web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Author: Jenny

  • Linda Ronstadt’s voice…

    Linda Ronstadt’s voice…

    I will never forget the first time I heard Linda Ronstadt’s voice for the first time…

    I was six years old and my sister, Becky, had just purchased Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits Volume 1 on vinyl. I remember being enchanted as I listened to Linda sing songs like “You’re No Good” and “Heat Wave”. Those two songs were probably my early favorites on that album, which I loved to listen to. When I was finally old enough to buy my own music, I purchased Linda Ronstadt’s Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Volume 2 on two different CDs. I remember wearing those discs out, enthralled by Linda Ronstadt’s powerful yet tremulous soprano. As a singer myself, I would try to emulate her voice, which was majestic to my ears.

    Linda Ronstadt has had quite an amazing career. She got her start in folk, then moved on to country tinged rock. In 1971, she had the guys who would eventually form The Eagles as her backing band. She made memorable music with wild guitar man Waddy Wachtel. And she has never been afraid to experiment.

    I remember in the early 1980s, when Linda went from singing powerful rock and roll anthems to dabbling in big band music. She made three well-received albums with Nelson Riddle and won a whole new legion of fans. Of course, since I was still a kid in the early 80s, I didn’t appreciate Linda’s elegant foray into big band the way I might have if I had been older. In fact, I was kind of disappointed when I heard her start singing standards like “What’s New”. I missed her soul piercing wailing on songs like “Blue Bayou” and “When Will I Be Loved”. “What’s New” sounded like easy listening music to me…


    Linda Ronstadt sings “What’s New”.

    At age 41, I can now appreciate the lush beauty of Ronstadt’s big band hits. In fact, having performed some of these songs myself, I can understand why they appeal to so many. These are songs that will never truly go out of style and Linda’s voice has a sweet girlishness that helps keep them timeless.


    Linda Ronstadt sings “I’ve Got A Crush On You”.

    I have to confess that although Linda Ronstadt’s 1989 album Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind was a big hit, I was never really a fan of it. My sister, Betsy, gave me a copy of the album when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Armenia teaching English. I listened to the album a lot because I didn’t have that much music available to me, but it was a little too sedate for my tastes. Also, Aaron Neville, sang on it. I know a lot of people love Aaron Neville’s sensitive and nasal falsetto, but I never liked it that much. It’s only since I’ve gotten older that I’ve started to hear the beauty of Aaron Neville’s voice.

    Nevertheless, Linda and Aaron made some magic together and scored big in the adult contemporary genre with “All My Life” and “Don’t Know Much”. I remember making fun of “Don’t Know Much” quite a lot back in the day.

    I was really missing Linda Ronstadt’s huge rock voice, though, and would always go back to her earlier albums to hear that glorious voice belt out powerful, gut wrenching hits like “Hurt So Bad”. It’s hard to match the raw emotion of this cover and her voice takes on an other worldly quality that conjures up the searing pain of a breakup.


    “Hurt So Bad”

    And, of course, she made magic with Roy Orbison’s “Blue Bayou”. I much prefer her version to his.


    Linda Ronstadt in 1983, singing “Blue Bayou”.

    I was very sad the other day, when I read that Linda Ronstadt has Parkinson’s Disease and can no longer sing. The disease has affected the muscles that allow her to make music. Ronstadt, who was diagnosed eight months ago, says that no one with Parkinson’s Disease can sing. Because I am a singer myself, I felt particularly sad for Linda Ronstadt. I know how much joy I get from making music and how much it would devastate me if I couldn’t make music anymore.

    Next month, Ronstadt will release a new book about her life entitled Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir. The book reportedly makes no mention of her Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis or the fact that she can’t sing anymore. I look forward to reading it, though, and hope that writing gives her an outlet for her formidable creative gifts.

  • Thinking of Tom Lehrer…

    I’m thinking of Tom Lehrer today for the strangest of reasons…

    This morning, the plumber came to my new home to fix the sink. For some reason, his visit made me think of the following clip from the PBS classic kids’ show, The Electric Company…

    As a kid, I spent many hours watching The Electric Company. I’ve always been a reader and I love music, so that show was always very appealing to me. It turns out that Tom Lehrer, singer-songwriter, mathematician, pianist, and satirist extraordinaire, composed several songs for the old educational show that taught so many of my generation how to read. But besides teaching kids reading, Lehrer’s songs also taught math. He used music a lot to get his point across. Most of the time, his melodies were original compositions, though he did write a song called “The Elements” which used the melody for the “Major-General’s Song” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.


    “The Elements” by Tom Lehrer. I could have used this song when I was studying and barely passing chemistry in the 11th grade.

    Of course, the songs Tom Lehrer wrote that affected me most were songs like “Silent E”…

    and “LY”…

    Even thirty-five years after I first heard these songs, they stick in my mind like highly tenacious earworms. I still enjoy them immensely, too. I’m sitting here smiling as I listen to Tom Lehrer singing so expressively. What a gift he has for teaching. My mind boggles when I think of how many people learned new things because of this man’s genius.

    Why, he even made up a clever song for math students… another subject where I could have used some serious help back in the day…


    I grew up in the era of “New Math”, but I don’t remember learning it. I have that in common with Cliff Huxtable, Bill Cosby’s famous dad character on The Cosby Show.

