Oh Miss Dusty …
Seriously, I remember where I was when Dusty Springfield died. That was a major event … the passing of a singing legend. And not just because she did wonders to the Burt Bacharach songbook; in fact, Bacharach once noted that Dusty was the singer for “The Look of Love”.
Sure, Dusty Springfield may be best known for her iconic rendition of “Son of a Preacher Man” (video). It is one of those truly great songs of the mid-/late-20th Century, and it’s return to us in Pulp Fiction helped awaken a whole new generation to its poignant and searing vocals.
[audio:springfield_preacherman.mp3]But it’s a diva-worthy performance on “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (video) that will also make Dusty Springfield stand out as one of the great back-combed divas of the 1960s and 1970. (You simply can’t get that level of lift in hair with out a lot of teasing and Aqua-Net … or a wig.) With “Say You Love Me”, Springfield shared with the world some ache, tinged with the upbeat movements that make pop pop.
[audio:springfield_sayyouloveme.mp3]Recently, the standout star of the British TV show “The One and Only” (an American-Idol-styled show for aspiring singers) offered her cover of Springfield’s classic tune. Not too shabby!
Also memorably for folks today is “Wishin’ and Hopin'”, which you’ll remember from the Julia Roberts film My Best Friend’s Wedding.
[audio:springfield_wishin.mp3]Regardless the song (or even the genre), Dusty Springfield made it her own. She’s a true treasure of the British Isles, and was even named to the OBE, though she died on the day she was to accept her honor at Buckingham Palace. Currently, there’s a bio-pic being made of her life, rumored to star Kristin Chenoweth.
