Born in West Hampstead in London to a family that enjoyed music, Springfield learned to sing at home. In 1958, she joined her first professional group, the Lana Sisters. Two years later, with her brother Dion O'Brien ("Tom Springfield") and Tim Feild, she formed the folk-pop vocal trio the Springfields. Two of their five 1961–63 Top 40 UK hits – "Island of Dreams" and "Say I Won't Be There"–reached No. 5 on the charts, both in the spring of 1963. In 1962, they also achieved success in the United States with their cover of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles". Her 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, along with "Stay Awhile" (1964), "All I See Is You" (1966), "I'll Try Anything" (1967), and two releases which are now considered her signature songs: "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (1966 UK No. 1/US No. 4) and "Son of a Preacher Man" (1968/69 UK No. 9/US No. 10). The latter is featured on the 1968 pop and soul album Dusty in Memphis, one of Springfield's defining works. In March 2020, the US Library of Congress added the album to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Between 1964 and 1969, Springfield enjoyed success in her native United Kingdom with several singles which in America either failed to chart or were not released, among them being "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" (the biggest of her many Burt Bacharach/Hal David covers), "In the Middle of Nowhere", "Some of Your Lovin'", "Goin' Back", and "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten". Conversely, she charted in the US (but not in the UK) with hits including "Wishin' and Hopin'", "The Look of Love", and "The Windmills of Your Mind". From 1971 to 1986, she failed to register a hit from five album releases (aside from a minor 1979 UK chart appearance), but her 1987 collaboration with UK synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, "What Have I Done to Deserve This?", took her back near the top of the charts, reaching No. 2 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100. The collaboration yielded two 1989 UK Top 20 hits: "Nothing Has Been Proved" and "In Private". In 1990, Springfield charted with "Reputation"–the last of 25 UK Top 40 hits in which she features.
A fixture on British television, Springfield presented many episodes of the popular 1963–66 British TV music series Ready Steady Go! and, between 1966 and 1969, hosted her own series on the BBC and ITV. In 1966, she topped popularity polls, including Melody Maker's "Best International Vocalist", and was the first UK singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for best female singer. She has been inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Multiple critics and polls have lauded Springfield as one of the greatest female singers in popular music.
Studio albums
A Girl Called Dusty (1964)
Stay Awhile/I Only Want To Be With You (1964)
Dusty (1964)
Ooooooweeee!!! (1965)
Ev'rything's Coming Up Dusty (1965)
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me (1966)
Where Am I Going? (1967)
The Look Of Love (1967)
Dusty... Definitely (1968)
Dusty in Memphis (1969)
A Brand New Me (1970)
See All Her Faces (1972)
Cameo (1973)
It Begins Again (1978)
Living Without Your Love (1979)
White Heat (1982)
Reputation (1990)
A Very Fine Love (1995)
Faithful (2015, recorded in 1971)
Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa
Dusty Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had to write to say that I won't be home anymore
For something happened to me
As I was driving home
And I'm not the same anymore
Oh, I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Oh, only one day away from your arms
And stopped to rest for the night
And that is when I saw him
As I pulled in outside of a small hotel
He was there
And so I walked up to him
Asked where I could get something to eat
And he showed me where
Oh, I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Oh, only one day away from your arms
He took me to the cafe
And he asked me if I would stay
I said "Okay"
Oh, I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Oh, only one day away from your arms
The jukebox started to play
And nighttime turned into day
As we were dancing closely
All of a sudden I lost control as he held me tight
And then he kissed me, caressed me
Told me he would die before he would let me out of his arms
Oh, I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa
Oh, only one day away from your arms
I hate to do this to you
But I've found somebody new
What can I do?
And I could never, never, never go home again
The song Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa is about a man who is driving home to be reunited with his lover, but on the way, he stops at a hotel and falls for another woman. The man explained through a letter in the song that he won't be home anymore because he is not the same anymore, and something happened to him as he was driving home. He was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa, one day away from his lover's arms, but he met another lady on his way. The man sees the welcoming light and decides to rest for the night at a small hotel where he meets a woman. She shows him where to get something to eat, and he follows her to the café. Then, they start dancing closely, and he loses control as she held him tight.
The music video was made in 1964 and features Dusty Springfield walking down a street in the middle of a group of musicians playing and stopping to sing into the camera. The song is written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and produced by Ivor Raymonde.
Line by Line Meaning
Dearest, darlin'
Addressing her beloved with love and affection
I had to write to say that I won't be home anymore
Informing her beloved that she can no longer to return to him
For something happened to me
Implying that something significant and unexpected happened to her
As I was driving home
While she was journeying back to him
And I'm not the same anymore
Expressing that she has changed in some way
Oh, I was only twenty-four hours from Tulsa
She was so close to returning home
Oh, only one day away from your arms
She was only a day away from being reunited with her beloved
I saw the welcoming light
She saw lights that were welcoming
And stopped to rest for the night
She found a place to stay for the night
And that is when I saw him
Referring to the individual responsible for her change and holding her back
As I pulled in outside of a small hotel
She was parked outside of a hotel when it happened
He was there
Indicates the presence of the person who held her back
And so I walked up to him
She approached the person
Asked where I could get something to eat
She inquired as to where she could find something to eat
And he showed me where
The person gave her direction to the place where she could eat
He took me to the cafe
He escorted her to the cafeteria
And he asked me if I would stay
He asked if she might extend her stay
I said "okay"
She complies with his question
The jukebox started to play
The jukebox began to play music
And nighttime turned into day
The night quickly passed as they remained together
As we were dancing closely
She and the person danced intimately
All of a sudden I lost control as he held me tight
She lost herself in the moment as the person held her tightly
And then he kissed me, caressed me
The person engaged in physical intimacy
Told me he would die before he would let me out of his arms
The person expressed an extreme desire to hold on to her
I hate to do this to you
She is sad to inform her beloved what transpired
But I've found somebody new
She has found a new person she is with
What can I do?
She is questioning what she can do in this situation
And I could never, never, never go home again
Her actions have changed things and prevented her from returning home
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: HAL DAVID, BURT BACHARACH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Lisa Dillan - Lyrics
When I said, I needed you
You said you would always stay
It wasn't me who changed, but you
And now you've gone away
Don't you see that now you're gone
And I'm left here on my own
Then I have to follow you
And beg you to come home
You don't have to say you love me
Just be close at hand
You don't have to stay forever
I will understand
Believe me,
I can't help but love you
But believe me, I'll never tie you down
Left alone with just a memory
Life seems dead and so unreal
All that's left is loneliness
There's nothing left to feel
You don't have to say you love me
Just be close at hand
You don't have to stay forever
I will understand
Believe me, believe me
You don't have to say you love me
Just be close at hand
You don't have to stay forever
I will understand
Believe me, believe me. Believe me…