Dusty Springfield – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Dusty Springfield Biography

Isobel Mary Catherine Bernadette O’Brien, better known as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer who had a five-decade career. She was a notable singer of blue-eyed soul, pop, and dramatic ballads, as well as French chanson, country, and jazz, with her distinctive mezzo-soprano tone. She was one of the most successful British female entertainers on both sides of the Atlantic during her heyday in the 1960s. Her image became synonymous with the Swinging Sixties, thanks to her peroxide blonde bouffant/beehive haircut, heavy makeup, evening costumes, and stylized, expressive performances.

Springfield was born on April 16, 1939, in West Hampstead, London, to a musical family. He began to sing at home.She joined The Lana Sisters, her first professional ensemble, in 1958. Springfield founded the folk-pop vocal group The Springfields with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Feild two years later. “Island of Dreams” and “Say I Won’t Be There,” both released in the spring of 1963, were two of their five Top 40 UK songs from 1961–63. They also had a tremendous hit in the United States in 1962 with their cover of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.”

Springfield’s solo career began in late 1963 with the upbeat pop record “I Only Want to Be with You” — a UK no. 4 hit and the first of her six transatlantic Top 40 hits in the 1960s, which also included “Stay Awhile” (1964), “All I See Is You” (1966), “I’ll Try Anything” (1967), and the two releases now considered her signature songs. The latter appears on Dusty in Memphis, Springfield’s seminal pop and soul album from 1968. The National Recording Registry, which protects audio recordings that are “culturally, historically, or artistically significant,” added it to the National Recording Registry in March 2020. Between 1964 and 1969, Springfield had a string of hit singles in her native Britain, including “I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” (the biggest of her many Bacharach/David covers), “In the Middle of Nowhere,” “Some of Your Lovin’,” “Goin’ Back,” and “I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten,” all of which failed to chart or were never released in America. In contrast, her singles “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “The Look of Love,” and “The Windmills of Your Mind” charted in the United States (though not in the United Kingdom).

Springfield failed to chart with five albums between 1971 and 1986 (aside from a minor 1979 UK chart appearance), but her 1987 collaboration with UK synthpop duo the Pet Shop Boys, “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” catapulted her back to the top, reaching no. 2 on both the UK singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. “Nothing Has Been Proved” and “In Private”, two UK Top 20 successes from the collaboration, were released in 1989. Springfield’s “Reputation,” the last of her 25 Top 40 UK songs, reached number one in 1990.

Springfield was a regular on British television, appearing in numerous episodes of the hip 1963–66 British TV music series Ready Steady Go! and hosting her own series on the BBC and ITV between 1966 and 1969. Springfield dominated popularity polls in 1966, including Melody Maker’s Best International Vocalist and the New Musical Express readers’ poll for Female Singer for the first time. She has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the UK Music Hall of Fame. Springfield has been hailed as one of the greatest female pop singers of all time in polls around the world.

Dusty Springfield Discography

A Very Fine LoveSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Reputation & RaritiesSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
White HeatSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
CameoSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
A Brand New MeSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Look of LoveSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Where Am I Going?SpotifyYouTubeAmazon
You Don’t Have to Say You Love MeSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Ev’rything’s Coming Up DustySpotifyYouTubeAmazon
A Girl Called DustySpotifyYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Nationality Is Dusty Springfield?

Dusty Springfield was born in the United Kingdom. She is best known for her work as a pop singer during the 1960s and 1970s.

What Is Dusty Springfield’s Most Famous Song?

Dusty Springfield is most famous for her song “I Only Want to Be With You.” The song was released in 1963 and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.

How Many Number 1 Songs Did Dusty Springfield Have?

Dusty Springfield had six Number 1 songs on the UK Singles Chart. “I Only Want to Be with You” (1964), “Stay Awhile” (1964), “All I See Is You” (1966), “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (1966), “The Look of Love” (1967), and “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968). She also had three Number 1 songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: “The Look of Love” (1967), “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968), and “Don’t Forget Me” (1969). Springfield was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Most Searched For Dusty Springfield Songs

You Don’t Have To Say You LoveSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Son of a Preacher ManSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I Only Want to Be with YouSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Look of LoveSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
You Don’t own meSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
In privateSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I Just Don’t Know What To Do With MyselfSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
If You Go AwaySpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Windmills of Your MindSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon