“The record company said it would be the end of my career”: The album Linda Ronstadt wanted to remake
It’s almost expected for some artists to be overly critical of their own work. Every recording is set in stone forever once it’s pressed to vinyl, and even if someone sees it as a masterpiece, musicians might only focus on the one note they could have played better or working out that one section to sound slightly tighter. But while it’s nice for someone to embrace those imperfections, Linda Ronstadt wasn’t shy when she thought she could take on an entire album in a better way.
Then again, that might have come down to her workhorse mentality back in the day. Outside of everyone knowing her for her backing band that became Eagles, she was no slouch on the touring circuit, either, getting her chops by playing hard every single night and trying her best to push her voice however she could when singing ‘You’re No Good’ or ‘When Will I Be Loved’.
And compared to every other female country-rock singer, there was no real contest as to who was the best. Emmylou Harris certainly had a beautiful voice, but Ronstadt had the perfect blend of raw power in her vocals as well as that soft demeanour that made her sell a song like ‘Desperado’ or take on a standard rock and roll song and make it work.
But that wasn’t always where her heart was. She always had grander aspirations than being known as the queen of country rock, and listening to What’s New, she was willing to go out on a limb and do something against the grain. Because at the time when the biggest names in music were Michael Jackson and Madonna, nothing could have triggered alarm bells for the pop market than to make an album of standards.
While bands like Eagles had claimed to have a soft spot for all forms of American music, this wasn’t necessarily made for the teenagers of the world. If anyone has felt vaguely nostalgic in their life, though, listening to her interpretations of the songs of yesteryear is an absolute treat, like hearing her channel her inner Billie Holiday.
It didn’t take long for Ronstadt to churn out some stellar performances thanks to her work on Broadway, but she remembered getting severe pushback when she felt that the record wasn’t fully fleshed out, saying, “Next thing I knew we were recording in a studio, but the way Jerry [Wexler] produced was very different to what I was used to. I didn’t think the arrangements suited my voice. I wanted to redo it, but the record company said it would be the end of my career because I’d been out of action for a year already on Broadway.”
Granted, Ronstadt was far from the only one to oppose the legendary producer. Even when working with pop acts like Wham! on their hits, George Michael rejected Wexler’s first arrangements for ‘Careless Whisper’, thinking that the version they made at home was far more authentic to what he wanted to do with the song.
After taking some time to work on it, Ronstadt proved to be a bit of an innovator in the rock realm. While Ringo Starr’s Sentimental Journey was greeted with groans and a few polite applause a few years earlier, What’s New might be the reason why people like Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart have dipped their toes into the world of jazz standards as they reach their older age.
