Linda Ronstadt was told the song was ‘too corny’. In 1974, it became the title track of her first number-one album
Linda Ronstadt championed Anna McGarrigle’s “Heart Like a Wheel” after others dismissed it as too corny or lacking commercial appeal. The song became the title track of Ronstadt’s 1974 album, which reached number one in the United States and helped establish her as a leading country-rock singer.
Ronstadt recalled first hearing it from Jerry Jeff Walker in a taxi and feeling drawn to its emotional quality, though she could not place it neatly in a genre. Producer Peter Asher understood her attachment, and a strong audience response during rehearsals for a Carnegie Hall appearance reinforced her decision to perform it. The album’s lead single was a cover of Betty Everett’s “You’re No Good”, and the record won a Grammy.
In short
- Ronstadt trusted her instinct about “Heart Like a Wheel”.
- The song became the title track of her first US number-one album.
- The album’s lead single was “You’re No Good”.
Explained simply
Linda Ronstadt was an American singer who began her solo career in the late 1960s, drawing on rock, country and folk music. In the early 1970s, she worked with producer Peter Asher and built a following for her clear voice and wide-ranging choice of songs.
Anna McGarrigle was a Canadian songwriter who wrote “Heart Like a Wheel”. Ronstadt’s 1974 album of the same name brought together songs by several writers, including a cover of Betty Everett’s “You’re No Good”.
The album’s success helped make Ronstadt a leading figure in country-rock, a style that blends country and rock influences. It also showed how a singer’s choice and interpretation of songs could introduce listeners to work by less widely known songwriters.
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