Line #1 YMMV/LindaRonstadt


1	* AudienceAlienatingEra: The mid-1980s, kicked off by the controversy she caused by performing at Sun City in South Africa in 1983 (see OvershadowedByControversy below) then by releasing experimental albums, three of which were big band sound albums that were basically the same as each other. She would WinBackTheCrowd at the end of the decade.
2	* BizarroEpisode: In 1967, Music/FrankZappa recorded an advertising jingle for [[http://wiki.killuglyradio.com/wiki/Remington_Electric_Razor the Remington Electric Razor]] featuring Ronstadt's singing. However, the company didn't like it and it was never used.
3	* BrokenBase: Opinions are divided on "Alison". Music/ElvisCostello himself criticized her version of it when it was released (though he would change his mind years later) and some hold the opinion that given its subject matter, the song works better with a male vocalist for reasons similar to why [[Music/DireStraits Mark Knopfler]] ultimately decided that "Music/PrivateDancer" needed [[Music/TinaTurner a female vocalist]].
4	* CoveredUp:
5	** Her version of "You're No Good" was the fourth to make the ''Billboard'' chart; the first was by Dee Dee Warwick ([[Music/DionneWarwick Dionne's sister]]) in 1963, but could only climb to #117. The next year {{Soul}} singer Betty Everett (#51) and [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion British Invasion]] band The Swinging Blue Jeans (#97) had minor hits with it. Ronstadt took it to #1 in 1975.
6	** In a few cases, while the originals were big hits, her versions are equally, if not more, famous ([[Music/TheEverlyBrothers "When Will I Be Loved?"]], [[Music/RoyOrbison "Blue Bayou"]]).
7	* FriendlyFandoms: Her fans really like Music/JacksonBrowne, both due to their similar style and the fact that they are PlatonicLifePartners off the stage.
8	* HilariousInHindsight: Her performance at the White House in 1996 included "You're No Good". She performed "You're No Good" directly to UsefulNotes/BillClinton and UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton. Granted, she supported him at the time, but the Clintons' opponents are still highly amused by it.
9	* LesYay: "Alison" enters this by virtue of it being sung by a female.
10	* OvershadowedByControversy: Her concert tour in support of ''Get Closer'' eventually ran into this in 1983 when Ronstadt performed at Sun City in [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra Apartheid South Africa]], breaking the cultural boycott.[[note]]Not helping matters was that the 1980s, under the P. W. Botha government, was when the system was its most brutal.[[/note]] This prompted a big backlash among both her peers and the press, which interpreted the move as Ronstadt expressing support for the Apartheid regime, though Ronstadt only believed that the arts should not be tied to any political considerations.
11	** As a result of this, having her as a collaborator further fueled the controversy that surrounded Music/PaulSimon's 1986 album ''Music/{{Graceland}}'', as opponents took her presence as evidence that Simon was thumbing his nose at the cultural boycott of South Africa. Nelson George of ''Billboard'' said her inclusion on Graceland was like "using gasoline to put out birthday candles."
12	* RetroactiveRecognition: After her success as a solo act, The Stone Poneys' recordings ("Different Drum" in particular) have been rebilled as "Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys".
13	* SignatureSong: "You're No Good" or her version of "Blue Bayou".
14	* TearJerker: "Long Long Time":
15	-->"And life's full of flaws\
16	Who knows the cause?\
17	Living in the memory of a love that never was"
18	* VindicatedByHistory: Ronstadt's modern reception as a legacy artist - including being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - is much better than the mixed reception she received in her time.
19	* WinBackTheCrowd: With her smash 1989 album ''Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind'' after audience interest was waning from her doing three consecutive Nelson Riddle albums.
20	** Former critics of her, such as Music/ElvisCostello and Radio/HowardStern, have spoken positively about her since her retirement and have stated they agree that she was one of the best singers of her generation.

Context YMMV / LindaRonstadt