More Cowbell! Top Ten: Poor Poor Pitiful Me (#5)

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What a World Series! Congratulations to both the Dodgers and the Astros for such a terrific series, and congratulations to the city of Houston for their first World Series title! To celebrate, let's bang on the cowbell with another song from my list of favorites that feature the cowbell. Here's today's song. #5: Poor Poor Pitiful Me - Linda Ronstadt NOTE: This has the total approval of @JohnRoberts (unlike the outcome of the World Series)!!!! 1978 was a good year for Warren Zevon. He had his own success with "Werewolves of London," and he also made a dollar or two in royalties thanks to Linda Ronstadt's cover of this song from his first album. Zevon wrote it as a tongue-in-cheek lament of being used as a sex toy too much by women. Ronstadt turned the tables when she recorded it ("these young girls won't let me be" became "oh, these boys won't let me be"). Linda and Zevon were friends: she sang back-up on the song "Excitable Boy" and did some marvelous work on "Empty-Handed Heart" and "Bed of Coals." She recorded four of his songs, with this one being the only single released out of the four (the other three were "Hasten Down the Wind," "Carmelita," and "Mohammed's Radio"). Zevon's version doesn't have cowbell, nor does it have that great bass riff that Kenny Edwards put in Ronstadt's version. And, frankly, it doesn't have Ronstadt's voice, that makes anything sound better. Poor Poor Pitiful Me Written by Warren Zevon Recorded by Linda Ronstadt From Simple Dreams, 1977 Please don't hurt me mama: