Lesley Gore – I'll Cry If I Want To

By far one of the greatest 60s albums of all time. I literally love this album. Everyone should have it in their collection.

Lesley Gore is a unique artist in her time and place. For one, she had a clear plan artistically, and she thought (or her producer Quincy Jones) of the album as a mood piece, or carry a theme. Here on this album is the subject matter of tears. A teenager's tears are the most bittersweet of them all. She is billed on the album cover as "The amazing 17-year-old," and clearly, this is the case.

There is a defiance in Gore's approach to pop that she has the right to feel blue or to express her feelings fully. There is an intelligence at work here, and I don't think it was manufactured by her manager, record producer or even adults in the room. The power of her vocal delivery and the choices of songs on this album makes it a fantastic work. "It's My Party" is a teenager's lament of existence, yet, her tone is strong that she will not accept this insult any longer. On the other hand, she is a teenager, and Gore knows that's her natural state of mind and body. The articulation of her stance is genius-like, in that she even made an answer song or a continuation of the "It's My Party" narration to "Judy's Turn To Cry."

Claus Ogerman's arrangements are sophisticated, yet in tuned to the teenage market at the time. The whole package is one of intelligence, passion, vision, and Gore's ability to express the everyday angst of a teenager facing a harsh world. Lesley I feel is very underrated talent.