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In 1966, it took Dusty Springfield 47 takes to cover an Italian song. It become one of her biggest hits
Dusty Springfield recorded “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” in 1966 after being moved by the Italian song “Io che non vivo (senza te)”. Despite not speaking Italian, she persevered through 47 takes, helping turn the song into one of her biggest hits.
The original, written by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini, had been popularised in Italy after appearing in the film *Sandra*. Springfield’s friends Vicki Wickham and Simon Napier-Bell wrote English lyrics despite neither knowing Italian, loosely guessing at the meaning. Springfield recorded her vocals in a studio stairwell to get the acoustics she wanted; the single reached number one in the UK and became her best-selling single.
In short
- Springfield took 47 takes to record the song.
- Its English lyrics were written without knowledge of Italian.
- The single topped the UK chart and became her best seller.
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