Song of the Day: 'How Do I Make You' by Linda Ronstadt

So when I did my post last week about divas "going New Wave" I got a smidge of pushback about my inclusion of Linda Ronstadt from a friend who pointed out she'd actually recorded an Elvis Costello song before, so the three on "Mad Love" didn't really signify a notable shift. I argued that it was a lot more than her material -- the artwork, her band and her own styling all screamed post-punk 1980 -- but just now realizing "How Do I Make You" might have been an even better pick than "Girls Talk." The reason? even Stephen Holden (formerly of Rolling Stone and now of The New York Times) noted at the time that Ronstadt "frankly imitates Deborah Harry," lead vocalist of defining New Wave act Blondie. (And songwriter Billy Steinberg admits he was influenced by "My Sharona"!) Have a listen and tell me you can't all but hear the blue bayou gal start to threatening to walk down the mall, stand over by the wall, where she can see it all, find out who you call and getcha getcha getcha getcha ...

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