DUSTY'S VOICE

[allherfaces]

It's the reason we're all here, isn't it? So many gorgeous Dusty photos and of course LTD shtick and friendship of every variety, but it all comes down to the unique and timeless voice of Dusty Springfield....

How would you describe it? (in general, in a particular song)
What would you compare it to?
What makes it so special? Why will it live on as long as there are ears to listen?
Why do some people 'get it' and some don't?
Why are such amazing voices so rare? Is it inborn talent or hard work or both?

Those are just for starters....

ETC.

Let's talk Dusty's VOICE.

[daydreamer]

My God Nancy, you're looking for another book! I think the ones that get it are prepared to let that voice go right inside, not just listen but feel it. How to describe it depends on which point in her life I'm listening to. I listened quite a bit to 70's Longing stuff last week and the voice just eats into you. It's got such an amazingly aching quality to it, it can make me weepy at any given point because she just sounds so needy and vulnerable. Then something like Give Me Time comes on and the power knocks me sideways. I don't think Dusty's voice comes from hard work, it was just there inside her and it was up to her to do what she did with it. She abused herself and her voice but what we have of her music is and always will be one of the most precious things in my life. I wouldn't compare it to anything because (you know I'm going to say this!), it's incomparable

[jeffery]

You pretty much said it for me too Carole. That voice: sometimes soothing you - stroking you. Sometimes mesmerizing, other times blowing your hair back. Always touching your soul. Timeless. Yes her voice was a gift, but she worked hard to share that gift. As far as those who get it and those who don't. - - - The real question is why do I want to slap those who don't ?

[mnmcv1]

oh man. Dusty's voice.

I talk a lot about her voice itself in the essay I wrote. Sometimes I'll talk about Dusty and refer to "the voice" like it was its' own entity. I guess the thing that fascinates me most is that, not only is it incredibly beautiful, but I can honestly say I've never heard anyone who sounds anything like Dusty Springfield. Have you? Joss Stone? Duffy? Both talented, but not even close. But really, I've heard singers who resemble even the most unique of the greats. I thought Madeline Peyroux was Billie Holiday the first time I heard her. I heard a girl the other day who sounds like Karen Carpenter's doppleganger. Bully for them- that's a great gift they can build on.

But no one out there who calls up Dusty.

From a technical standpoint, I gotta say I love her head tone. It's incredibly unusual. It's such a fragile sound, but she could do so much- she can cruise seductively in it ("The Look of Love"), plead in it ("In the Land of Make Believe") and, almost unbelievably, she could belt in it (even as late as "Time and Time Again").
My favorite performances are when Dusty sings in her normal chest tone, climbs up to those high notes, and dips back down. It's such a cool contrast.

But it's ultimately that emotion- some voices just have a natural emotional edge to them. Dusty's is one. I have no clue why some people don't "get" her. I fortunately dont know anyone who is not, at the very least, a casual fan. They know 2 or 3 songs, and can admit the person singing ethem "can sing". Still, it is great coming here and getting to bounce off other people who "get it". Who are moved by Dusty. And that voice.

[karen]

Right from the start when Dusty started singing , I think we knew this lady had something special , she could make you laugh , dance , and totally get into your heart , with the emotion that she had in her voice She knew from about the age of seven that she had this gift. And how wonderful, she was' so talented .and loved by so many of her fans. Still listening to her after all these years , she never fails to get into my emotions, and it is so special to see that so many younger fans are appreciating her .

[Hampson]

I think Dusty had to work hard at many things, but her voice wasn't one of them. I think it was just natural, because you only have to listen to her speaking voice to realise, that anyone with the gift of a speaking voice like Dusty's could charm the birds out of the trees. It must have been a great asset in life just to be able to talk like her. This carried over into her singing voice and charmed us all out of the trees. I've heard lots of descriptions of Dusty's voice but I think the best one was from Elvis Costello who described it as being like vapour, but even he had to concede that 'vapour' didn't really come close to describing it, and I don't think you can describe it, it might be easier to describe what it does to you emotionally perhaps, rather than describe the entity itself. I would just describe it as making me happy, and I'm happy and grateful to listen to her any time.

I do think that the fragility and the vulnerability of Dusty's voice also has a huge impact on the listener. She has that indescribable quality that makes you want to protect her like you would protect a child from all the ills of the world. Although I suspect she was probably pretty tough. But Dusty came as the whole package, not just the voice, and I think she knew this and packaged herself accordingly, because she was clever.

I don't think there are many people that don't get it. But some people are just not interested in music, so you can't expect miracles from these people.

Wend

[SweMaria]

I love "all Dustys voices" but I think there is another thing that makes her singing so special and wonderful to me. That's her phrasing. She is so rhythmic and phrases almost like a jazzsinger even when she's singing popsongs and other songs to. Her strong, fragile, seductive voice combined with her strong sense of rhythm makes her totally irresistible to me! :-)

[Sue]

Brilliant subject, Nancy

Great post, Carole, and you're right -it could be a whole book

Where to start on this.....oh heck. All those little Dustyism's and all that emotion that make you feel as though you would like to be there with her no matter what, so many songs that send shivers down your spine.....

