Swiss Pleasure Play Homage to Lesley Gore with ‘It’s My Party’ Cover
What happens when you let the anger into 'It's My Party'?
What happens when a pop anthem built on a cheerful surface is allowed to feel everything it was hiding? Berlin trio Swiss Pleasure set out to answer that question with their cover of 'It's My Party'.
The song needs little introduction. A classic pop anthem, it made the hits back then and remains universal in its theme, melody and arrangement. That staying power is part of what drew the band to it. Swiss Pleasure began working on their version in 2024, with a clear aim: to reveal the bittersweet emotions beneath the glossy pop sound.
Their arrangement and interpretation land in a very different place from the original. It is more melancholic and raw, and it gives room to some of the song's underlying rage. The band suggest that this kind of expression was likely not considered acceptable for women in Lesley Gore's era, which makes the choice to bring it forward feel pointed rather than purely stylistic.
Lesley Gore herself is central to the story: The band describe her as a queer icon whose openness and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights continue to inspire them. Read that way, the cover becomes a conversation with an artist they admire, and a way of hearing her best-known song with fresh ears.
The approach fits the band's wider outlook. Agathe, Alea and Claire formed Swiss Pleasure in Berlin five years ago, wanting to put music at the centre of their lives. The group is intentionally made up of FLINTA* members, in order to preserve and promote a kind of expression that has historically been underrepresented and marginalised. Their influences range across dream pop, post-punk, stoner, psych and even jazz, and their sound grows from how they approach composition and explore their voices and instruments.
Since releasing their first EP in 2024, they have played shows across Germany and Europe, and they are now gearing up for a new era with a series of songs due throughout the rest of 2026. For listeners who enjoy London Grammar, Daughter or Alvvays, 'It's My Party' is an easy place to start.
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