Listening Blog #16 – “When Will I Be Loved” – Linda Ronstadt (1975)

Instrumentation: Vocals (Ronstadt and backup), electric guitar, electric bass, drums

Form: Strophic, as is often the case with popular music. Ronstadt concludes each verse by restating “When will I be loved” in order to drive home the songs main point.

Origin/Genre: This song was originally recorded by The Everly Brothers, who played country-influenced rock-and-roll. Their original version is much more laid-back, with more of an obvious country sound. In comparison, Ronstadt’s version, although it has a certain country ‘twang’ to it, sounds much more like rock, especially with the strong electric guitar presence. As the ‘Queen of Rock’, her own distinct style is clearly present in this song. Certainly, this song is the first ‘rock’ piece we’ve discussed so far.

Melody: The melody of this song is fairly simple, which makes it easily accessible to its audience: the song seems to me to invoke a certain ‘feel-good’ mood, in which the listener listens to the music without criticism, and purely for aesthetics – to enjoy.

Texture: As I have mentioned previously, the song’s texture is slightly ‘twangy’, due to its country influences. However, there is also a strong rock presence: the electric guitar definitely makes its presence known, especially during the interlude solo, with the electric bass and drums constantly keeping the rhythm of the song. Altogether, the song has a fairly layered texture: the electric instruments especially make a lot of ‘big’ noise. I find Ronstadt’s individual vocal texture to be of special interest: as a rock performer, her voice has a special quality of grit and toughness to it; yet while she ‘rocks out’, Ronstadt also manages to maintain an element of softness to her delivery that is inherently womanly.

Lyrics: The lyrics to the song are incredibly simple: Ronstadt sings about how she’s been ‘cheated, mistreated, pushed down, pushed round, been made blue, and lied to,’ and plaintively asks when ‘she will be loved.’ While vague, the lyrics also probably had a certain element of universality to it: heartbreak is something almost everyone can relate to. It is strange to notice Ronstadt’s juxtaposition of sad lyrics with an upbeat melody and song, a characteristic of many of her songs. Perhaps she meant to convey an underlying sense of hope through her songs: although things may seem dreary, she encourages her listener to keep hoping and working to improve their situation.

Personal Response: While I enjoy the quality of Ronstadt’s voice as a ‘70s pop/rock performer, I don’t know that I can say the same about the song. I find it a serviceable song, and slightly enjoyable; but I also feel that, try as she might, Ronstadt has difficulty conveying any sort of deeper emotional feeling given the material she has to work with. Especially in comparison to Los Laureles, Ronstadt here seems to be much less engaged, less true to herself, and thus less interesting.