The mesmeric song Linda Ronstadt recorded in a single take: “I hear a fear”
The commanding voice of Linda Ronstadt held audiences enthralled for over four decades, marking her as a genuinely distinctive figure in the music scene. As one of the most successful artists during the 1970s and 1980s, Ronstadt’s unparalleled virtuosity and versatility set her apart from her peers.
Her musical journey, ranging from 1960s pop to 1970s California country, reflects an eclectic and diverse body of work. However, delving deeper into her repertoire reveals that Ronstadt explored virtually every imaginable genre of music. Her extensive catalogue includes traditional pop, jazz, children’s music, opera, and even traditional Mexican songs.
The first time most audiences heard Linda Ronstadt was thanks to the Los Angeles folk trio the Stone Poneys. Renowned for her ability to reinterpret musical concepts or entire songs, Ronstadt encountered ‘Different Drum’ in 1966 and recorded it with The Stone Poneys. Notably, the version she initially came across was the original rendition crafted by Mike Nesmith, who composed the song before becoming a key member of The Monkees.
In 1965, Nesmith crossed paths with John Herald, the guitarist for a bluegrass/folk ensemble named The Greenbriar Boys. Sharing musical pieces, Herald was fond of ‘Different Drum’. He introduced it to his group, where they adjusted the tempo and included it on the band’s 1966 album, Better Late Than Never!
Nesmith’s rendition of the song revolves around a man who feels constrained by his partner, expressing doubts with lines like “you can’t see the forest for the trees”. Eventually, he decides to break free and embrace his independence. In Ronstadt’s interpretation, she takes on the role of the one feeling confined by her male partner, prompting her to leave and explore the world on her terms.
The song depicts Ronstadt’s readiness to end a relationship, emphasising their differences and her desire to avoid being tethered to a single person. The song’s recording actually marked a departure from the previous material by The Stone Poneys, with Kenny Edwards and Bobby Kimmel having no involvement in it.
While Ronstadt initially envisioned the song as an acoustic piece, the group’s producer, Nick Venet, held a different vision. During the three-song session at Capitol Records’ Studio B in Los Angeles, several studio musicians were present. Ronstadt delivered one rendition of the song before recording her vocals in a single take from start to finish.
A single take has an allure to it that can’t be denied. Ronstadt, or any other singer, standing behind a mic and letting their vocal ring out across the studio in one burst of brilliance has a poetry that is hard to ignore. It speaks to our appreciation for music as a momentary concoction of artistic emotion.
She later expressed becoming dissatisfied with her vocals, however, stating, “Today I will break my finger trying to get that record off when it’s on,” she said in Anatomy of a Song. “Everyone hears something in that song – a breakup, the antiwar movement, women’s lib. I hear a fear and a lack of confidence on my part. It all happened so fast that day.”
‘Different Drum’ was Ronstadt’s first hit single, inspiring her to strike out on her own as a solo artist. It perfectly describes the very nature of music itself. Not only the whirlwind in which a young woman began a joruney to beocming one of the msot adored vocies in rock music, but that the words she sang could be beloved and honoured in so many different ways.
