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Stay Awhile, etc.

The clumsily-titled Stay Awhile / I Only Want to be With You was Dusty Springfield's debut US album release. As often seemed to happen, the track-listing differed from that on her first UK 12" A Girl Called Dusty, issued a couple of months beforehand. Gone are the tracks 'Do Re Mi', 'My Colouring Book', 'Nothing' and 'Don't You Know'. In their places are - as the album title suggests - her first two 7" A-sides 'I Only Want To Be With You' and 'Stay Awhile'; along with 'Something Special' (B-side to 'Stay Awhile') and 'Everyday I Have to Cry' (which, in the UK, had been one of the four tracks on the 'I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself' EP).

A Girl Called Dusty peaked at no. 6 in the UK, but Stay Awhile... despite its higher hit-content, only made it to no. 62 in the US. As with the British original, Springfield is pictured on the cover resplendent in double denim & iconic bouffant hairdo against a blue background - while it's not the same shot it must surely have been from the same photo session. On the rear of the sleeve is a short interview between the singer and one Don Mass, in which we learn she didn't much enjoy school; that she loved to travel (with Rome her favourite destination: "Rome is a girl's city. Lots of good-looking men."); and that she'd been interested in music for as long as she could remember.

To the question "Do you like writing songs?" she responded "I do, but I am not one of those people who can write to order. I only write occasionally and very slowly." Nevertheless, one of her own compositions 'Something Special' is included. Of the other tracks, those mentioned in the album title were written for her by Ivor Raymonde and Mike Hawker; with the remainder being cover versions, written by the likes of Bacharach & David ('Anyone Who Ever Had A Heart', 'Wishin' And Hopin''); Holland / Dozier / Holland ('When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes'); and Goffin & King ('Will You Love Me Tomorrow').

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