The only thing i would compare it to is a little piece of heaven - here on earth....no - make that a big piece of heaven. There are so many great singers out there, but no one quite like Dusty. No one with that extra something. Yes, it was an inborn talent. Can you imagine how stunned those people were who first heard her sing 'I Love A Piano'/'Pretty Baby' and 'When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam' ?


Sue xx

[MissDustyFanatic]

Quite simply,

powerful.

From the sky shattering heights of 'Who Can I Turn To?' and 'Di Fronte All'Amore' to the soft, sweet vulnerability of 'Live Here With You' and 'So Much Love', to the anger of 'Gotta Get Used to You', to the ebullient enthusiasm of 'I Only Want to Be With You' and 'I Just Wanna Be There' and the absolute despair of 'In the Winter' and 'Turn Me Around ('74)...

Her voice has physical power, emotional power, and it was all effortlessly controllable. She is the best female singer I think there will ever be.

[Corinna]

When I ’discovered’ Dusty for real (as opposed to hearing the occasional song on the radio), when her voice really hit me, I didn’t know much about her, I hardly knew what she looked like. I just wanted to check her out a bit, and had bought the Silver Collection with the Andy Warhol inspired cover and thought of her as some kind of Doris Day. And her voice went right into my heart. This hadn’t happened to me since ABBA who had followed me since childhood. So, letting someone new and totally unknown into that space wasn’t easy.

For months, I consciously didn’t want to find out more about her, I didn’t want anything to get in between me and that pure experience of her voice and music. Actually, I was a little afraid that her life and person might give me reason to love her less. For all I knew she could have been Tammy Wynette or something!

But when I gradually decided to find out more, I wasn’t the least disappointed, in fact, everything I found out just made me love her more. So I guess it was meant to be.

[SteveQ]

Yes everyone, it's a fascinating subject. Her voice,in whatever mode never fails to really capture our attention and never disappoints. As for those who don't get her, well, we are all individuals with our own interests and obsessions. To most people I know,football is really important and central to their lives,but most of the time, unless I see a match with loads of goals, I find it pretty boring. Yes,I have tried to get interested, and I do keep an eye on how my local team Blackpool FC are doing.
Anyway, back to Dusty- What I would love to know exactly why when she was recording,she insisted on having the track in her headphones so loud that she could not hear her voice. Was she scared of having such a good voice, or did she think that it wasn't actually very good. Your own idea of how you look and sound can be totally different to how everyone else sees or hears you. I don't know. Does anyone have any theories or inside knowledge, I'd be interested to hear from you,

[ErgoFergo]

Great thread - lots of questions that I've often pondered myself. I don't have time to post properly now (it's lunchtime and I'm at work), but I just wanted to say:

For months, I consciously didn’t want to find out more about her, I didn’t want anything to get in between me and that pure experience of her voice and music. Actually, I was a little afraid that her life and person might give me reason to love her less.

That is exactly how I felt. I remember looking at the cover of DWD thinking "Do I really want to read this?" Of course, I did and I haven't regretted it.

[SweMaria]

Yes everyone, it's a fascinating subject. Her voice,in whatever mode never fails to really capture our attention and never disappoints. As for those who don't get her, well, we are all individuals with our own interests and obsessions. To most people I know,football is really important and central to their lives,but most of the time, unless I see a match with loads of goals, I find it pretty boring. Yes,I have tried to get interested, and I do keep an eye on how my local team Blackpool FC are doing.
Anyway, back to Dusty- What I would love to know exactly why when she was recording,she insisted on having the track in her headphones so loud that she could not hear her voice. Was she scared of having such a good voice, or did she think that it wasn't actually very good. Your own idea of how you look and sound can be totally different to how everyone else sees or hears you. I don't know. Does anyone have any theories or inside knowledge, I'd be interested to hear from you,

Not a full answer but some thoughts....
I have read somewhere that Dusty have to have her headphones "on the threshold of pain" otherwise she would't dare to sing. She said :"That's where I got my courage from - sheer decibel level."

[spooky1]

Thanks, Nancy, for starting this thread. D was unique (sorry! can't find another word!)--as many have commented here, no one really sounds like her and it seems impossible to mimic her actual voice. What D did with her voice is what made her unforgettable. I'd be thrilled with her voice even if she'd been born without two other gifts-- musical intelligence and imagination--but less so. Lucky for us, she was born with all three.

Most singers just can't put this all together, no matter how hard they work; they might have a great vocal quality but little imagination/musical intelligence or vice versa. I'm sure that we could all come up with examples of singers who have some of this, but not the entire package. Dusty "had it all." A rare musical talent and a one-of-a-kind voice too.

What fascinates me most about D's voice is that I never tire of it--there's always something else to hear even after playing her recordings for the thousandth time. I can't say this about any other singer.

Annie

[paula]

what else can I say...all that has been said about her voice..the emotions they bring out, the subtlety of her song...without having to sing over the top or all over the place. Her voice' is what drove me to listen more, search for more Dusty information, want to know everything about her, talk about her with others...all the time...no other singer or artist has obsessed me as Dusty has. Her voice has cast a spell on me that I don't think will ever be broken.
There is no other artist that I constantly return to, to listen again & again and I never tire of hearing her.
paula x

[spooky1]

Paula, that's perfect: "cast a spell on me."

Annie