"It's My Party" is another one of those songs that became a huge hit here in Sweden, but in a Swedish version:

While "It's My Party" is a great song, personally I think I like "You Don't Own Me" better. It's a shame that it failed to reach #1!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gx-mknOV54

Edited March 12, 201213 yr by I Am A Swede

I like You Don't Own Me but it reminds me of First Wives Club, which I didn't like.

Max, yes... the composer of "Yummy Yummy Yummy" confirmed that the song was about oral sex, a clue is during the first instrumental break, Listen starting at :32, there is some very suggestive moans that go right over the head of most listeners, especially those listening on AM radios. There are actually several bubblegum songs with very dirty double entendre lyrics, it became an inside joke in the industry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkoT0Me2sRU

I LOVE "You Don't Own Me", and I also feel it's the best of her hits (I liked First Wives club, though) I also feel her last top 40 hits, "California Nights" is VERY VERY good. More mature, and beautiful, atmospheric song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6zhSpQpIM8

Carl, I also HATE the lyrics of "Judy's Turn to Cry" for the exact same reason your friend does. It perpetuates and plants ideas in teenage girls' heads and teaches them how to be conniving.

Edited March 13, 201213 yr by alphanguy74

And yes, Max... her voice is not nearly what it once was. I have to say... I have heard much worse recently *cough* Chuck Negron *cough*. Here is a great live performance of "It's My Party" from 1989 when she still had it:

Lesley Gore I will always remember for this

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She sang in this episode and this is probably the only time she was ever called a "titian haired wench"

Have any of you heard any of this album? (awful album cover!)

http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-me-by-name-r8450/review

Here's one song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSsolPA0QiU

I Am A Swede, the instrumentation on the Swedish version of "It's My Party" sounds almost identical to Lesley Gore's version.

Given its pro-feminist message, the success of "You Don't Own Me" was somewhat surprising. Its massive popularity came nearly a decade before the all-time feminist anthem--Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman"--reached #1. (It is also ironic that Lesley Gore succeeded Jimmy Soul at #1, given that his chart-topper was so sexist.)

I am glad that Qfan shared a clip of Gore's appearance on "Batman." Julie Newmar was absolutely gorgeous.

I actually disagree with Alphanguy regarding the state of Gore's voice in 1989 (as I thought it sounded awful even then). This was such a shame, given that she had one of the most beautiful voices of the 60s.

Gore's voice still sounded great in 1976, though I have to agree with Carl about that album cover being absolutely horrendous.

Edited March 15, 201213 yr by Max

I have just caught onto this thread and am enjoying all the posts and comments.

Lesley appeared on AMC in the 80's as June Gordon,who was involved in Mark Dalton's storyline,

I have a CD of Leslie's 60's career and it includes some other strong songs that I think could have been hits.

Paul, welcome to this thread, and thank you for your kind words.

The second #1 hit of the rock era to be sung entirely in a foreign language was "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. This song held the peak position for three weeks: the weeks ended 6/15/63, 6/22/63, & 6/29/63.

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Kyu Sakamoto was born in Kawasaki, Japan and was the ninth and youngest child in the family. Before going solo in 1961, Kyu was a member of the Drifters (a Japanese act that was completely unrelated to the American group of the same name). That very year, Sakamoto recorded a ballad titled "Ue O Muite Aruko," which literally means "I Look Up When I Walk." According to Wikipedia, "the lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears won't fall."

More than twelve months after "Ue O Muite Aruko" beame a smash hit in Japan, British musician Kenny Ball released an instrumental version of the song in his native country (which would peak at #10 there). Prior to that record's release, however, the title was changed to "Sukiyaki;" this was merely done because "Sukiyaki" was far easier for English speaking people to recognize and pronounce than "Ue O Muite Aruko." (Sukiyaki is actually a Japanese stew-type dish and has nothing at all to do with Sakamoto's song.) When Kyu's original, Japanese-language tune was released in the U.S. in 1963, the title "Sukiyaki" was kept.

"Sukiyaki" went to the top ten two additional times, with cover versions in English that were not 100% translations of Sakamoto's 1963 chart-topper: A Taste of Honey took the song to #3 in 1981, and 4 P.M. had a #8 hit with the song in 1995. (I find both of these covers to be far more tolerable than Kyu's version, which I consider dreadful and most certainly not deserving of #1 status.) However, Kyu himself did not beneift much from "Sukiyaki," as it was his only top 40 hit here. On August 12, 1985, Sakamoto was one of 520 people who perished (in one of the most tragic airline disasters ever) when Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed into a mountain. He was only 43 years old.

Kyu Sakamoto remains by far the most successful Japanese artist of the rock era. Aside from Sakamoto, the only chart appearances for natives of Japan came when Pink Lady scored a #37 hit with 1979's "Kiss in the Dark," and when the Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Computer Games" fizzled at #60 the following year.

Edited March 16, 201213 yr by Max

I'm not sure I can say it didn't deserve to be #1 - what were the other hits at this time which didn't make it to the top spot? - but it's not a song I love. He certainly gives an emotional performance, but I wonder if this was some type of Orientalism, especially since this era seemed to be rife with that type of fascination (Teahouse of August Moon, Sayonara, Flower Drum Song, that unfortunate Mickey Rooney character in Breakfast at Tiffany's).

Here's the Taste of Honey version. Very pretty (and I think she's singing live - I didn't know anyone did that on Solid Gold).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcad9bNv670

Oh Carl, lots of people sung live on Soild Gold... Marilyn Mccoo sang something live on every show, as did Dionne when she hosted. I like Sukiyaki... it's really ODD that A Japanese song would go to number one. I LOVE foreign language songs (As you all can tell) but the public at large doesn't seem to, and I think it a real unusual case. I also LOVE Taste Of Honey's version. Those two women had a ton of talent. Asian artists rarely get releases in the United states... A couple years after this, a Chinese duo released a song here sung in English, but it never went anywhere, although I thought it was VERY beautiful and deserved to be a hit (the girl is half Chinese, and the boy is Bruce Lee's younger brother)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwGDJeMBKcs

Edited March 16, 201213 yr by alphanguy74

I'm not sure I can say it didn't deserve to be #1 - what were the other hits at this time which didn't make it to the top spot?

Carl, at the number 3 position during this time, was one of Eric's beloved Bacharach/David compositions, by Bobby Vinton:

That's not one of my favorite Bobby Vinton songs but is certainly worthy of #1.