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Song of the Day #6,554: ‘How Do I Make You’ – Linda Ronstadt

I’m always fascinated to see how major 70s artists navigated the musical and cultural shift to the 80s. Many a legend ended up with embarrassing fashion and production detours into the gaudy excess of the neon era.

Linda Ronstadt made the transition relatively unscathed.

Her 1978 release Living in the U.S.A. still felt very much of its decade, with Ronstadt on roller skates sporting short shorts and a tight perm. The song selection skewed a little more rock than her previous releases and included covers of a couple of Elvises: Presley’s ‘Love Me Tender’ and Costello’s ‘Alison.’

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Song of the Day #6,553: ‘Carmelita’ – Linda Ronstadt

Continuing my deep dive into the career of Linda Ronstadt…

I wrote about Ronstadt’s eighth album, Simple Dreams, during my Decades look at the year 1977. But it holds such an important place in her career that I had to give it another post today.

This is the best-selling album in her catalog, going 3X Platinum and knocking Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours from the #1 spot after 29 straight weeks. It was her fifth straight million-selling album (a record for a female artist) and the second highest seller by a woman after Carole King’s Tapestry.

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Song of the Day #6,552: ‘Barefootin” – Robert Parker

The week of June 14, 1966, found so many repeats atop the Billboard Hot 100 that I have to go all the way to #7 to find a song I haven’t already featured.

Let me first take a deep breath and run down the top six: ‘Paint it Black‘ by The Rolling Stones, ‘Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind‘ by The Lovin’ Spoonful, ‘I Am a Rock‘ by Simon and Garfunkel, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman‘ by Percy Sledge, ‘Strangers in the Night‘ by Frank Sinatra, a ‘A Groovy Kind of Love‘ by The Mindbenders.

Hell of a lineup.

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Song of the Day #6,551: ‘Standing On the Corner’ – The Four Lads

Throwing back to the week of June 13, 1956, we find Gogi Grant’s ‘The Wayward Wind‘ at #1 and Morris Stoloff’s ‘Moonglow and Theme from Picnic‘ right behind it. This was the week ‘The Wayward Wind’ bounced Elvis Presley’s ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ from its seven-week run in the top spot.

‘Heartbreak Hotel’ dropped all the way to #4, falling behind The Four Lads’ recording of ‘Standing On the Corner,’ a tune from the Broadway musical The Most Happy Fella.

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Song of the Day #6,550: ‘Down So Low’ – Linda Ronstadt

Following the chart-topping Heart Like a Wheel, Linda Ronstadt really hit her stride. Her next two albums — 1975’s Prisoner in Disguise and 1976’s Hasten Down the Wind — both went Platinum, making her the first woman to release three straight million-selling albums.

Both records sound great, and find Ronstadt at her most confident and creative vocally, knocking rockers and ballads alike out of the park.

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