| Living in the USA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 19, 1978 [1] | |||
| Recorded | May 5 – July 3, 1978 | |||
| Studio | Sound Factory (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Rock [2] | |||
| Length | 35:06 | |||
| Label | Asylum, Rhino | |||
| Producer | Peter Asher | |||
| Linda Ronstadt chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Living in the USA | ||||
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Living in the USA is the ninth studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1978. The album was Ronstadt's third and final No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
The album was originally released by Asylum in the LP format in September 1978 (catalog number 155 or 6E-155). Subsequently, in 1990, Asylum released the album on cassette (TCS-155) and in the CD format (2-155).
In addition to the standard 1978 release, collector's-item editions of the LP were made in the same time period of the album in red vinyl (catalog number K53085) and also of a picture disc (catalog number DP 401) featuring a photograph of Ronstadt lacing up the roller skating boots that she is wearing on the front cover (this photograph is also included on the record sleeve in the standard release).
The album's first single release was Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" which reached number 11 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. (It was listed at number 1 on many Album Rock playlists.) The disc's biggest success was Ronstadt's version of Smokey Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby" (featuring alto-sax work from David Sanborn) that hit number 7 Pop and number 2 Easy Listening as well as the Country and even the Soul chart. "Just One Look" and "Alison" later became hit singles for Ronstadt as well, while "All That You Dream" and Warren Zevon's "Mohammed's Radio" were popular tracks on Album-Oriented Radio stations.
Although not released as a single, Ronstadt's version of "Love Me Tender" was edited together with the original version of the song by Elvis Presley, creating a duet between the two famous singers that was played by many radio stations at the time.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B [4] |
| Circus Magazine | [5] |
| Crawdaddy! |  [6] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [7] |
The album received largely positive reviews at the time of release. [5] [8] Ronstadt covered her last Warren Zevon song for this album ("Mohammed's Radio"). The album largely consisted of material that had previously been recorded and released by other artists including covers of songs written and performed previously by Little Feat, Elvis Presley and Elvis Costello.
At the time, Ronstadt's cover of Elvis Costello's "Alison" was criticized by Costello himself after he heard her version of the song, although he did admit he "liked the money." Ronstadt had her management reach out to Costello and ask if he had any other material she could cover. He responded by sending her three songs that she recorded for her follow-up album. After the release of Mad Love , Ronstadt's follow-up album with the three Costello songs she solicited, Costello again had negative comments about her versions of his songs. In later years, Costello praised Ronstadt and apologized for the harshness of his comments. [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back in the U.S.A." | Chuck Berry | 3:02 |
| 2. | "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" | Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Just One Look" | Gregory Carroll, Doris Payne | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Alison" | Elvis Costello | 3:20 |
| 5. | "White Rhythm & Blues" | J.D. Souther | 4:17 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All That You Dream" | Paul Barrere, Bill Payne | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Ooh Baby Baby" | William Robinson, Warren Moore | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Mohammed's Radio" | Warren Zevon | 4:20 |
| 4. | "Blowing Away" | Eric Kaz | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Love Me Tender" | Elvis Presley, Vera Matson | 2:39 |
| Total length: | 35:06 | ||
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [23] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [24] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Japan | — | 84,380 [14] |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [25] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [26] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA) [27] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | September 6, 1977 |
| Asylum Records | [28] |
Linda Maria Ronstadt is an American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music.
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"Alison" is a song written by and first recorded by Elvis Costello in 1977 for his debut album My Aim Is True on Stiff Records. Costello claimed the song was written as an ode to a woman he saw working at a supermarket, though he has remained vague on the meaning. Though Costello's single never charted, it has become one of his most famous songs.
From Elvis in Memphis is the ninth studio album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Records on June 2, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the direction of producer Chips Moman and backed by its house band, informally known as the Memphis Boys. Following the success of Presley's TV special Elvis and its soundtrack, the album marked Presley's return to non-soundtrack albums after the completion of his film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
"Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a 45 rpm single on July 9, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy label, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart—where it stayed for four weeks—and peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"You're No Good" is a song written by Clint Ballard Jr., first performed by Dee Dee Warwick for Jubilee Records in 1963 with production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It has since been covered by many artists, including charting versions by Betty Everett in 1963, The Swinging Blue Jeans in 1964, and Linda Ronstadt in 1974, whose version was a number 1 hit in the United States.
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Simple Dreams is the eighth studio album by the American singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1977 by Asylum Records. It includes several of her best-known songs, including her cover of the Rolling Stones song "Tumbling Dice" and her version of the Roy Orbison song "Blue Bayou", which earned her a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. The album also contains covers of the Buddy Holly song "It's So Easy!" and the Warren Zevon songs "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Carmelita". The album was the best-selling studio album of her career, and at the time was the second best-selling album by a female artist. It was her first album since Don't Cry Now without long-time musical collaborator Andrew Gold, though it features several of the other Laurel Canyon-based session musicians who appeared on her prior albums, including guitarists Dan Dugmore and Waddy Wachtel, bassist Kenny Edwards, and producer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Asher.
Greatest Hits is Linda Ronstadt's first major compilation album, released at the end of 1976 for the holiday shopping season. It includes material from both her Capitol Records and Asylum Records output, and goes back to 1967 for The Stone Poneys' hit "Different Drum."
Mad Love is the tenth studio album by singer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1980. It debuted at #5 on the Billboard album chart, a record at the time and a first for any female artist, and quickly became her seventh consecutive album to sell over one million copies. It was certified platinum and nominated for a Grammy.
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For Sentimental Reasons is an album by American singer, songwriter and producer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1986. The album peaked at #46 on Billboard 200, as well as #3 on the Top Jazz Albums chart.
Feels Like Home is a studio album by American singer Linda Ronstadt released in 1995. It reached #75 and lasted 12 weeks on the Billboard album chart. It received excellent critical reviews upon release. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the disc sold 188,815 copies in the United States. This album is now out of print physically, although it is available digitally and five of its tracks were remixed and subsequently included on Trio II.
rolling stone linda ronstadt album guide.
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