“She Said That,” co-written with her brother, Michael Gore, scored some airplay in 1972.

Gore didn’t write her early hits but she became a songwriter during the ’70s. The justifiably dissatisfied Gore left Mercury for Krewe Records and released the catchy “Why Doesn’t Love Make Me Happy,” which was a minor Adult Contemporary hit. However, Gore’s label, Mercury, failed to support the tunes. The match between Gore and the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia yielded a pair of terrific singles “I’ll be Standing By” and “Take Good Care (Of My Heart)” in 1969. Not much was made of Gore’s unlikely pairing with soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” and “California Nights,” both co-written by Marvin Hamlisch, hit the Top 20, the former in 1965 and the latter in 1967. But Gore continued as a recording artist, who was a regular on the cabaret circuit. However, her run at breathing such rarefied air was fleeting. She battled the Beatles on the charts during the early days of the Fab Four. With an assist from Quincy Jones as her producer, Gore was a chart force at the start of the British Invasion. And she deserves much more than being a footnote in music history. Gore’s massive hits were part of the first chapter of a fascinating career. However, there’s more to Gore than such teen anthems as “It’s My Party,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” and “She’s a Fool.” The underheralded New Yorker with the pristine voice enjoyed incredible success at 17 with four top-10 hits. The Lesley Gore story often ends less than a year after her career began.

My Lady Love by Bridgitte Lesley