American Bandstand 1964 – It’s My Party, Lesley Gore

Airdate: December 12, 1964

It’s been nearly a year since American Bandstand moved to California and 4 months since the show finally changed sets and became ”The New American Bandstand ‘65”.

“It’s My Party” was 16-year-old Lesley Gore’s first single and her biggest hit. This was also producer Quincy Jones‘ first hit song. It reached #1 back in June of 1963.

By this time next year, the show will be full of well-known regulars like Peggy, Don, Frank, and Lauren, to name a few. For now, I only spotted Famous Hooks at the very beginning dancing to the Beatles and Debbie Sewell at 1:48. I can imagine the Philadelphia kids dancing more formally, hand-in-hand, to this song in ’63 vs. the more relaxed style here in Hollywood in ’64.

In the news this week, Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2 days ago (Dec. 10th) in Oslo, Norway. While accepting the award Dr. King said “…nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time— the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression.”


FYI: for some reason, every clip I’ve ever posted is now unblocked by YouTube including “My Cherie Amour” (1969 Top 10), “House of the Rising Sun” (1963 Top 10), and “Georgy Girl” (1967 Top 10). Fingers crossed that they stay unblocked. The Beatles are still blocked but here is a link to the kids dancing to “She Loves You”:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UtBDu43v2bSexG0O9VD_6PFayN6BEhFG/view?usp=sharing

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy and safe. The condition my condition is in is good. Thank you for dropping in!