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Linda Ronstadt’s Biggest Regret Came From This 1989 Album: “I Didn’t Do Well”
Linda Ronstadt has said she regretted aspects of her 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, believing she did not yet know how to sing or choose material that suited her. Her comments highlight the difference performers can perceive between studio recordings and songs that improve through repeated live performance.
Ronstadt said she felt disconnected from some of the album’s songs and later performed them better on stage after becoming more familiar with them. Despite her self-criticism, the article notes that the record was commercially successful and that her live vocals were widely regarded as especially strong.
In short
- Ronstadt criticised her own 1989 album performances.
- She felt her live versions improved with experience.
- The album remained commercially successful.
Explained simply
Linda Ronstadt is an American singer who was one of the biggest music stars of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1989 she released the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind, which was commercially successful.
Ronstadt has now said she regrets aspects of the album, explaining that she did not have the vocal skills or judgement about material when she recorded it. She felt disconnected from the songs initially, but found they worked much better when she performed them repeatedly on stage, suggesting her understanding deepened through live performance.
Her comments highlight something many musicians experience: the difference between how artists perceive their studio work and how songs develop through live performance. What makes her case particularly notable is that audiences and critics regarded her live vocals as especially strong, showing a gap between her own assessment and how others heard her work.