Dusty Springfield.
What kind of name is that?
Brings to mind a deadly bout of allergies.
But I digress. The reason her name has come up at all is because of her 1966, number-4-on-the-charts hit, "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me". It's 491 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and it had a bit of a journey getting there.
This symphonic pop song started out its life as an Italian ditty titled "Io Che No Vivo Senza Te" (literal translation, "I will not live without you"). It was written by Giuseppe Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini, who probably were not members of the Mafia, no matter what you might be thinking.
British pop diva, Sneeze Inducer - er - Dusty Springfield, heard the song and asked TV producer Vicki Wickham (say that over and over until you giggle) to write some English lyrics for it. The manager of the Yardbirds, Simon Napier-Bell, helped out and "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" was born.
And a more pathetic, pleading, clinging, Fatal Attraction soundtrack has never been written:
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've gone
And I'm left here on my own
That 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, believe me
I can't help but love you
But believe me, I'll never tie you down
Sounds EXACTLY like you want to tie me down and keep me wrangled. Run away, Vito! Run away!
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