Song Lyric Sunday – It’s My Party

Looks like Jim thinks it might be time to celebrate for he has given us the prompts of Birthday/Cake/Gift/Party/Surprise this week. Now those words reveal a ton of options to choose from.

Lesley Gore recorded “It’s My Party” in 1963, produced by Quincy Jones. It was the first hit single for Jones. Lesley Gore was sixteen and a junior in high school when the song was released. ( The song was recorded in 1962 by The Chiffons and in early 1963 by Helen Shapiro.)

The song was credited to John Gluck, Wally Gold and Herb Weiner of Aaron Schroeder’s music company, but the lyrics were actually written by freelance songwriter Seymour Gottlieb.

Around the same time Gore recorded the song, Phil Specter heard the demo at Schroeder’s office and decided he wanted to record the record with The Crystals. Schroeder tried to get Quincy to abandon the track he recorded with Lesley Gore but did not tell him Specter planned to record the track with The Crystals. Jones found out quite by accident when Specter mentioned it to him one evening while attending a concert at Carnegie Hall. Jones skipped the concert and spent the evening pressing a hundred copies and mailed them to radio stations, beating Specter to the punch. When the song was released officially later the same month, it reached #1 on the charts in four weeks. “It’s My Party” sold over a million copies and was certified as a gold record.

The lyrics of the song were based on the true events surrounding the Sweet Sixteen birthday party of Gottlieb’s daughter Judy. She cried when she found out her grandparents were to be invited to her party. I guess grandparents cramp the style of a 16 year old!

It’s My Party
Lyrics from Songfacts.com

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you

Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone
But Judy left the same time
Why was he holding her hand
When he’s supposed to be mine

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you

Playin’ my records, keep dancin’ all night
But leave me alone for a while
Till Johnny’s dancin’ with me
I’ve got no reason to smile

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you

Judy and Johnny just walked through the door
Like a queen with her king
Oh what a birthday surprise
Judy’s wearin’ his ring

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you

Oh it’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to
You would cry too if it happened to you

It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to