Today’s classic song of the day was a big one for singer Lesley Gore. “California Nights” was released in January of 1967 on Mercury Records and it went all the way to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Cash Box Top 100. It was her ninth and final top twenty hit.
“California Nights” was written by Marvin Hamlisch and Howard Liebling and produced by Bob Crewe. Marvin Hamlisch made a name for himself as a famous composer of songs and movie soundtracks, writing such hits as “Nobody Does It Better” (the theme song for The Spy Who Loved Me, performed by Carly Simon), “The Way We Were” (from the movie of the same name, performed by Barbra Streisand), “What I Did for Love” from the musical A Chorus Line, and “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” an earlier hit for Lesley Gore. Howard Liebling was an older songwriter who only wrote a few big hits, chief among them the two songs he co-wrote with Marvin Hamlisch (his brother-in-law) for Lesley Gore. Bob Crewe was a producer and songwriter who co-wrote (with Bob Gaudio) a bunch of hits for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Dawn (Go Away).”
As noted, Lesley Gore had a long string of hits from 1963 (“It’s My Party,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” “She’s a Fool,” and “You Don’t Own Me“) to 1967 (“California Nights”). She was a surprisingly dynamic performer, drawing big, enthusiastic crowds to her concerts. She passed away in 2015, aged 68.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Leslie Gore on the Batman TV show in 1967, lip synching “California Nights.” She guest starred as Pussycat, Catwoman’s sidekick, who had a thing for Robin. Holy cross promotion, Batman!
