1978 Linda Ronstadt – Back In The U.S.A. (US:#16 UK:#64)
“Back In The U.S.A.” is a song written by Chuck Berry that was released in 1959 and was a top 40 hit. A cover version in 1978 by Linda Ronstadt was also a hit.
Ronstadt had heard the Berry original while being driven around Los Angeles by Eagles member Glenn Frey who had once been in her band, the track being on a home-made cassette Frey had playing in his tape deck. Ronstadt recalls that she’d been reminding Frey “how we used to sit around the Troubadour bar and go: ‘Oh it’s so horrible and I can’t get a record deal.’ We were so broke and so miserable and we’d feel so sorry for ourselves and we were so precious about it. Then all of a sudden I looked at him and I went: ‘Boy, life’s really tough. We’re going off to ski [at Aspen] with all this money in our pockets, we’re going to have a good time, and we’ve got great music on the tape player.’ Just then “Back in the U.S.A.” came on and I went: ‘Boy that would be a great song to sing. I think I’ll do that one.’
Album
Living In The USA is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Linda Ronstadt, released in 1978. The album was Ronstadt’s third (and last) No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. As a measure of her impact on popular culture in this time period, the front cover photograph of a roller skating Ronstadt […]
Musicians
| Bass | Kenny Edwards |
| Drums | Russ Kunkel |
| Guitar | Dan Dugmore |
| Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
| Piano | Don Grolnick |
| Background Vocals | Peter Asher |
| Background Vocals | Waddy Wachtel |
| Background Vocals | Kenny Edwards |
| Vocals | Linda Ronstadt |
Produced By
Peter Asher
Songwriters
Chuck Berry
Charts
US:#16
UK:#64