Linda Ronstadt Greatest Hits

The love Linda Ronstadt has for music can feel pretty equal to any love she’s had for a romantic partner—or better,” the singer revealed in Alta Journal. “It lasts a lot longer, and you have a much more honest relationship with it.” Her devotion to her craft is what makes her ongoing battle with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) all the more cruel, as it’s stripped her of her ability to sing like she used to.

“My voice didn’t change. It collapsed.… I was standing on the stage in Phoenix, singing a real high note in a Burt Bacharach song … and my voice just shredded! Then I started noticing that I could sing the beginning of a note, but it wouldn’t hold,” she explained. “I try not to think too far ahead, because it scares me,” she added. “Longevity is not what I’m aspiring to here—I’ve had a long turn at the trough. But do come back for a visit.”

Her talents shone in every corner of the music world, from her early folk-rock days with the Stone Poneys to her reign as a rock solo artist to later ventures into the worlds of American standards and the traditional Mexican songs of her roots. She even tackled Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, both on Broadway and in film, and wowed country artists on her own and as part of the Trio project, alongside Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton. 

On her birthday this year, San Francisco dubbed July 15 Linda Ronstadt Day, celebrating the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and 11-time Grammy winner “for her amazing contributions to American culture, preservation of Mexican American heritage, and advancing social justice.” 

Though she enjoyed worldwide fame, has received her Kennedy Center Honors, and has been given the Legend Award by the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, accolades were never the goal for this consummate artist, who’s life and career will be covered in an upcoming biopic starring Selena Gomez. “Most important is the work,” Ronstadt told Esquire. “I know what I did well and what I didn’t do as well. The rest is just noise in the background.”

No noise in this list of Linda Ronstadt’s greatest hits—just pure pop bliss. So turn these up and enjoy!

12. “Somewhere Out There” (1986)

This James Ingram duet, which hit No. 2, is as sublimely sweet as An American Tale, the animated film in which it appeared. The track dominated at the Grammys, winning Song of the Year, Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

11. “Hurt So Bad” (1980)

The artist’s Little Anthony and The Imperials cover hit No. 8 and the guitar solo on it by Danny Kortchmar “is my favorite guitar solo on any record I’ve ever made,” she told Rock Cellar. “It comes right out of my voice. We were flying the same air space and trading back and forth. It was a real inspired thing; he made me sing better.”

10. “Don’t Know Much” (1980)

We don’t know much, but we know we love this killer duet with Aaron Neville. The duo hit No. 2 on the charts with this über-romantic ballad that won them a Grammy for their stellar performance.

9. “How Do I Make You” (1980)

True success in the 80s meant being covered by the Chipmunks, and Alvin, Simon, and Theodore rocked out to this No. 10 banger on 1980’s Chipmunk Punk.

8. “That’ll Be the Day” (1976)

“Ronstadt regularly turned covers of classic songs into her own signature creations. This 1950s Buddy Holly tune was no exception,” noted Billboard, citing her “peerless, versatile vocals” on the track, which hit No. 11 on their Hot 100 chart.

7. “Tracks of My Tears” (1975)

The singer scored big with this Smokey Robinson and the Miracless cover. “I got to live out a lot of my dreams, and I got to…sing with all these wonderful people like Emmylou and Aaron Neville and Smokey Robinson,” Ronstadt once told NPR.

6. “Heat Wave” (1975)

Ronstadt rode a wave of success with this Martha and the Vandellas track, taking it to No. 5. It entered her live repertoire when her band ran out of songs to do one night after being called back for six encores, pianist Andrew Gold revealed. “One of us yelled out ‘“Heat Wave” in D’ and we did it. We were awfully sloppy but the crowd really liked it. So we kept the song in our set.”

5. “Blue Bayou” (1977)

“[Roy] Orbison’s melancholy yet hopeful tale would become a defining song in Ronstadt’s career,” Pop Matters notes of her No. 3 smash. “[It] paints a vivid scene, sumptuous in every detail. Adorned with mandolin, marimba, and a steel guitar solo…several musical elements caress Ronstadt’s vocals like a soft breeze.”

4. “Ooh Baby Baby” (1978)

“Stole every lick I could off your records,” Ronstadt joked to Smokey Robinson after they duetted on “Tracks of My Tears” and this No. 7 hit at 1983’s Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever TV special.

3. “It’s So Easy” (1977)

“Ronstadt capped ‘It’s So Easy’ with a triumphant cry, kindling a blaze of emotion in just a few notes,” raves Pop Matters about this No. 5 Buddy Holly cover, which Ronstadt said she added to Simple Dreams for balance, “because we had so many ballads.”

2. “When Will I Be Loved” (1975)

No one’s felt cheated or mistreated listening to Ronstadt’s deft cover of this Everly Brothers song, which she took to No. 2 on the Hot 100 and to No. 1 on the country charts. 

1. “You’re No Good” (1974)

We’re gonna say it again … Ronstadt’s take on this Dee Dee Warwick record is exponentially better than just “good.” The cover, off her breakthrough album Heart Like a Wheel, remains Ronstadt’s sole Billboard No. 1 hit.

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