"I'm biased but I just think she was the greatest white singer there ever has been..." -Elton John
Dusty Springfield was an English blue-eyed soul singer who died on this date in 1999 at 59 from breast cancer. I heard her songs when I was in elementary school and have fond memories of listening to her on my little transistor radio.
My favorites:
I Only Want to Be with You (1963)
Wishin' and Hopin' (1964)
Son of a Preacher Man (1968)
In 1968 she came to Memphis, TN, to record the Grammy Award-winning album Dusty in Memphis. You can listen to it at Spotify:
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Good tunes. So good that "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" played in the background of the Doctor Who episode "The Rebel Flesh"
ReplyDeleteShe was really something. I love it when songs from my childhood and youth get new life in modern shows :)
DeleteLovely voice! thanks for the songs
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend any snow??
I hear there were snow flurries down on the river, but we never saw any here. We're expecting cold, though, with highs in the 40s and lows in the teens. The budding plants and nesting birds will not be happy :(
DeletePart of the soundtrack of my life!PBS runs a little live concert piece during their fund-raisers from time to time. It is a lot of fun to watch.
ReplyDelete--A Pal
I loved Dusty Springfield also. I didn't know much about her though. So sad she died from breast cancer. Hope all has been well. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteIt's good that treatment options have improved, but people are still dying from breast cancer. Sad :(
DeleteWhat a beautiful voice. I know I've heard a couple of those songs before on an oldies channel.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky. We are under a winter advisory with snow up to 5 inches predicted in my area tonight and more on the way Sunday night all the way to Tuesday. Expected low on Monday night is -5 F. Too cold for me. I'm beginning to dislike this winter.
Rain here, and the Arctic Blast is bringing us lows in the teens this week. We're not expecting snow or ice here, though. Yayeeee! I'm looking at photos and reports of the dangerous weather other areas are getting. Wow!
DeleteIt was songs like hers and so many others that encouraged us girls to put up with self-centered males--to hide our true selves and worry about our appearance, etc. Even in my home ec class the teacher taught us about dating and how you were supposed to learn as much as you could about whatever interested him and don't talk about yourself. When you got married she told us how you were supposed to have dinner ready and make sure the house was cleaned up and that you were dressed, hair combed, and makeup on when you greeted him at the door cheerfully, no matter what kind of day you had. We learned how to use our "allowance" to buy groceries for the week and plan a frugal but delicious and not repetitious menu. We were trained to be the "little woman".
ReplyDeleteAnd I absolutely loved all those songs. But when I hear them now they bother me...the message bothers me. Like Wishin' and Hopin'--is actually encouraging the girls to put out a little and look good in his eyes to get the guy. In You Don't Have To Say You Love Me she's willing to settle for crumbs, follow him around, and beg him just to stay even if he doesn't love her. All of that was perfectly normal back then--all those songs.
Being in really painful one-sided relationships is self destructive and will tear your heart out. I know. Especially today, I prefer songs like You Don't Own Me by Leslie Gore--LOL! ;)
I'm not up on the current popular music. I wonder if things have changed a lot. I know some of it has from the bits and pieces I have heard over the last couple decades. I hope it has. :) But I still love her voice and those old songs.
If the woman is a homemaker, staying at home while the man goes out to work to earn money, and that was more common back then, I'd say it's not an unrealistic expectation that the person who stays home makes the meal and does most of the cleaning unless the day has been particularly frazzled. Things are different now, with one paycheck not usually being nearly enough to support a family, so a parent can't be dedicated to the home/child/parent/in-law care aspects of life. My home ec classes were focused on making for ourselves, recipes for one or two, sewing for ourselves, etc., and spouses weren't mentioned. And that was in the late 60s/early 70s. Dusty Springfield covered You Don't Own Me in 1964 ;)
DeleteOur culture is a rabidly sexist one even now. That "You've come a long way, baby" slogan rings hollow.
Looking back, that teacher was straight out of Mad Men, if you ever watched that show. Assuming we'd be getting married if we were lucky, the man was king of the castle, keep the children quiet and out of his way, greet him at the door in a dress, fully made up with a cocktail in hand, take his shoes, settle him in his favorite chair, don't bother him with your life or the kids' lives if you didn't absolutely have to. Yes, it was different times and most of the moms were at home, but not one mother I knew was a Mrs. Cleaver--LOL! But this was like 1965 when I had her as a freshman and she wasn't old, either. She was probably in her late 20s and had recently married. A true woman of the early 50s.
DeleteThe girl I grew up next door to was a young budding Martha Stewart with a mother who did things by the old schedule:
Wash on Monday
Iron on Tuesday
Mend on Wednesday
Market on Thursday
Clean on Friday
Bake on Saturday
Rest on Sunday
I had to google it--LOL! She sure didn't treat her husband like a king, though--ROFL! My mother was slap-dash, hated housework, ignored us kids and let us run wild so we were the talk of the neighborhood. Made me more inclined to believe in that home ec teacher, Mrs. Larson next door, Mrs. Cleaver, Donna Reed, Mrs. Anderson...and all those many "love me" songs--LOL! Sad but true. Funny when I think back. I am so glad things have changed. We still have a long way to go but strides have been made at least. ;)
I never knew a Mrs. Cleaver either lol Mother stayed home and had supper ready when Daddy got home, but rigid schedules like that weren't a thing. Strict gender-defined roles aren't as much a thing as they were in the 50s/early 60s, and that's a good thing. I've heard they're considering requiring military service registration for women like they do for men at 18, which I've always supported. It's bizarre to limit that to men.
DeleteShe really did have a great voice. Have a lovely day, Valerie
ReplyDeleteYes, that voice!
DeleteI love here songs too, she has a wonderful voice 😁. Thank for sharing and happy weekend! J 😊 x
ReplyDelete"Blue-eyed soul" :)
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