Linda Ronstadt and the Anatomy of a Cover Song

Because of the recent news of Linda Ronstadt's Parkinson's diagnosis, I had planned to review her 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise.  As a biology major, I am still a bit preoccupied with the potential link between Lyme disease, acquired via ticks, and Parkinson's disease, but that's beside the point (although as you will note in the linked article, all of the singer's problems began following an unspecified tick borne illness).  But now, to the music

Although she is the queen of covers and has seldom written songs, Linda Ronstadt's voice is peerless because when she sings, you believe her.  Covering a song well is not as simple as playing along and singing in key.  Above all, definitive cover songs must be convincing.  On the technical side of the spectrum, the music must suit the vocalist's range and unique abilities, but the singer must also be able to relate to the song's lyrics on a deeply personal level.  Even though someone else wrote the song, the singer must feel as if they have lived the story within the song.  Telling the truth requires far less effort than telling a lie, although both require courage.  Similarly,  just as good liars can get away with things, technically superior vocalists can sometimes "steal" a cover from their more emotionally honest peers.

And now I can see that I really want to take this post to discuss cover songs.

 When I was in high school, Ronstadt was scarce in my parents' collection, and I didn't have money to buy music, so my exposure was limited to "You're No Good" (and here is the first recorded version, also a cover), which compensated for the lack of quantity with quality.  I chose that particular video because the contributions of Ronstadt's band members are showcased.  They were some of L.A.'s finest session men:

1) Waddy Wachtel, whose professional resume includes studio work with Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Keith Richards, Carly Simon, Carole King, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones, to name a few.

2) Andrew Gold, a singer-songwriter who has worked with three of the four Beatles as well as Freddy Mercury, Cher, and even Jesse McCartney.

3) Dan Dugmore, who has lent his instantly recognizable pedal steel skills to James Taylor, Tim McGraw, Neil Diamond, and David Crosby.  Forget that other band...Steely Dan is this guy's nickname.

The band has just as much to do with the success of a cover song as the singer.  Ronstadt has a knack for forming talented bands, to say the least (one of her earliest backing band included four guys named Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meissner, who later formed The Eagles).

Ronstadt's track record with covers is nearly untouchable because she chose her songs and her band members, and they all ascended to fame together and were therefore able to mature together musically.  Her run of successful '70s albums is one instance in which neither the band nor the vocalist overshadows the other.

Anyway, after I recovered from the shock of realizing that Ronstadt had entire albums in circulation, I began making weekly visits to my local record shop, Beat Goes On, to kick start my vinyl collection.  On one of my first trips, I found Prisoner in Disguise, an album that will always be special to me because of my first listen.  The following is an excerpt from a creative nonfiction essay I wrote last year:

The light was glowing above the kitchen table in my family’s cottage late one June night.   I proudly removed my new turntable from its packaging, walked down the stone steps in bare feet, and placed it on the grass outside the entrance to the basement.  I had brought several record albums in a brown paper bag, admiring the words and images on the covers, each its own universe.   I could barely make out the appearance of Linda Ronstadt in her red dress on “Prisoner in Disguise,” but the black cover matched the night, so I dropped the needle onto “Prisoner” and let the waves of sound crash into the humid air, confronted by the lake’s dark and stunning depths.  

Prisoner reminds me that darkness has a way of making anything seem possible.  With morning comes reality.  I always reflect, with some involuntary nihilism, on my waking dreams of the previous night as the clock rolled past midnight to one, and two, when I was lucky enough to stay awake without feeling the eyes of the world.  

Since we've been discussing cover songs, I have some fun questions for you all:  Which recordings of these classics do you prefer, and why?  Oh, and Prisoner is on Spotify for your listening pleasure.  Although, who wouldn't want to own it?

Question 1 (written by Eric Kaz)
Love Has No Pride, Linda Ronstadt (1973 cover)
Love Has No Pride, Bonnie Raitt (1972 cover)

Question 2
Tracks of My Tears, Linda Ronstadt (1975 cover)
Tracks of My Tears, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (as recorded by the songwriters in 1965)

Question 3
I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston (1993 cover)
I Will Always Love You, Linda Ronstadt (1975 cover)
I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton(as recorded by the songwriter in 1974)

Images:
http://waddywachtelinfo.com/waddywachtelwithstevienicks.html
http://www.last.fm/group/Classic+Rock/forum/14969/_/2198815
http://monicamadrid.com/gallery/
http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=417136