April 23, 2021 —– Chart #88

Hello Musical Friends,

Well its Friday again and time for the weekly Chart of the Day.

“When Will I Be Loved” is a classic popular song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who had a US top-ten hit with it in 1960. Linda Ronstadt covered the song in 1975, and her version was an even bigger hit in the US, peaking at No. 2.

The Everly Brothers scored a number 8 hit single with “When Will I Be Loved” in the summer of 1960 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track had been recorded in 1960 while the duo were contracted to Cadence Records; by 1960 they had moved to Warner Brothers and recording in a more mainstream pop/rock style than previously. The belated release by Cadence of “When Will I Be Loved” provided the Everly Brothers with a final rockabilly-style hit.

The song had its highest profile when Linda Ronstadt covered it on her album Heart Like A Wheel. This version rearranges the verses of the Everly Brothers original, transposing the first and fourth verses. Capitol Records was reportedly unsure whether to release “When Will I Be Loved” or “You’re No Good” as the lead 45 off of Heart Like a Wheel, finally deciding to issue “You’re No Good” as the premier single. “When Will I Be Loved” was issued as the second single in March 1975.

The song hit number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year, as well as number 1 in Cash Box; only the chart dominance of the year’s biggest hit, “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain & Tennille, prevented Ronstadt from having consecutive number 1 hit singles on the Hot 100. Billboard did afford a number 1 ranking to “When Will I Be Loved” on its C&W chart. The song has sold 268,000 copies in the United States since becoming available for digital download as of January 2020.

As Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved” descended the charts, its B-side, a remake of Buddy Holly’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”, garnered enough airplay to chart at number 47 Pop, number 20 Adult Contemporary, and number 54 Country.

Original Everly Brothers video:  

Ronstadt Version from 1975: 

Linda Ronstadt Live in 1976:  https://youtu.be/wYGK3GvgaII 

Keep rockin’ my friends,

Stan