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Happy 84th birthday, Dionysius P. A. O'Brien, aka Dion O'Brien, aka Tom Springfield.
He wrote what I've long felt is one of the prettiest songs from the entire 1960s.
Tom Springfield
Tom Springfield (born Dionysius P. A. O'Brien, 2 July 1934, and known when young as Dion O'Brien), was an important figure in the 1960s folk and pop music scene. He is the brother of the late pop star Dusty Springfield, with whom he performed in The Springfields.
....
Career
He formed a vocal trio, The Springfields in 1960, with his sister Dusty and a friend, Tim Feild. The group broke up in 1963 and he became a record producer and songwriter for The Seekers. He wrote many of their major hits, including "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", the million-selling "The Carnival is Over" (the melody was based on a Russian folk song, while Tom Springfield wrote only lyrics for the song) and "Walk with Me". Around this same time, he co-wrote (with Clive Westlake) Frank Ifield's 1964 hit "Summer Is Over" and his sister Dusty's 1964 hit "Losing You".
His other hit compositions include "Adios Amour (Goodbye My Love)", which was recorded by José Feliciano and The Casuals, and "Just Loving You", which became a 1967 top ten hit for Anita Harris. Additionally he composed the theme to the popular BBC TV series The Troubleshooters in the 1960s. He also co-wrote "Georgy Girl" with Jim Dale; this was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1966.
Tom Springfield (born Dionysius P. A. O'Brien, 2 July 1934, and known when young as Dion O'Brien), was an important figure in the 1960s folk and pop music scene. He is the brother of the late pop star Dusty Springfield, with whom he performed in The Springfields.
....
Career
He formed a vocal trio, The Springfields in 1960, with his sister Dusty and a friend, Tim Feild. The group broke up in 1963 and he became a record producer and songwriter for The Seekers. He wrote many of their major hits, including "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", the million-selling "The Carnival is Over" (the melody was based on a Russian folk song, while Tom Springfield wrote only lyrics for the song) and "Walk with Me". Around this same time, he co-wrote (with Clive Westlake) Frank Ifield's 1964 hit "Summer Is Over" and his sister Dusty's 1964 hit "Losing You".
His other hit compositions include "Adios Amour (Goodbye My Love)", which was recorded by José Feliciano and The Casuals, and "Just Loving You", which became a 1967 top ten hit for Anita Harris. Additionally he composed the theme to the popular BBC TV series The Troubleshooters in the 1960s. He also co-wrote "Georgy Girl" with Jim Dale; this was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song of 1966.
Here's the song I'm talking about. Performed by the 1968 Australians of the Year, on the Beeb, July 8, 1968:
At Abbey Road Studios. Warning: the sound is awful, artificially ginned-up wannabe stereo:
He wrote this too:
He co-wrote this. Performed on March 12, 1967, before 200,0000 people:
The Seekers Official Website
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