# Let's talk about the great and awesome Linda Ronstadt **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [July 10, 2024, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000 "2024-07-10T14:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/41 "2024-07-10T19:01:42Z")
I first saw Linda in October '67, she and the Stone Poneys opened for The Doors. Had never heard of her and didn’t give her another thought until around 1983 when a friend turned me on to her. My favorite female vocalist by far, ever since. Too many favorite songs to list here but my absolute favorite is oddly one of her least typical recordings: “Winter Light.” Go figure. Trivia: around 1980 a close friend of mine was sitting in the audience at McCabe’s (Santa Monica) waiting for David Lindley to perform. Before the concert started, my friend was surprised (to say the least) when Linda herself sat down in the seat next to him. Perhaps not too surprising as David had been in her touring band, and he and Linda were 3rd or 4th cousins besides. He was blown away but had the good taste to keep his cool by simply turning toward her and acknowledging her with a pleasant hello. Had he been me I would have been a slobbering “I’m your biggest fan” dipshit. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/42 "2024-07-10T19:12:43Z")
> [@digs](#): > > You owe it to yourself to hear the originals! Especially the J. D. Souther ones… Thanks, and for the video links! Yes, I’ve heard most of the originals from Heart Like a Wheel (including Hank Williams’ and Buddy Holly’s). And I’m sure I heard James Carr’s “Dark End of the Street” — maybe in a film? ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/43 "2024-07-10T19:56:01Z")
She has a form of Parkinson’s though not the most recognized. All of Parkinson’s destroy vocal control. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/44 "2024-07-10T20:03:49Z")
Here’s a song that connected with me relatively late in my Linda-worship. Written by Jimmy Webb and appearing on her 1982 album “Get Closer.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/kWUvxh1h3EI/maxresdefault.jpg "Easy for You to Say (1999 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWUvxh1h3EI) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/45 "2024-07-10T20:04:45Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I was also pleased that _The Last of Us_ caused a spike in streaming for “Long Long Time”, which is a song that needed more love. Agreed. IMO very underrated. Possibly my favorite Linda Ronstadt song. ---
**Author:** ![WalterBishop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@WalterBishop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WalterBishop)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/46 "2024-07-10T20:27:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I was also pleased that _The Last of Us_ caused a spike in streaming for “Long Long Time”, which is a song that needed more love. I’d never really listened to any of her stuff before I saw that show. Now I’m a firm fan. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/47 "2024-07-10T20:59:51Z")
It makes me sad to talk about her. I love her voice and her music. She said in the doc., “The Sound of My Voice”, “acceptance” was what she advised people in circumstances like hers. She looks so sad when she says it. She had range, power, and tone that were outstanding. I remember an interview after she finished Pirates of Penzance and was getting ready for a rock tour, where she said she needed to work on getting her range back down to rock. I was so envious. Not many singers even professionals have that sort flexibility or those options. I wish I could have seen her in concert. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/48 "2024-07-10T21:36:02Z")
Yeah, the movie is good. It made me cry, but I was expecting that. It seems her voice deconstructed bit by bit over a span of time and she was painfully aware of each step. That is just so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/49 "2024-07-10T22:48:15Z")
I had a poster of her in my room when I was a teenager. Definitely a celebrity crush for me. ---
**Author:** ![Kelby2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kelby2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelby2)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/50 "2024-07-11T01:27:31Z")
Moves me every time I hear it: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/8tH4oakwD0c/maxresdefault.jpg "The Blue Train (with Dolly Parton & Emmy Lou Harris)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tH4oakwD0c) ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000/51 "2024-07-11T18:01:28Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > > [@Gyrate](#): > > > > I was also pleased that _The Last of Us_ caused a spike in streaming for “Long Long Time”, which is a song that needed more love. > > Agreed. IMO very underrated. Possibly my favorite Linda Ronstadt song. One of my favorites, and the first song I ever really noticed of hers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-the-great-and-awesome-linda-ronstadt/1004000.md?page=2)