It's My Party (Lesley Gore song)

"It's My Party" is a pop song that has been recorded by numerous artists since the 1960s. In 1963, American singer Lesley Gore's version hit number one on the pop and rhythm and blues charts in the United States.[1] It was the first hit single for producer Quincy Jones.

"It's My Party"
Original US single cover
Single by Lesley Gore
from the album I'll Cry If I Want To
B-side"Danny"
ReleasedApril 1963
RecordedMarch 30, 1963
Genre
Length2:19
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Quincy Jones
Lesley Gore singles chronology
"It's My Party"
(1963)		 "Judy's Turn to Cry"
(1963)
Alternative cover
EP cover

Theme

The song lyrically portrays the discomfort of a teenage girl at her birthday party when her boyfriend Johnny disappears, only to return in the company of Judy, another girl, who is "wearing his ring", to indicate he has replaced the birthday girl as his love interest.[2]

The song's chorus, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to... You would cry too if it happened to you!" became a part of American pop cultural language as a phrase used to describe being utterly humiliated and miserable during an event that is supposed to be a happy occasion.

"It's My Party" is in the key of A major.[3] The song's effectiveness is enhanced by several musical touches producer Quincy Jones incorporated, including Latin-sounding rhythms, double tracked vocals and effective horn parts.[2] Allmusic critic Jason Ankeny wrote of the song, "'It's My Party' remains one of the most vivid evocations of adolescent heartbreak ever waxed—Quincy Jones produced the record, although you'd swear it was Aaron Spelling instead."[2]

Background

"It's My Party" was credited to John Gluck, Wally Gold and Herb Weiner, staff writers at the Aaron Schroeder Music firm in 1962. The lyrics were actually written by Seymour Gottlieb, a freelance songwriter. He gave the lyrics to Herb Weiner, with whom he partnered in writing songs, to peddle. It was based on actual events relating to Gottlieb's daughter Judy's ‘Sweet 16’ party, before which she cried over the prospect of her grandparents being invited.[4] The demo for the song was cut by Barbara Jean English, a girl group veteran (the Clickettes, the Fashions), who was then working as a receptionist at the firm. She also worked with Jimmy Radcliffe, serving as the firm's in-house demo singer. Radcliffe produced the demo, and, according to English, "tried to persuade Musicor [the label owned by Aaron Schroeder] to release it as a record, or to take me into a master studio and redo it, but they weren't interested".[5]

The first recording of the song was in 1962 by The Chiffons for their One Fine Day album. It was also recorded by Helen Shapiro for her Helen in Nashville album in February 1963 with Shapiro's regular producer, Norrie Paramor, and also Al Kasha. Shapiro later recalled: "Right from the first time we heard the song on the rough demo back in London, we thought we were going to sock them between the eyes with that one";[5] however, Shapiro's version was not one of the cuts chosen as an advance single from the album and by the time of the album's release that October the "It's My Party" track was perceived as a cover of Lesley Gore's hit.

Lesley Gore recalls that "It's My Party" was among some two hundred demos producer Quincy Jones brought to review with her in the den of her family home in February 1963. On hearing "It's My Party", Gore told Jones: "That's not half bad. I like it. Good melody. Let's put it on the maybe pile." The song proved to be the only demo Gore and Jones found agreeable. With Jones producing and Claus Ogerman handling arranging and conducting duties, Gore recorded 'It's My Party' at Bell Sound Studios in Manhattan on March 30, 1963.[5][6]

In March 1963 Phil Spector heard the demo of "It's My Party" while visiting Aaron Schroeder's office. Wally Gold later recalled: "He [Spector] said, 'Great, I love it. I’m gonna do it with the Crystals.' We [the song's writers] were really excited, because that would ensure that the record was #1!"[7] Schroeder apparently only learned of the Lesley Gore recording of "It's My Party" when Quincy Jones invited him to hear the completed track, which Schroeder found formulaic; believing that Spector would be able to cut a much stronger version of the song with the Crystals and not wanting to lose Spector's good will, Schroeder attempted to convince Jones to suppress the track. Schroeder did not mention Spector's version to Jones but Jones and Spector both happened to attend a concert with Charles Aznavour at Carnegie Hall on the evening of March 30, 1963 and when they met outside it came up in conversation that Spector had recorded a version of "It's My Party" with the Crystals.[note 1] Jones skipped the concert, instead spending that night—a Saturday—at Bell Sound Studios making a test pressing of the track comprising one hundred copies.

