In 1974, Linda Ronstadt heard a song she was made to sing. Now, it’s one of the only tunes she can listen to

Linda Ronstadt often felt miscast as a rock singer and preferred ballads such as ‘Heart Like a Wheel’, which she said she could have happily sung throughout her career. The song became central to her breakthrough and, in the article’s view, pointed towards the more varied musical styles she later explored.

Ronstadt said she disliked many of her early records and enjoyed some of the rock-oriented songs for only a short time. In clubs, she also needed livelier material such as ‘Heat Wave’ and ‘When Will I Be Loved’; she later found music she could live with while working with arranger Nelson Riddle, moving into traditional pop and other styles.