Ten Favorite Don Henley Guest Vocals: Hasten Down the Wind (#2)

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Oh, has John been waiting for this one. If anyone who has read anything musical from me is shocked by this, it's only that it's not the top spot. How could I not include this, with my favorite male vocalist, favorite female rock vocalist, and favorite songwriter all meeting together on one magical song? #2: Hasten Down the Wind - Linda Ronstadt Warren Zevon was on a lot of individuals' radars long before he became an "overnight sensation" with 1978's "Werewolves of London." Jackson Browne, a longtime friend, was one of them. Browne used his "pull" to get Zevon a record deal with Asylum in 1975. And Linda Ronstadt is another one who saw the potential. She obviously loved Zevon's music, as she did four of his songs over three albums. This was the first, the title track to her Grammy-winning Hasten Down the Wind album. And, oh, did she take a great song about a man with a schizophrenic love affair and make it perfect. Her beautiful voice is augmented on the chorus by her onetime drummer, Don Henley. By then, of course, the Eagles were on the brink of unleashing Hotel California on the world, but they were already superstars. Ronstadt was breaking out of her "stardom" mode into the superstar arena, too. A year later, this may not have happened. But it did. And wow, was the outcome spectacular. Linda knew how to pick songs. She also knew how to pick the right background vocalists for the right time (consider her onetime boyfriend J.D. Souther's work on a couple of songs [which he wrote]). What a combination. PS: on Zevon's 1976 album, Lindsey Buckingham did the harmonies. Hasten Down the Wind Written by Warren Zevon Recorded by Linda Ronstadt From Hasten Down the Wind, 1976 Hanging on to half a heart: