History
Owing Capitol one more album on her contract, Ronstadt brought in producer Peter Asher, who had worked on her previous album Don't Cry Now, and multi-instrumentalist and arranger in the late Andrew Gold. The collaborative effort of Asher and Gold have been credited over the years as contributing significantly to the album's artistic success. Several tracks have string arrangements by Gregory Rose.
The result, a more refined and streamlined mix of Country and Rock than her previous releases, proved to be Ronstadt's commercial breakthrough. Critics later said the album, with less of a Folk influence, would standardize the musical formula for her subsequent albums in the 1970s. Released in late 1974, Heart Like a Wheel became the first of her three #1 peaks on the Billboard album chart, reaching the perch for the week ending February 15, 1975, alongside the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, "You're No Good." Ronstadt was featured for the first of a record six times on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in its March 27, 1975, issue. The B-side of the single for "You're No Good," a cover of Hank Williams's "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)," peaked at #2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.
Although her major successes were in the pop/rock field, Linda Ronstadt also had great success in the country music field. Heart Like A Wheel spent four weeks at #1 on Billboards Country Albums chart in early 1975. The follow-up single release, a rockified version of the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved," spent two weeks at #2 on the Hot 100 in June 1975 and hit #1 on the Cash Box Pop singles chart. It also became Ronstadt's first #1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. The B-side of "When Will I Be Loved," a melancholy version of a Buddy Holly & the Crickets song, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", subsequently climbed the Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country charts.
There have been numerous versions of "You're No Good" by artists including Van Halen, Elvis Costello, the Swinging Blue Jeans, Aswad, Reba McEntire and Wilson Phillips. Likewise, "When Will I Be Loved" has been recorded by the Little River Band, Dave Kelly, Rockpile, Vince Gill and Silk, among others. "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" has been recorded by Don McLean, Martin Simpson, Vince Gill, Daniel O'Donnell, Danny Gatton, Suzy Bogguss and Eva Cassidy, among others. In 2005, the Corrs included a cover of the Anna McGarrigle-penned title track, "Heart Like a Wheel," on their album Home.
"Willin'" was prominently featured in the 1989 film The Abyss, the refrain sung by cast members Kimberly Scott, Ed Harris, and Todd Graff.
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