1983 Songs: What’s New?

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Here’s the end of the alphabetical list of songs that are 40 years old now. With today’s song, the last one before we get to the top ten, I should say recordings because this is a lot older than 40. But this recording isn’t. Back to 1983 we go to go further back than that! What’s New? - Linda Ronstadt Oh, how I ache for a generation that’s grown up without this woman’s voice. (She has Parkinson’s and said in an interview not too long ago that she is in “end-of-life” stages. ) We’d say Linda Ronstadt could sing anything, and she proved it time after time after time. Among the things she did in the 80s: an opera (The Pirates of Penzance), two albums of Spanish songs to honor her Mexican heritage, the acclaimed Trio with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris, a “new wave” album (Mad Love), and three-count-‘em-three albums of pop standards that she did with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. And she successfully pulled all of it off! I mean, everybody and his brother has done “Great American Songbook” albums. Some have the voice for it (Boz Scaggs’ But Beautiful), and some don’t (hey, Rod Stewart, I’m looking at you!). Linda had the voice for it. And everything else she sang. Plus, this video has the added joy of eye candy!!! (No, JJ, not for you….) That’s Danny Kortchmar, world class session guitarist and Don Henley’s songwriting partner in the 80s (he wrote Henley’s hit “All She Wants to Do is Dance” by himself), along with Jackson Browne’s and James Taylor’s guitarist for eons. And ooh, was he gorgeous then! And ubiquitous: he was in the aforementioned Henley hit video and half a dozen Ronstadt clips then. This song dates to 1939, when Bob Crosby’s orchestra had one of many hits with it. The video is cool, but the song is great on its own. What’s New? Written by Bob Haggart and Johnny Burke Recorded by Linda Ronstadt From What’s New, 1983 Probably I’m boring you: