On 21 September 1962, the Springfields reached No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”, becoming the first British act to enter the chart’s top 20. The achievement came before the Tornados’ “Telstar” topped the chart and more than a year before the Beatles broke through in America.

The song, originally recorded by Wanda Jackson, was later covered by artists including Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead, and Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. It was the Springfields’ final US hit, while Dusty Springfield went on to a successful solo career with songs such as “Wishin’ and Hopin’” and “Son of a Preacher Man”.