When I grow too old
Linda Ronstadt’s still alive and kicking. But at the age of 67 she can’t sing anymore due to Parkinson’s.
But nothing can still her voice on YouTube. You can find tons of her appearances and recordings there, almost countless songs and performances from the peak of her fame and richness of voice.
And yet, when I was going through a Linda Ronstadt jag there the other evening, it was Ronstadt’s duet version of the old standard “When I Grow Too Old to Dream” with the Muppet Kermit the Frog (aka Jim Henson) that ended up being the ONE I just had to put up here.
The YouTube blurb for the video says that Ronstadt herself said it was the best she’d ever sung this song.
Maybe it’s the best anyone ever sang this song:
Fortunately, Ronstadt’s voice doesn’t have to live only in our hearts, it can live on YouTube.
And if I had to put just one more Ronstadt selection up there, it would have to be this:
I love those Ronstadt videos but I hate YouTube. If it wasn’t for YOUTUBE the lord only knows what I could have accomplished with the time spent there,
blue bayou is my favorite
I love almost all of her music, but my favoritos are her canciones de sus padre. Remind me of home. A favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KR67g0OoRM
Well, I’m old, but still dreaming. When I get too old to dream, I guess I’ll be ready for the home.
I never listened much to Linda Ronstadt in the day. The fact that she was dating Jerry Brown tipped me to her political leanings. That said, I did enjoy these two songs. Maybe I should have listened to her in spite of my animosity to the left………..Nah!
Ronstadt is one of the five greatest female rock singers of all time. And what made her really special was the ability to change genres effortlessly. An amazing talent.
Thanks, Neo, for the good music. Ronstadt is great.
Tonight was the Eurovision Song Contest and Conchita Wurst (Tom Neuwirth) won for Austria. In case you don’t know this being, “it” is the bearded gay guy who dresses in gowns and claims to be for tolerance. The cool PC people are tremendously excited about “it,” but I want to puke. I am really sick of guys who think they are women, in fact, that they are better women than real ones.
During college I had a major crush on Linda… probably along with about a million other guys. That voice, the looks, and I’ve always been a sucker for brunettes.
Love “Long Long Time.”
And now for something completely different — Little Feat’s “Old Folks Boogie.” :-)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_veXTlJ-Q0M
very amusing
The only place I’d seen or heard Linda Ronstadt before was in her performance as Mabel in the DVD recording of the Broadway version of The Pirates of Penzance from the 80s (phew, that was a mouthful to type), and I’m a little surprised by how much I like her voice when it isn’t all high and opera-y. (Forgive my non-eloquence – it’s been a long day.)
She must be quite petite to get into the Cub Scout uniform she wore on an album cover. I have always liked her very pretty voice.
It may be one of Linda’s best but doesn’t hold a candle to Vera Lynn’s version from another era:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNB8VbFmlOY
My favorite stuff with Rondstadt was when she did the Trio music with Dolly Parton and Emmy Lou Harris (who has the most beautiful feet on a woman I have ever seen – and never mind how I know that).
I was never much of a fan of Ronstadt. I recognize her talent, but just as a matter of personal taste don’t find her work all that appealing. And I was pretty annoyed some years ago when I read a comment from her saying she didn’t want any Republicans or conservatives in her audience. But I’m sorry to hear of her illness. It must be devastating for her to be deprived prematurely of the thing her whole life has revolved around. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
Yeah, she kills in that Muppets clip.
My only hang-up with her is that I’m an old Warren Zevon fan, and I usually prefer his version of songs. She has such a sweet, beautiful voice, and his voice is so “there ain’t enough whiskey in the world to fix what I done wrong”. I don’t know why he wasn’t bigger.
Gary White’s songs are deceptively homespun – go through the lyric of Long, Long Time and there are a lot of fresh rhymes, very little reliance on cliches.