Linda Ronstadt, "Hurt So Bad"

Linda Ronstadt is one of those artists I've known since my very earliest musical memories began. But my appreciation of her has waned over the years, ever since realizing that (a) nearly all of her hits were covers (I hadn't realized this in the '70s and early '80s, not that it would have been so important to me then), and, more pertinent, (b) she harbored a grating tendency on her rockers to shout instead of sing.

Indeed, she yells her way through the second half of "Hurt So Bad," a song I've adored for a very long time in its many incarnations, from Little Anthony & the Imperials' superior original to the Lettermen's combed-over softie take (which I knew early on via my mother's 8-tracks). And I have to say, Linda's insistence on forcing her eyes shut throughout the video was a questionable decision - I figure she was overacting the idea that she can't bear to see him again. Still and all, it's a phenomenal piece of succinct songwriting, and no matter who's singing it, it's chills down the spine to hear that desperate staccato pleading: "Please. Don't. Go. Please. Don't. GOOOOO!"

I've been thinking that that one line is where it's at today.