Lesley Sue Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein; May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015… Read Full Bio ↴Lesley Sue Gore (born Lesley Sue Goldstein; May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, actress and activist. At the age of 16, in 1963, she recorded the pop hit "It's My Party", and followed it up with other hits including "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me".

Gore also worked as an actress and composed songs with her brother Michael Gore for the 1980 film Fame, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award. She was active until 2014, and hosted an LGBT-oriented public television show, In the Life, on American TV in the 2000s.

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey to Jewish parents, Gore was discovered as a teenager. Her first single in 1963 at age 16 was the #1 hit It's My Party still perhaps her best known recording, which also made #9 in Britain. It was followed by others, including Judy's Turn to Cry (the sequel to "It's My Party"), She's a Fool, the proto-feminist You Don't Own Me, and Maybe I Know. Her record producer was Quincy Jones, who would later become one of the most famous producers in American music.

Instead of accepting the television and movie contracts that came her way, Gore chose to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. This limited her public career to weekends and summer vacations and undoubtedly hurt her career. Nevertheless, throughout the mid-1960's, Gore continued to be the one of the most popular female singers in the United States and Canada.

By the late 1960s, though, her fame lessened as popular tastes evolved towards a harder-edged, psychedelic sound. Her last major hit was "California Nights," (1967) which she performed on an episode of the Batman TV series in which she guest-starred as one of Catwoman's minions. Afterwards, she continued to stay busy in the music industry, performed at concerts and in cabarets and achieved noted success as a professional songwriter, including composing songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film, Fame. She received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here on My Own," written with her brother Michael.

Gore continued to be busy, playing concerts, appearing on television, and recently (2005) recording a self-produced and critically-acclaimed CD, "Ever Since." She is also known for tackling a variety of musical genres, including a credible take on AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

Although Gore did not officially come out until 2005, her lesbianism was not exactly a secret. The 1996 film Grace of My Heart featured a character (played by Bridget Fonda) whose industry struggles over her sexual orientation were similar to Gore's. Beginning in 2004 Gore could be seen hosting the PBS series In the Life, which focused on LGBT issues.
On February 16, 2015, Gore died of lung cancer at the age of 68.

Cry Me A River
Lesley Gore Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Now you say you're lonely,
You cried the whole night through.
Well you can cry me a river,
Cry me a river,
I cried a river over you.

Now you say you're sorry,
For being so untrue.

Well you can cry me a river,
Cry me a river,
I cried a river over you.

You drove me, nearly drove me,
Out of my head;
While you never shed a tear.

Remember, I remember,
All that you said;
Told me love was too plebeian,
Told me you were through with me-

And now you say you love me,
Well, just to prove you do,
Come on and cry me a river,
Cry me a river,

I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you

I cried a river over you
I cried a river over you

Overall Meaning

"Cry Me a River" by Lesley Gore is a song about heartbreak and betrayal. In the first verse, the singer in the song is addressing someone who is now crying and feeling lonely after having put the singer through the same experience. The singer tells this person to "cry me a river," meaning to express their emotions to someone else because the singer is no longer interested in hearing it. The singer adds that they cried a river over this person, indicating that they too were once in a state of sadness and despair.

In the second verse, the person who caused the singer's heartbreak is now apologizing for their actions. However, the singer is not convinced and tells them that they can "cry me a river" again. The bridge of the song describes how the person in question almost drove the singer insane and describes how they never shed a tear. This contrasts with the singer who cried a river over this person, again indicating a difference in emotions between the two.

The last verse describes how the person who once left the singer is now saying that they love them. The singer gives them a chance to prove it by crying a river over them just as the singer did for them. Overall, the song is about the pain of heartbreak and the contrasting emotions of two people involved in a failed relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Now you say you're lonely,
You claim to be feeling sad and alone.

You cried the whole night through.
You shed tears throughout the entire night.

Well you can cry me a river,
I'm not interested in your sadness and don't want your sympathy.

Cry me a river,
Keep your tears to yourself.

I cried a river over you.
I've already grieved over the end of our relationship.

Now you say you're sorry,
You express regret for your past actions.

For being so untrue.
For your dishonest behavior.

You drove me, nearly drove me,
Your actions were so hurtful, they caused me to almost lose my sanity.

Out of my head;
I was so consumed by thoughts of you that it affected my mental health.

While you never shed a tear.
You were never emotionally affected by the end of our relationship.

Remember, I remember,
I haven't forgotten.