"Judy's Turn To Cry"

Oh, one night I saw them kissin' at a party,
So I kissed some other guy.
Johnny jumped up and he hit him,
'Cause he still loved me, that's why.

Thanks to Lesley Gore, it's difficult to even contemplate throwing a party these days without some part of your brain reminding you that, if you are so inclined, you are perfectly within your rights to cry. Tragedy does not even need to strike; the phrase "and I'll cry if I want to" follows the declaration "it's my party" as naturally as one knows who is to blame when one is shot through the heart.

Poor Lesley's situation is indeed tragic; she spends much of her party wondering where her Johnny went with Judy, only to discover that they've been out necking or petting or whatever it is boys and girls did in the early 60s. Most people think the story ends there, but there's a happy ending in the sequel "Judy's Turn To Cry". Sort of. The first two verses in the song have Lesley recapping the original, interspersed with tantalizing foreshadowing in the chorus. Seems Judy now has reason to weep. But why?

Because Johnny is a 24-karat asshat, that's why. Leaving his girlfriend's party holding hands with another girl was kind of jerk move. Returning to the *same* party with the girl is either thick-headed or sadistic. But punching a guy who was kissing his ex-girlfriend is simply psychotic. Especially since at the very same time he himself was making out with the tramp he left Lesley for. How could she possibly be happy to be back with that lunkhead?

Obviously, she has some self-esteem issues. And she's possibly slightly psychotic herself. Think about it - some poor guy was minding his own business when - wham! - this crazy girl is all over him, trying to make her gorilla ex-boyfriend jealous. Then - wham! - he's decked by the gorilla, and the girl leaves singing brightly at some other girl's emotional pain, with nary a thought as to his physical pain.

Judy should thank the stars that she was saved from a loser like Johnny. As for Lesley, if that's the type of guy she was attracted to, it's no wonder she eventually decided to swear off men forever.