| "You Don't Own Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byLesley Gore | ||||
| from the albumLesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts | ||||
| B-side | "Run Bobby, Run" | |||
| Released | December 11, 1963 | |||
| Recorded | September 21, 1963 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| Lesley Gore singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "You Don't Own Me" onYouTube | ||||
"You Don't Own Me" is apop song written by Philadelphia songwritersJohn Madara andDavid White and recorded byLesley 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 hersignature 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]
The song was prominent at the time of its release in 1963 as it symbolizedwomen's empowerment, showing the strength of a woman capable of standing up for herself against a man.[2] Since then, the song has been hailed as an earlyfeminist anthem.[3] In 2015, singerSayGrace took Gore's song toNo. 1 in Australia with a version featuring rapperG-Eazy.[4] The following year, the song was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.
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 thesecond 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 magazineCashBox described it as "a throbbing, multi-track, ballad-with-a-beat on which [Gore] emotionally declares her independence."[8]
The song reached number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 in the United States. It remained at number 2 for three consecutive weeks, beginning on February 1, 1964, unable to surpassthe 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]
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US (Billboard Hot 100)[12] | 2 |
| US (Cashbox Top 100)[13] | 2 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 4 |
| Canada (CHUMHit Parade)[14] | 5 |
| New Zealand (Listener)[15] | 2 |
| Sweden[16] | 9 |
| Chart (1964) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US(Billboard Year-End Hot 100)[17] | 36 |
| US (Cashbox Year-End Top 100)[18] | 42 |
| Brazil[citation needed] | 47 |
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 meetingfeminist expectations. Of "That's the Way Boys Are", authorRichard 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] MusicologistWalter 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 criticGreil 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]
Lesley Gore's single "You Don't Own Me" was one of the first songs of its kind to become afeminist 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 ofwomen'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 albumEver Since in 2005, later utilizing it during the 2012 presidential campaign encouraging women to vote and protectwomen'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".
| "You Don't Own Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_(Official_Single_Cover)_by_Grace.png) | ||||
| Single byGrace featuringG-Eazy | ||||
| from the EPMemo and the albumFMA | ||||
| Released | March 17, 2015 (2015-03-17) | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| Saygrace singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| G-Eazy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "You Don't Own Me (ft. G-Easy)" onYouTube | ||||
In 2015, the song was recorded by Australian singerGrace and was released as her debut single. It features American rapperG-Eazy. Grace's version was produced byQuincy Jones, who also produced the original recording by Lesley Gore, andParker Ighile. It was released on March 17, 2015, one month after Gore's death, and peaked at number 1 on theARIA Charts, later being certified 3× Platinum by theARIA.[25] The song was also a success in New Zealand, peaking at number 5 for two consecutive weeks, and in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 4.
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 byThe X Factor contestantLauren Murray in 2015 andMatt Terry in 2016. The increased exposure for the song helped it rise to a peak of number 4 on theUK Singles Chart.
In an interview withHouse 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 featured in the third trailer for the 2016 filmSuicide Squad[27]and appeared on the film'ssoundtrack album.[28]
The song was featured in the opening ofRiverdale's eighth episode in March 2017, as well as the background music for the2018 Ford Mustang GT commercial, withHelen Hunt andEvan Rachel Wood.
A music video directed by Taylor Cohen was released on June 1, 2015.[29]
| Chart (2015–2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[30] | 1 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[31] | 45 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[32] | 52 |
| France (SNEP)[33] | 182 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[34] | 32 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[35] | 13 |
| Italy (FIMI)[36] | 89 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[37] | 5 |
| Portugal (AFP)[38] | 62 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[39] | 3 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[40] | 50 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[41] | 38 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42] | 19 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] | 60 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[44] | 4 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[45] | 57 |
| USPop Airplay (Billboard)[46] | 22 |
| Chart (2015) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[47] | 26 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[48] | 43 |
| Chart (2016) | Position |
| Iceland (Plötutíóindi)[49] | 49 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[50] | 87 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[51] | 4× Platinum | 280,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[52] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[53] | Gold | 45,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[54] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
| Mexico (AMPROFON)[55] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[57] | 2× Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[58] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[59] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[60] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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