    And to think I started on this topic because the plumber came by to fix the sink. As it turns out, there was nothing wrong with the sink. I thought we got no hot water down there and so did the plumber, at first. But it turns out it just takes forever for hot water to reach the kitchen.

    Tom Lehrer is also known for black humor and wasn’t averse to tackling controversial subjects like religion.


    Here he is singing his song, “The Vatican Rag”.

    And he has always been a realist, coming up with some very clever lyrics for the aging. I can’t believe I’m now old enough to appreciate this song.


    “When You Are Old And Gray”

    I realize Tom Lehrer is not quite a current pop star, but I am certain that his music has influenced and inspired many current pop stars. Indeed, Randy Newman, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and Dr. Demento have all cited Lehrer as a guy who inspired them in their work. And heaven knows that all three of the aforementioned have done great things for pop music and comedy. Though as a child of the 70s and 80s, I was listening to quite a lot of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s music– how could I miss “Eat it” and “Like A Surgeon”?– as an adult, I have come to really appreciate Randy Newman’s genius. Newman’s music is custom made for commercials, but he also wrote a funny musical version of Faust as well as countless songs for soundtracks. His own songs are often poignant or witty and call on a tremendous gift for twisting words and meanings to say things you’d never expect. It’s pretty cool to think that Randy Newman was as inspired by Tom Lehrer as so many school kids learning how to read were when they watched The Electric Company back in the day.

    Tom Lehrer, so far as I know, is alive and kicking, though he hasn’t performed live in many years and has given up teaching. At age 85, I figure he’s earned a rest… Hope he’s not spending his time “Poisoning Pigeons In the Park”.

    Have a nice weekend everyone.

  • Songs for curmudgeons…

    Songs for curmudgeons…

    Lately, I’ve been pretty grumpy, so I thought it might be fun to look at songs for curmudgeons…

    If you’ve been reading Pop Rock Nation lately, you know that I have been dealing with the pain of a recent move. Our movers damaged the floor in our previous house in North Carolina and that turned out to be a big pain in the butt to rectify. As we’ve been unpacking everything, we’ve found that some necessary items apparently did not make the trip to Texas and some things got broken. On the other hand, I have unpacked at least one box that was literally full of trash. Another box contained moldy bread and potatoes that the movers packed, as well as a thermos full of nasty coffee that wasn’t emptied on packing day. Still another box contained old pictures and love letters from my husband to his ex wife. I am still hunting for my college diplomas and am beginning to fear that they may be lost forever.

    I figure I have a right to be cranky about all of this. And fortunately, there have been quite a few songs written for curmudgeons like me. Yes, I know there are times when it’s best to grin and bear it. Other times, it makes sense to bitch and moan a bit, especially when it’s done with a dash of humor. After all, it does suck to find things like mushy greeting cards to the ex spouse while not being able to find the base for the outdoor umbrella or the lid to the vegetable steamer. As I sit here this morning watching an old episode of Dr. Phil, this first song immediately comes to mind.

    I Could Be Wrong by Tim Wilson

    This song is full of profanity, but it pretty much sums up my attitude about all the “talking heads” out there telling everybody what their opinions should be. And as much as I enjoy snarking on Dr. Phil and his perpetual train wrecks, sometimes I get tired of it and need a break.

    Chickenshit by Weird Wilbur

    Weird Wilbur is an online pal of mine. I have to admit, he won me over with this song about losers. Every time I hear it, I am reminded of the people out there who are just “chicken shit” and give me a good reason to be a curmudgeon.

    I Hate the World by Miles Betterman

    I discovered the hilarious stylings of Miles Betterman on YouTube. “I Hate The World” is all about the things he hates. It’s clever and definitely highlights all the things that might make someone feel like a curmudgeon.

    The Dickhead Song by Miles Betterman

    “The Dickhead Song” sounds a lot like Betterman’s other hit, “I Hate The World”. Actually, I think “The Dickhead Song” is an older song and it never fails to make me laugh. I love the peevishness of it and the fact that it’s so easy to sing. Yes, I can think of a few folks who probably warrant a live rendition of this number.

    It’s a Great Day (for Me To Whoop Somebody’s Ass) by Paul Thorn

    Ever have one of them days? Everybody you run into seems to be out to piss you off in some way. Well, this song is full of wishful thinking. Hopefully, you don’t take it seriously, lest your bad day get even worse with a trip downtown. Still, it makes me smile.

    The Revenge Song by Heywood Banks

    This is kind of a silly song about revenge sung by the terminally funny and goofy Heywood Banks. If you ever like thinking about ways to get even but don’t want to get too sinister, this is a great song to listen to for inspiration. It always makes me giggle.

    Asshole by Denis Leary

    Believe it or not, I was made aware of this song in the early 90s when I worked as a cook at a church camp. One of the teens who worked alongside me as a dishwasher made me a mix tape with this song on it.

    The Asshole Song by Fred “August” Campbell

    I understand this song has been covered by a few folks. This is the version I was most familiar with and having once lived near the I-95 corridor, I totally get it. Also, my long drive to Texas reminded me of all the folks on the road who act like assholes. Of course, I’m sure some would describe me the same way… especially the guy who flipped me off on an Alabama interstate.

    Anyway, that’s my list of songs for curmudgeons. Hopefully, you’re not exposed to too many cranky people today… or have too many reasons to be grumpy yourself. And hopefully, my diplomas will resurface at some point. I’m pitching Weird Wilbur’s album because he could use some sales.