Photo: Anefo [CC0]
Dusty Springfield was born in the city of West Hampstead, London. Dusty Springfield began professionally singing in 1958 with the group The Lana Sisters. Following her work in The Lana Sisters, she formed a group with her brother Tom called the Springfields. The group had amazing success in the United Kingdom becoming one of the country’s top musical acts. In 1963, Dusty Springfield embarked on a solo music career. A legend was born. Our top 10 Dusty Springfield songs list takes a look at the large array of hit singles released by one of the 60s most loved female artists
# 10 – Son Of A Preacher Man
We start out our list of top 10 Dusty Springfield songs with one of the biggest hits of her career. Dusty Springfield recorded the song “Son of a Preacher Man” in 1968. The song was released on her album entitled Dusty in Memphis
. Dusty Springfield’s song “Son of a Preacher Man” reached the Billboard Hot 100. “Son of a Preacher Man” peaked at number nine in 1968. John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins wrote the song.
# 9 – The Windmills Of Your Mind
We continue our Top 10 Dusty Springfield songs list with another fabulous song from the album Dusty In Memphis. The music to the song “The Windmills Of Your Mind,” was written by Michel Legrand. Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the song’s lyrics in English. The song’s original lyrics, written in French, were composed by Eddy Marnay. “The Windmills Of Your Mind” was also covered by Sting for the soundtrack to the motion picture remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, which was released in 1999.
# 8 – In Private
The most recent Dusty Springfield song on this top 10 Dusty Springfield songs list was released in 1989. The song “In Private” was written and produced by the Pet Shop Boys. It was the second hit that Dusty Springfield enjoyed while working with the group. The band had brought Dusty Springfield back on the charts the year before with the hit single “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” At the dawn of the grunge era, when bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam
would soon dominate radio, it was nice to have Dusty Springfield back on the air one more time.
# 7 – Haunted
While this may not be one of the most popular Dusty Springfield songs, it is easily one of her best. The great track “Haunted” was released in 1971. It was issued as a stand-alone single. It eventually appeared as a bonus track on the CD release of the 1972 album See All Her Faces
. We love that bass and keyboard groove at the song’s start. This one smokes.
# 6 – I’ll Try Anything (To Get You)
In the 1960s and 1950s, it was very common for musical artists to release stand-alone singles in between albums. Record companies wanted to keep their artists constantly on the charts. Eventually, many of those stand-alone singles would be released on greatest hits packages or sometimes even on their upcoming albums. The CD era gave those singles another resting place as bonus tracks.
Dusty Springfield, like her contemporaries, released many stand-alone singles. One of our favorites was released in 1967 entitled “I’ll Try Anything.” The song was a big hit for Dusty Springfield, reaching the U.S. and U.K. top forty charts.
# 5 – The Look Of Love
This is probably the most sexiest song of all time. It is easily our favorite Burt Bacharach composition. It is also one of the most widely covered songs in history by female artists. It is not an easy song to sing, even though the song’s laid-back groove may seem to make it so. While Dionne Warwick might have seemed to be the go-to vocalist for many of Burt Bacharach’s classic compositions, we loved Dusty Springfield’s versions the best.
# 4 – Breakfast In Bed
In 1969, songwriters Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts composed the perfect song for Dusty Springfield. Dusty’s voice and persona sold this one very easily. “Breakfast In Bed” is one of the all-time great Dusty Springfield songs. Dusty Springfield’s vocal performances on record were so inspiring to many artists. The performances fueled the desire for many to cover some of these great Dusty Springfield songs. In 2007, singer Joan Osborne covered the song “Breakfast In Bed” and titled her album after the song.
# 3 – I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself
“I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself” starts out the big top thr on our Dusty Springfield songs list. The following three Dusty Springfield songs are as iconic as any song can get. The excellent recording of “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” was released in 1966. Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the song.
# 2 – Wishin’ And Hopin’
If any song can take you back to the 1960s, it is Dusty Springfield’s classic recording of Wishin’ And Hopin’. Once again, the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David helped fuel another massive hit for Dusty Springfield. Even though Dionne Warwick recorded the song first, Dusty Springfields’ recording remains classic.
# 1 – You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me
We close out our top 10 Dusty Springfield songs list with the biggest hit of her fabulous career. “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” was initially written by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini. The song was written in 1965 by the Italian songwriters who had originally written the song lyrics in Italian. The song was initially called ‘“Io che non vivo (senza te).”
Dusty Springfield’s version of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” awarded the singer the biggest hit of her career. The song Hit number one in the United Kingdom, making it her only number-one single in the UK. The song also had tremendous success in the United States, reaching number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.
