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.
To Love Somebody
Lesley Gore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That never shone on me
I want my life to be
Lived with you, lived with you
There's a way, everybody say
To do each and every little thing
But what does it bring
If I ain't got you, ain't got you
Baby, you don't know what it's like
Baby, you don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you
In my brain I see your face again
I know my frame of mind
You ain't got to be so blind
And I'm blind, so, so, so very blind
I'm a man, can't you see what I am?
I live and I breathe for you
But what good does it do
If I ain't got you, ain't got you
Baby, you don't know what it's like
Baby, you don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you
Oh no, you don't know what it's like
Baby, you don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you
No no no no no, you don't know what it's like
You don't know what it's like
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
The opening lines of Lesley Gore's "To Love Somebody" express a yearning that is yet to be fulfilled, a form of light that shines on others but not on the singer. There is a particular kind of light that the singer craves and feels that they can only have if they are with the person they love. This light may represent joy, warmth, comfort, or a sense of completion that evades them as long as they are without their beloved. The desire for a life lived with someone is repeated twice and is thus central to the song. The singer is not content with a mediocre existence but wants to share their life with the one they love, acknowledging the limitations of what life can offer without this significant relationship.
The second verse of "To Love Somebody" is more anguished and puts into perspective the frustration that the singer experiences. The routine of life may be insufficient, and there is a certain way of going about things that people often follow, but what good is that when the person they love is missing? The enigmatic repetition of "so, so, so very blind" is telling, indicating that the singer is not referring only to their eyesight. The feeling of being a man and the importance of fulfilling one's desires are also present in the song. As much as the singer lives and breathes for the person they love, it is not enough if they cannot have them. The chorus reiterates the idea of not knowing what it's like to love somebody, again emphasizing that sentiment is beyond words or mere descriptions.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a light, a certain kind of light
That never shone on me
I have never felt a certain type of happiness and completeness that only comes from being with you.
I want my life to be
Lived with you, lived with you
All I desire is to spend my life with you, not just exist but truly live with you by my side.
There's a way, everybody say
To do each and every little thing
But what does it bring
If I ain't got you, ain't got you
People suggest different ways to live life, but none of it matters without your presence in it. Without you, all those things are meaningless.
Baby, you don't know what it's like
Baby, you don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you
You can never truly know and understand the depth and intensity of my love for you.
In my brain I see your face again
I know my frame of mind
You ain't got to be so blind
And I'm blind, so, so, so very blind
I keep thinking of you all the time, it's affecting my mental state. I wish you'd realize my feelings too and not be oblivious to it.
I'm a man, can't you see what I am?
I live and I breathe for you
But what good does it do
If I ain't got you, ain't got you
As a man, I am making it crystal clear that you mean everything to me. Yet, it all seems pointless if I don't have you in my life.
Oh no, you don't know what it's like
Baby, you don't know what it's like
To love somebody
To love somebody
The way I love you
I reiterate that you can never understand or realize the enormity of my love for you.
No no no no no, you don't know what it's like
You don't know what it's like
You don't know what it's like
To love somebody
No matter how many times I say this, it doesn't change the fact that you have no idea what it's like to love someone with all your heart and soul, the way I love you.
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Philip Kassabian
on Wonder Boy
Yet another great Leslie Gore song.
Philip Kassabian
on Sunshine, Lollipops And Rainbows
Fantastic song by Leslie Gore.
Philip Kassabian
on It's My Party
A great Leslie Gore song.