Showing posts with label Leslie Gore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leslie Gore. Show all posts

Monday, July 25, 2011

Summer Songs #23... The Things We Did Last Summer


The boat rides we would take
The moonlight on the lake
The way we danced & hummed our favorite song
The things we did last summer
I'll remember all winter long

The midway & the fun
The kewpie doll we won
The bell I rang to prove that I was strong
The things we did last summer
I'll remember all winter long

The early morning hike
The rented tandem bike
The lunches that we used to pack
We never could explain that sudden summer rain
The looks we got when we got back

The leaves begin to fade like promises we made
How could a love that seemed so right go wrong
That things we did last summer
I'll remember all winter long

Sammy Kahn
1946



Monday, May 2, 2011

I Don't Tell You What To Say, I Don't Tell You What To Do...

Today marks the 65th birthday of Lesley Sue Goldstein. She is a thinly disguised character, played by Bridgett Fonda, in a favorite movie- Grace Of My Heart. The film deals with the struggles with her sexuality, but in real life Leslie Gore wouldn’t come out as gay until 2005. 

"I'm free & I love to be free
"To live my life the way I want
To say & do whatever I please"



Leslie Gore was discovered, nurtured & her early work was produced by Quincy Jones, & what a catalogue of 1960s hits! She was 16 when she had her first hit- It’s My Party.  After she recorded It's My Party, she was told not to be disappointed if it was never released. She didn't think much would become of it until she heard it on the radio. Gore was something of an anomaly in the pop music world, a solo female artist in an age of girl-groups. Gore has lived in NYC with her partner of 31 years- Lois, a jewelry designer. One of her songs has been a personal anthem, sung by your host with conviction & tears, all alone in the house. I love her sound, & I was crazy for her work then & I am crazy about it now:


It’s My Party
Judy’s Turn To Cry
She’s A Fool
You Don’t Own Me
I Don’t Know Anymore
That’s The Way Boys Are
Maybe I Know
The Look Of Love
Sunshine, Lollipops, & Roses
Young Love
California Nights