest hit was "It's My Party." There were far better female vocalists in the 1960s. But there's no denying that her star shone brightly for a little while. She was fortunate to come along right at a time when NBC and ABC television both telecast a prime time show catering to the youth music market -- "Hullaballoo!" on NBC, and "Shindig!" on ABC, each showcased young pop music stars, giving artists like Lesley Gore national exposure they might not otherwise have received. As others have mentioned, this particular song is meaningful today because we can look back in hindsight and realize that it was pretty revolutionary for its time in that a girl proclaiming her independence from a domineering male partner was very progressive, women's lib kind of thinking that had not yet been embraced by mainstream America. Leave it to the younger generation to lead on such issues.
You're fun to watch. Leslie and Michael Gore wrote most of the songs for the movie Fame. If you really want to do something different and be totally thrilled I think you'd get a huge kick out of the finale from the original 1980 movie - - I Sing the Body Electric. I can pretty much guarantee that you will NOT be disappointed. Make sure, if you do it, to actually watch it done from the original film. It's a fantastic scene and the performance is absolutely mind-bogglingly moving and thrilling and beautifully staged. There's a bunch of links to it on youtube. All the best from an enthusiastic new viewer. Good work, young man.
I grew up in the 60s so I love was a huge fan of Leslie Gore. I think she became a star at age 16. How about some Dusty Springfield like I Only Wanna Be With You.
The clip was taken from the film called "The T.A.M.I. Show" which was released in movie theaters. The show actually took place at the Santa Monica Auditorium. I remember seeing it a few years later on television when Dick Clark hosted.
I read in a biography of Leslie Gore at Wikipedia, that she came out of the closet, and admitted in a 2005 interview that she was a lesbian, and that she had a "common-law" marriage with Lois Sasson since 1982. I do not get the impression that people did not want to cover Leslie Gore's music because of her sexual orientation, even though some people inside the music industry may have had the impression that was gay. "You Don't Own Me" is a great song about young female empowerment. I guess that the younger generation of singers and songwriters are simply not familiar with this song, due to the passage of time, and the view by Oldies Rock radio program directors that this song is not as valuable or important in Gore's musical legacy as her other hit songs, such as "It's My Party", and "Judy's Turn To Cry". In the very-historic 1964 Rock concert film, "The T.A.M.I. Show", Leslie Gore was the "headlining act" of a two-day music festival to raise college scholarship money. She performed this song (which you just watched and heard), and five other songs during her set. The concert film was caught up in "litigation hell" for decades, until all of the lawsuits were settled, and the film was finally put out on DVD several years ago. "The T.A.M.I. Show" is available for viewing in its entirety here on RU-vid. Along with Leslie Gore, the concert film also stars Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson And The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, James Brown And The Famous Flames, and The Rolling Stones, along with other music acts. Note: James Brown And The Famous Flames stole the entire show: the crowd went absolutely NUTS for James Brown.
Lesley Gore came from a wealthy family and didn't really have to sing, but she loved to. Several huge hits. She was my generation, so, yeah, I know her and the time.
In the 1960’s it was very difficult for an unmarried woman to get a bank account or a credit card in her own name. If she was married, she was allowed to be a signatory on her husband’s account. Not only that, 26 states denied unmarried women the right to birth control. Oh, and it was perfectly legal to fire both married and unmarried women if they became pregnant and the first sexual harassment lawsuit wasn’t filed until 1974.
This song is 57 years old so this was a radical song for that era when women were pretty much still considered chattel. She was a song writer and she was also a social activist. She was a Lesbian and open about it, she found the music industry very homophobic. She was a host of the PBS Gay Life series "In The Life". She was in a relationship with luxury jewelry designer Lois Sassoon from 1982 until Gores death from Lung Cancer in 2015
This song and all of her hits were produced by Quincy Jones. The studio versions were much better than the concert footage. She was a neighbor in Tenafly NJ. She was 17 in this concert, which also included The Miracles, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Beach Boys ,James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry..etc ...great concert...the live version here is not the complete song...she died several years ago at the age of 66...RIP.
I love this song and it's all can be for anybody in your life rather be someone you're dating male or female, your boss or your parent I am my own person
I like looking at live versions, but sometimes the singer's voice isn't so clear. If you hear the another recording of this song, her voice is so strong. Please react to "El Paso" Marty Robbins and "Rainy Night in Georgia" Brook Benton. My favorite way of listing to these songs is relaxed with my eye closed.
Ok Leslie was 16/17 years old. She also did it’s my party with the sequel of it’s judys turn to cry. Aqua net was the hair spray girls used to hold their hair so tight and still lol. Try lulu with the titled song of to sir with love, she stars and sings in the movie with Sidney pointier to sir with love! These old songs done with no auto tune just their voice and their presence.
in respect to judge ruth bader ginsberg -- this could be her theme song. we had to fight to live the way we wanted, dress the way we wanted, and think for ourselves without being told to shut-up and go out and get the jobs we wanted. still working on it but i love it
Try listening to the official album recording - I think her voice sounds better in the studio recording than I this live version. She sounds even more forceful in the studio recorded version.
Just thought I'd give you a little tidbit of information that you might find interesting to know about Lesley Gore. Leslie Gore was one of the first people that was signed to Berry Gordy in the Motown label and she had I don't know five six seven hits with Motown before she finally faded away. Like I said just a little piece of information I thought you might find interesting.Berry Gordy had to write idea when he created Motown and he was real good at finding talent.
She did sign with a subsidiary of Motown called Mowest in the early 70s after she left Mercury Records. She released one LP on Mowest in 1972 called Someplace Elae Now with all the songs written by Leskey and Ellen Weston.