You Don't Own Me
| "You Don't Own Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Lesley Gore | ||||
| from the album Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts | ||||
| B-side | "Run Bobby, Run" | |||
| Released | December 1963 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1963 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Writer(s) | John Madara Dave White Tricker |
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| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| Lesley Gore singles chronology | ||||
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"You Don't Own Me" is a popular song written by the Philadelphia songwriters John Madara and David White, and recorded by Lesley Gore in 1963, when Gore was 17 years old. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart in the United States (just behind The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand").[1]
The song is an example of threatened emancipation, as the singer tells a lover that he does not own her to day; that he is not to tell her what to or what to say; that he is not put on her on display; etc.
The song starts out in the key of G Minor with the second part in G Major, following the second chorus, the song shifts into A-Flat Major and Minor as well, and following the group of choruses, shifts a half step up to the key of A Major, and finally to B Flat Major before the song's fade. This song features a string section, plus a xylophone with a vibrato.
[edit] Other versions
The song has been covered by The Tremeloes, Dusty Springfield on her debut album, A Girl Called Dusty, cello rock group Rasputina on their album How We Quit the Forest, Joan Jett on her self-titled debut album, Klaus Nomi on his self-titled debut album, The Blow Monkeys on Dirty Dancing Soundtrack, and by Jack Killed Jill on their album Hello Neighbor.
At the time the song was originally released, versions were recorded in several other languages, both by Lesley Gore herself, and by other artists. The German version was "Goodbye Tony", recorded by Lesley Gore. The Italian version was "Va... Tu Sei Libero", recorded by Lesley Gore, Isabella Iannetti, and Dalida. The French version was "Je Ne Sais Plus", recorded by Lesley Gore, Dalida, and Jacqueline Boyer. An alternate French version, "Je Suis Libre", was performed by the Quebecois singer Michèle Richard.
It was also recorded in Swedish, as "Jag Vill Ha Dig" by Marianne Kock, and in Dutch, as "Ik Wil Vrij Zijn", by Liliane Saint-Pierre, as the B-side to her first hit record, "We Gotta Stop", as well as having been recorded in Japanese by Mieko Hirota.
"You Don't Own Me" was sung by Diane Keaton, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn in the 1996 movie The First Wives Club.[2]
During the early 1980s a Dutch version of the song, "Zeg Maar Niets Meer" by Andre Hazes, was popular in Europe. It reached No. 2 in the Dutch charts. In 1998, Eva Pilarová sung a Czech version under the name "Cesta končí" on the album Requiem.
On the finale night of The Sing-Off in 2009, Nicole Scherzinger performed "You Don't Own Me" accompanied by the Beelzebubs.
In 2000, the song was featured on the original soundtrack of The Convent, a horror movie by Mike Mendez. Eminem used a sampled version of the song for the song "Untitled" on his 2010 album, Recovery. The song was later featured in another horror film, The Woods directed and written by Lucky McKee. The song was also featured in the films Hairspray and First Wives Club.
In 2010 and 2011, NFL Women's Wear features the song in their commercial. The song was performed by April Smith and the Great Picture Show.
[edit] References
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