Song of the Day (Shocktober): Dusty Springfield “Haunted” & “Spooky”

Shocktober begins!

We are kicking off a month of seasonally-themed songs with a two-fer from the great British blue-eyed soul singer, Dusty Springfield. Known for her sultry delivery, butter smooth voice, beehive hairdo and willingness to experiment with her sound, Dusty Springfield was one of the better UK exports of the mid-60s British Invasion era.

“Haunted” is a Springfield rarity, having only been released as a single that never really charted in support of an album that was never released. It is a real shame that the song has largely been lost to obscurity because “Haunted” is one of Springfield‘s very best songs. It is an authentic southern soul rave-up featuring lots of electric piano, a tight arrangement, soaring strings and backing vocals, and a truly-inspired lead vocal. Springfield wrings the emotion and desperation of being haunted by the memory of a lost-love or love you could never have from this song, demonstrating her full range and emotive qualities as a singer.

“Spooky”, by contrast, couldn’t be more different. It is a sultry down-tempo anthem boasting a curiously modern production despite its 1970-origins. The song was originally released as a b-side and had previously been popularized by Andy Williams, Stanley Turrentine, Lawrence Welk, Percy Sledge and others. Springfield opted to gender-switch the song from the original. The song also-ended up languishing in obscurity before being-used in Guy Ritchie‘s 1998 hit crime film, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, after which it was catapulted into the popular consciousness.

While an obvious influence on Amy Winehouse (who copied her trademark “do”) among others, Springfield is probably best remembered by modern audiences for her seductive bordering on scandalous read of John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins country-soul song “Son of a Preacher Man”. This sells Springfield‘s legacy short, as she had a series of big hits throughout the 60s and early 70s and made a comeback in the late-80s through a brilliant electro-disco duet with the Pet Shop Boys on “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”.  She sadly died from breast cancer in 1999.

Stay tuned all month for more Halloween-themed selections.

The upbeat soul of “Haunted“:

 
The down-tempo groove of “Spooky“: