Lauren Taylor

English 1201

Professor Smith

27 March 2021

“It’s My Party”

“It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to...” is the battle cry of a rejected and broken heart. Many of
us have experienced that gut wrenching feeling of rejection, being sick to your stomach, weak,
broken, and lost.  Emotional turmoil that comes with rejection can pierce our heart more than
physical pain. The hit song “It’s My Party” by Lesly Gore and the remix “Pity Party” by
Melanie Martinez both center on the heart break the comes from not being accepted. However,
each version uniquely addresses vastly different types of rejection prevalent in the time period
the song was produced and that the audience can best relate to.

The original song “It’s My Party” by Lesly Gore was released in 1964 and was featured on
American Band Stand becoming a billboard hit revered by heartbroken teenagers around the
globe. Leslie Gore was only sixteen years old when the song was released beginning her journey
of stardom and was nominated for a Grammy. “It’s My Party” goes into the depths of a
heartbreak struck by the rejection of a teenage boy. She describes a teenage girl who is having a
birthday party and her Johnny has disappeared. Later throughout the song, she is desperately
looking for the boy she likes. She states “Judy and Johnny just walked through the door” and
“Oh, what a birthday surprise, Judy’s wearing his ring”.

The public display of rejection at her “own” party demonstrates the humiliation of being
betrayed. In the 1960’s a women’s self-worth was associated with the caliper of boy they could
attract. There were no music videos in 1963, however due to Leslie Gore’s age and the girl next
door appearance displayed during live performances, made the theme extremely relatable to
young girls in the 1960s. A group of professional filmmakers created a music video of “It’s My
Party” in 1989, showing “Judy” wearing promiscuous clothing portraying a different view on
Judy’s character and image. The video also includes couples dancing all around her while she is
crying to better convey how she feels to the audience dealing with rejection is a public setting.
Anyone who has had to feel this heartbreak feels for her and connects to Leslie as well. This
sympathizable song gained popularity from an audience of teens from around the globe.

The remix by Melanie Martinez was released in 2015 also garnered national attention. “Pity
Party” by Melanie Martinez is quite different from the original. “Pity Party” talks about the
heartbreak of a lonely teen. The rejection in the remix is a societal rejection showing the artist is
rebuffed by her peers that she desperately seeks acceptance from.
 She describes how she is putting a party together and no one shows. She goes on by saying
“Maybe it's a cruel joke on me, whatever, whatever” and “Maybe if I knew all of them well, I
wouldn't have been trapped inside this hell that holds me. Maybe if I casted out a spell, but told
them decorations were in pastel ribbons”.  The lyrics illustrate how desperately she is trying to
impress people but her efforts aren't appreciated. Loneliness is an excruciating form of
heartbreak. She feels as if no one is there for her and therefore she begins to have a “pity party”. 

The video better illustrates her efforts to strengthen her message. The music video she happily
hangs decorations up, sending invitations out, and eagerly watching the time to see if people will
show. The video decorations also consist of childish birthday party decorations and actions to
convey how gullible she. She is victimized by people's cruelty and the situation at hand.  Her
efforts are also explained in the lyrics “Why'd I put my heart on every cursive letter?” This
projects how much love, care, and the time she put into trying to build connections to people just
for them to ignore it.  When she realizes no one is coming, she has her pity party to cope with her
rejection. Childish attire is replaced with make-up resembling a clownish look of being fooled.
From the aftermath of peer rejection, she states “Just means there's way more cake for me,
Forever, forever” telling herself she doesn't need others to make her happy.

There is a large gap in the timeline between the original song and the remix leaving their style to
differ quite a bit. Both are versions of pop, just influenced by the era giving each a distinct flare.
Both include the use of pathos targeting an empathic response from the listeners based on their
own past experiences with rejection and despair. The lyrics reach out to an audience of
heartbroken teens that can relate to the lyrics and even use them as a coping mechanism. I could
feel an ache in my heart when listening to the lyrics because of my past experiences. Identifying
the target audience and appeals deployed by the artist helps the listener understand why they are
so moved and attached to a song.

These two versions have similar melodies, main lyrics, and appeals but in unique ways.
According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, “People prefer
certain music based on recent experience … and in some cases, the brokenhearted say they
would prefer to hear a weepy breakup tune rather than cry on the shoulder of an empathetic
friend”.  It's amazing how a couple of lyrics can make someone feel like they are not alone in a
painful situation. While singing about their rejection, not only are they helping themselves cope
with the topic of rejection. It's a symbiotic relationship between the artist and the audience.
Rejection is a universal emotional wound that is part of our common human fabric and songs
about dealing with rejection will remain. However, the message of rejection will continue to be
remixed based on the changes in our societal environment.

Work Cited:
-Vann, Madeline R., et al. “Can Sad Music Heal Your Broken Heart?: Everyday Health.”
EverydayHealth.com, www.everydayhealth.com/depression/can-sad-music-heal-your-
broken-heart.aspx. 

-TrueBlueCdnEh. “It's My Party - Leslie Gore - 1963 - Full Length Video /1989.”
YouTube, YouTube, 30 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO8JgvNeVEY. 

-Melmartinezx3. “Melanie Martinez - Pity Party (Official Music Video).” YouTube,

YouTube, 1 June 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bAPlojfgO0. 
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