Lesley Gore as proto-riot grrl?
These two are super subtle little moments, but give this otherwise simple bubblegum song a weird little edge. I'm not sure if these inflections are audible in the original recordings or are just now present due to remastering and getting to hear all the little details.
If you listen verrrry carefully to the song, you'll hear Ms. Gore deviate from her otherwise very smooth singing into a slight little snarl. In the first clip there's the line "Til Johnny's dancing with me/I've got no reason to smile" where the words "I've got" and "smile" are given an angry inflection with a bit of a scratchy-throat distortion.
The second snippet is even better I think, but even more subtle. The line finishes with "Judy's wearing his ring." The way "ring" is sung is just great. It's more like "ringg-uh" - you can really hear it in the back of her throat, almost like she's spitting out the word.
Maybe I'm just hallucinating, but I really like these weird little details. It gives a different dimension to the song, the performer, and even the era from which it was from.
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What? You are just noticing this NOW??? Because Lesley was a strong strong singer, even guys in the 60s liked most of her songs, unlike most of the other girl singers.
She growls a lot in all her hits. She is a lesbian and has that strength and growl in her voice always. This is not new....
Bubblegum music was not invented or the term used until the late 1960s with the Archies and a few other groups. "IMP" would never be classified as bubblegum! This was a hard hitting, instantly noticeable song as it hit the airwaves in 1963, taking only four weeks to hit #1.
If this surprises you, listen to the other Gore hits.
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