Over the next two days Jones mailed these out to radio programmers in key markets across the US. Gore heard her record played on the radio for the first time that Friday; the official release of "It's My Party" came later in the month, with the disc ascending to number one nationally in four weeks.[5][7] Jones was abroad at the time of "It's My Party"'s release. On his return he expressed dismay when Aaron Schroeder advised him that the rush release of "It's My Party" had precluded coining a more pleasant name for the singer than "Lesley Gore", to which Schroeder replied: "Didn't anybody tell you?...Quince, the record's number one. Do you really give a damn what her last name is?"[5]

In 1980, WCBN-FM, the University of Michigan freeform student radio station, played "It's My Party" for 18 hours straight the day after Ronald Reagan was elected.[8]

Charts

Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin version
"It's My Party"
Single by Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin
B-side"Waiting in the Wings"
ReleasedAugust 1981[16]
Recorded1981
Genre
Length3:47
LabelStiff
Songwriter(s)
  • Wally Gold
  • John Gluck Jr.
  • Herb Weiner
Producer(s)Dave Stewart
Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin singles chronology
"It's My Party"
(1981)		 "Johnny Rocco"
(1982)

In 1981, a remake by British artists Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin was a UK number-one hit single for four weeks, becoming the first version of the song to reach number one in the UK.[6] The cover also reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand and reached the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Germany, South Africa, and Switzerland. The music video for the Stewart/Gaskin version contained a cameo by Thomas Dolby as Johnny, Judy being played by Gaskin in a blond wig.

Weekly charts
Chart (1981–1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 4
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[19] 17
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[20] 13
Denmark (Hitlisten)[21] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 26
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 1
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[26] 3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[28] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 72
West Germany (Official German Charts)[30] 3

Year-end charts
Chart (1982) Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[31] 12
Chart (1982) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 47
West Germany (Official German Charts)[33] 29

Other versions

Sequel

Because of the pop cultural obsession with the song and its tragic nature, Gore recorded a sequel, "Judy's Turn to Cry". In this song, the teenage girl narrator gets her revenge on Judy. In the lyrics the narrator explicitly finds "foolish" how much she cried when she saw Johnny and Judy together, and seems determined to start anew. But after she kisses another boy at another party, Johnny gets jealous, punches the other boy and returns to her.[2] Following just two months on the heels of "It's My Party", the sequel reached number five on the charts.

Charts

Notes
  1. As with "He's a Rebel", the Crystals' hit for which it was intended as the follow-up, "It's My Party" was actually recorded not by the Crystals but the Blossoms, who cut the track at Gold Star Studios. Darlene Love says the Spector version was "kinda slow with me and my sister Edna [Wright] singing together on lead. Much more R&B than Lesley Gore's version."[5]

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 803.
  2. Ankeny, J. "It's My Party". Allmusic. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  3. McClary, S., Knapp, R., Baur, S. & Warwick, J.C. (2008). Musicological identities: essays in honor of Susan McClary. Ashgate. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-7546-6302-7.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Tumposky, Ellen (February 18, 2015). "Brooklyn Woman recall origins of Gore's 'It's My Party'". Daily News. New York. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  5. "It's My Party". Cha Cha Charming Magazine. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007.
  6. Bronson, F. (2003). The Billboard book of number 1 hits (5 ed.). Random House. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-8230-7677-2.
  7. Shannon, Bob. "Behind The Hits: Stories: It's My Party". Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  8. "CBN History". Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  9. "Australian Weekly Singles Charts(David Kent) from 1963". Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  10. Flavour of New Zealand, 4 July 1963
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  12. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  13. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, June 8, 1963". Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  14. Musicoutfitters.com
  15. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1963". Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  16. "45cat - Dave Stewart With Barbara Gaskin - It's My Party / Waiting In The Wings - Stiff - UK - BROKEN 2". 45cat.com. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  17. "Australia's (David Kent) Weekly Singles Charts for 1982". Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  18. "Austriancharts.at – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  20. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0480." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  21. https://www.ukmix.org/showthread.php?63915-Danish-Charts-Archive
  22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It's My Party". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  23. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 48, 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  24. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  25. "Charts.nz – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  26. "SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Songs H-I". Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  29. "Dave Stewart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  30. "Offiziellecharts.de – Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – It's My Party". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  31. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1982). "The Top 200 Singles: January–December 1981". BPI Year Book 1982 (5th ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 46–49. ISBN 0-906154-03-0.
  32. "End of Year Charts 1982". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  33. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1982" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  34. "RPM Country Tracks for April 2, 1977". RPM. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
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