"You Don't Own Me" is a pop song written by Philadelphia songwriters John Madara and David White and recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when she was 17 years old. The song was Gore's second most successful recording and her last top-ten single. Gore herself considered it to be her signature song claiming “I just can’t find anything stronger to be honest with you, it’s a song that just grows every time you do it.”[1]
Lesley Gore, 1967
The song was prominent at the time of its release in 1963 as it symbolized women's empowerment, showing the strength of a woman to stand up for herself against a man.[2] Since then, the song has been hailed as an early feminist anthem.[3] In 2015, singer SayGrace took Gore's song to No. 1 in Australia with a version featuring rapper G-Eazy.[4] The following year, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Background
The song expresses emancipation, as the singer tells a lover that he cannot objectify her. She doesn't want to be held to his hypocritical gender standards, such as not being able to see other men, when he sees other women. The song's lyrics became an inspiration for younger women and are sometimes cited as a factor in the development of the second wave feminist movement.[5]
Gore said, "My take on the song was: I'm 17, what a wonderful thing, to stand up on a stage and shake your finger at people and sing you don't own me."[6] In Gore's obituary, The New York Times referred to "You Don't Own Me" as "indelibly defiant".[7] American music magazine CashBox described it as "a throbbing, multi-track, ballad-with-a-beat on which [Gore] emotionally declares her independence."[8]
Chart performance
The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It remained at number two for three consecutive weeks, beginning on February 1, 1964, unable to overcome the Beatles' hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand".[9] It became Gore's second most successful hit after "It's My Party". The song was Gore's last top-ten single.[10][11]
After the success of "You Don't Own Me", many of Gore's other recordings (generally written by others), including "That's the Way Boys Are", were eventually comparatively criticized for not meeting feminist expectations. Of "That's the Way Boys Are", author Richard Aquila noted that the lyrics "voice the era's acceptance of sexual double standards," in contrast with the theme of Gore's previous single, "You Don't Own Me".[19] Aquila regards "That's the Way Boys Are" as one of several examples of Lesley Gore recordings that regard women as dependents or passive objects, along with her earlier singles "It's My Party" and "Judy's Turn to Cry".[19] Musicologist Walter Everett described "That's the Way Boys Are" as one of the many 1960s sexist songs that "perpetuated a boys-will-be-boys tolerance for male but not female infidelity."[20] Music critic Greil Marcus also mentioned how "That's the Way Boys Are" backs off from the "proto-feminist manifesto" of "You Don't Own Me" to a message of "he may treat you like garbage, but they're all like that, and we love 'em for it!"[21]
On August 14–21, 1965, Patty Duke peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 with "Don't Just Stand There", which sounds very similar to "You Don't Own Me".[22]
Impact
Lesley Gore's single "You Don't own Me" was one of the first songs of its kind to become a feminist anthem, speaking out against the misogynistic culture at the time the single was written in 1963. The impact of this song is evident today, as it has become a song of women's empowerment that is often played during many feminist rights marches, campaigns, and is often showcased on TV shows with a similar agenda.
Lesley Gore re-recorded "You Don't Own Me" for her 11th album Ever Since in 2005, later utilizing it during the 2012 presidential campaign encouraging women to vote and protect women's reproductive rights. The song has since been used in many different feminist rights campaigns, marches and TV shows, highlighting the significance of the powerful message the song still delivers. Gore said “After some 40 years, I still close my show with that song because I can’t find anything stronger, to be honest with you".[9] She still believes in the song's message, stating "When you can do a song in different ways, and do it over different periods of time, and it still has its legs, there's something to be said for that".[23]
Gore died in 2015 at the age of 68, sparking a remembrance of the hit song, "which only grew stronger as the rallying cry during the women’s marches in 2018 around the MeToo movement".[24] Even in death, she captivated a nation with the powerful words in "You Don't Own Me".
In 2015, the song was covered by Australian singer Grace and was released as her debut single. It features American rapper G-Eazy. Grace's version was produced by Quincy Jones, who also produced the original recording by Lesley Gore, and Parker Ighile. It was released on March 17, 2015, one month after Gore's death, and peaked at number one on the ARIA Charts, later being certified 3× platinum by the ARIA.[25] The song was also a success in New Zealand, peaking at number five for two consecutive weeks, and in the United Kingdom, peaking at number four.
In an interview with House of Fraser, Grace said, "[Quincy Jones] told me how the song came out during the feminist movement and how it was such a strong statement. I loved the song, started researching Lesley Gore and fell in love with her as an artist. [You Don't Own Me] really inspired me."[26]
The song was released worldwide on August 17, 2015. It grew to prominence in the UK when it was used in the 2015 House of Fraser Christmas advert.[26] It was also performed by The X Factor contestant Lauren Murray in 2015 and Matt Terry in 2016. The increased exposure for the song helped it rise to a peak of number four on the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured in the third trailer for the 2016 film Suicide Squad[27]
and appeared on the film's soundtrack album.[28]
The Ormsby Brothers released the first male version of this song in 1973. The New Zealand group's version peaked at number 5 in Australia in that year.[62]
André Hazes recorded a Dutch-language version of the song in 1981 for his album Gewoon André; "Zeg Maar Niets Meer" was popular in Europe, and reached number 2 in the Dutch charts in early 1982.
^ abAquila, R. (2000). That old-time rock & roll: a chronicle of an era, 1954-1963. University of Illinois Press. pp. 114–116, 234. ISBN978-0-252-06919-2.
^Everett, W. (2008). The foundations of rock: from "Blue suede shoes" to "Suite : Judy blue eyes". Oxford University Press. p. 366. ISBN978-0-19-531023-8.
^Marcus, G. (1999). In the fascist bathroom: punk in pop music, 1977-1992. Harvard University Press. pp. 217–218. ISBN978-0-674-44577-2.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 34. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201539 into search.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201633 into search. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
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