Hasten Down The Wind = 風にさらわれた恋
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Album Summary
Hasten Down the Wind came rolling out of Los Angeles in 1976 on Asylum Records, and honey, it was something special from the moment the needle hit the groove. Produced by the incomparable Peter Asher — the man who had become Linda Ronstadt's right hand and creative compass — the album was tracked at various Los Angeles studios with a constellation of the finest session players the city had to offer, including members of the Eagles lending their unmistakable touch. Ronstadt was deep in her commercial and artistic prime, and this record shows every bit of it. The title track, penned by a then-little-known Warren Zevon, was Linda doing what Linda did best — finding a gem before the rest of the world knew it was gold. The album's Japanese subtitle, 風にさらわれた恋, speaks to how far her music was reaching, crossing oceans and landing in hearts well beyond the California sunshine that gave it life.
Reception
- The album climbed to number three on the Billboard 200, a stunning achievement that cemented Ronstadt's place among the biggest-selling artists of the entire decade and kept her commercial momentum rolling at full steam.
- 'That'll Be the Day,' her soulful interpretation of the Buddy Holly classic, cracked the Top 40, while 'Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,' a Karla Bonoff composition, also charted — proving this album could deliver hit after hit.
- The RIAA certified the album platinum, and critics across the board saluted Ronstadt's breathtaking vocal versatility alongside Peter Asher's immaculate, radio-ready production as a genuine pinnacle of the West Coast pop sound.
Significance
- Hasten Down the Wind stands as one of the defining documents of the mid-1970s Los Angeles music scene, weaving country, rock, and pop together with an emotional intimacy that felt both deeply personal and universally resonant.
- By recording Warren Zevon's title track at a moment when Zevon was still largely unknown, Ronstadt used her extraordinary platform to shine a light on one of American rock's most singular voices — a gesture that speaks volumes about her artistic generosity and instincts.
- The album's Japanese subtitle and strong international commercial presence underscore how thoroughly Linda Ronstadt had transcended regional and national boundaries, carrying the sound of 1970s California to audiences around the entire world.
Tracklist
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A1 Lose Again 125
3:34
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A2 The Tattler 120
3:56
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A3 If He's Ever Near 109
3:15
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A4 That'll Be The Day 125
2:32
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A5 Lo Siento Mi Vida 149
3:54
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A6 Hasten Down The Wind 115
2:40
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B1 Rivers Of Babylon 87
0:52
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B2 Give One Heart 147
4:07
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B3 Try Me Again 96
3:59
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B4 Crazy 112
3:58
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B5 Down So Low 175
4:08
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B6 Someone To Lay Down Beside Me 150
4:28
Artist Details
Linda Ronstadt is a stone-cold legend, a powerhouse vocalist out of Tucson, Arizona who burst onto the scene in the late 1960s and absolutely owned the 1970s with a sound that could slide effortlessly from country-rock to pop to straight-up blue-eyed soul — the kind of voice that made you pull your car over and just *listen*. She bridged the gap between the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter scene and mainstream radio gold, racking up hits like You're No Good and Blue Bayou while producing some of the best-selling albums of the entire decade, and in doing so she became one of the first women in rock to truly command the industry on her own terms. Her influence stretches wide and deep, paving the way for a generation of female artists who dared to be both commercially successful and artistically fearless, and her legacy stands as a testament to what happens when raw talent meets absolute determination.
