Lesley Gore at the T.A.M.I Show.

Cool! Maybe I Know is my favorite by her.

She had an amazing voice ... pitch perfect and strong. It's a shame she didn't have much say in her material. One of the few songs she was allowed to select, "You Don't Own Me", is still a classic.

My personal fav ... "She's a Fool"

I *love* her performance of "Maybe I Know" on the T.A.M.I. Show. She reminds me of Ricki Lake in "Hairspray." From that same video, I was obsessed with the woman playing guitar with Bo Diddley.

One of the most distinctive voices in pop music. I loved her because she was very sassy and her songs (whether she chose them or not) always reflected a yong woman who could think and act for herself.

This looks to be 1965, so she is indeed 18 or 19 (her birthday is in May).

That hairdo isn't a matronly hairdo, OP - that flip was considered young and stylish in the mid-60s. And young girls who wanted to look "sophisticated" would dress that way - but there are subtle things (like the plunging neckline, even with a sweater underneath it and the half-sleeves) that marked it as a young woman's outfit as opposed to a matron's.

I can't imagine the hell of being an 18 year old teen idol in the 1960's and gay. I know how the times destroyed so many like Sal Mineo, Tommy Kirk, Buster Keaton Jr., etc.

R5, if she was wearing a circle pin then I might argue that her outfit was youthful.... :) (I think you're actually being more accurate in your remarks than I was in mine, teasing aside.)%0D %0D I can remember all of my sister's friends wearing that same severe flip in their hair....the style lasted maybe up until about '68? '70? %0D %0D

Love love love Leslie Gore. "Maybe I Know" is one of my all-time hairbrush-in-the-mirror songs. I wonder if she and Dusty Springfield ever got it on?

She's wearing a pinkie ring!

She performed one night at Limelight in the 80s. Great voice even then. She did "It's My Party," among others.

There's a reason I had to double track her all the time.

She was so cute and talented. Did she ever date any famous lesbians? I'd love to read an autobiography, like R6 said I can't help but wonder how hard it was or wasn't for her to be gay and famous at that time.

R11,

I never did understand why Quincy Jones felt the "need" to double track her voice (even though it sounds cool). Lesley definitely had the chops to carry a song with her natural singing voice.

R6,

I remember reading an anecdote from Quincy about Lesley's mother standing in his office in a fur coat demanding he make her daughter a star. I don't think she had much choice about being gay and in the limelight.

She's in better voice live--more vigorous, rougher, more passionate--than she is on her recordings. How many current singers could make the same claim?

She quit showbiz to go to Sarah Lawrence...how dykey can you get?%0D %0D %0D %0D (And she does sound really good live!)

Lesley Gore gay? We had no clue. Female performers didn't have to dress like whores in those days. Talent was usually enough.

I like the way she looked here -- pre nose job.%0D %0D "Lesley Gore gay? We had no clue"%0D %0D LOL!

Quincy Jones produced all of her early Mercury label recordings.%0D %0D Sometimes when I listen to Maybe I Know....it sounds a lot like Michael Jackson's singing....

Lesley wasn't gay back in the 60's. She said in an interview she didn't know she was until she was in her twenties. In the same interview, she said she never kept it secret. She never hid and it wasn't hard for her to be famous AND gay.

Love her! I saw her play at the NY State Fair (I know) maybe around 1990, and she put on a great show and looked good. In addition to all her hits, she did an Elton John tribute medley that was surprisingly good.

Oh wait, that was Petula Clark. Sorry. But I still love Lesley.

R3, that was The Duchess.

Elisabeth Moss should grab the rights and make a biopic.

I saw recent photos of her and she looks very manly.

I read that Leslie actually reazed she was gay while she attended Sarah Lawrence...as many do...

Was Lesley's look in this video considered sexy by teenage boys back then? Or was it more meant to be aspirational for teenage girls?

r25 both

She's the poster child for "Helmet Hair" in that video.

Met her at The Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS flea market. She was nominated with her brother for The Oscar for Best Song for "Out Here on My Own" from "Fame" but lost to her brother who wrote the title song "Fame".

She was my first diva. I wanted a circle pin for my oxford cloth in the worst way, and a closetful of Ladybug and Villager.

She's gorgeous in the OP's link. WTF did she have a nosejob for? Her nose was fine there.

I saw a couple years and she was great. Still sounded really good. Met her after the show-very nice and tiny (which I always find interesting these tiny women with really powerful voices). In person,really striking light blue eyes which photograph kind of scary.

The first time I saw her was on the SHA NA NA SHOW when I was a kid. I only knew "It's My Party" until I saw this clip of her singing "You Don't Own Me" . It was really cool to meet her and to talk to her about that appearance. She apparently is still friends with and works with Bowzer from the band.

Browsing YouTube, seems like she always had unfortunate hair

Lesley Gore's former lover Lana Cantrell letting us hear why she was considered the "Aussie Streisand".

It's Judy's turn to cry, bitch!

I saw the show at the Palace Theater in Albany and it was a huge event with lots of the top stars of that year..I think it was '64. Lesley always looked ladylike and I always liked her. Girl singers were classy back then and covered up their goods. Today they let it all hang out like slobs because they have no talent so they peddle their flesh. Sad. Lesley had a quick affair with my other idol, Dusty Springfield..another awesome singer. I couldn't believe they were both gay although I never saw them with any boyfriends. They both said they were married to their career, which is what gay entertainers did back then. I don't care if they were dating giraffes..they had the talent and the songs..like most of the music in that GOLDEN time, were excellent..and I loved their clothing style...Wish I could bring back those ridiculously great days again. Things were really mind-blowingly good. By the way, Lesley went to Sarah Lawrence College, a primarily Jewish girls school (Yoko and Linda Eastman and Jackie Kennedy's sister, Lee attended) and it was notoriously lesbian, so this is probably where Lesley got her gay start. Just FYI. She was great and I miss her so much and those great songs. To hear a really great tune of hers, check out The Look of Love...the girl singers in back of her really were a tight group and it makes the whole record sound great.

[Quote] .the girl singers in back

included Ellie Greenwich (the song's writer).

[quote]She's wearing a pinkie ring!

That's because that little bitch Judy is wearing Johnny's ring!