Maps of Music

Winter Light (1993)

Where the lyrics of Winter Light take you, and where it was really made.

Ronstadt's own song Winter Light was used in the 1993 film The Secret Garden, but it was not included on that film's soundtrack release.

Key places

Recorded at Skywalker Ranch (1993)

Recording site Skywalker Ranch — Winter Light was recorded at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, one of three recording locations listed for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Conway Studios (1993)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Part of Winter Light was recorded at Conway Studios in Hollywood, California, according to the album's recording credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at The Site (1993)

Recording site Tarpan Studios — The Site is one of the recording locations named for Winter Light. The point is set at the city center of San Rafael, so the exact building is not marked. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Winter Light: album by American singer Linda Ronstadt
• Released in late 1993 (23 November 1993 per the Italian Wikipedia entry) on Elektra, distributed by Warner
• Received critical acclaim but was a commercial disappointment
• Original 1993 US release was Elektra 61545-2
• Ronstadt produced it herself, together with George Massenburg
• The title track is Ronstadt's own composition

Background

• First solo album since Don't Cry Now not produced by Peter Asher
• Ronstadt took on greater production duties and more confidence behind the boards
• Multi-layered, Enya-styled New Age-oriented sound
• Heartbeats Accelerating became the album's first hit single and had a popular music video
• Oh No Not My Baby, a remake of a classic 1960s R&B hit, was a Top 30 Adult Contemporary hit for Ronstadt in spring 1994
• Tribute to 1960s female vocalists, mixing rock n roll, oldies, and rock ballads
• Three songs had been previously recorded by Dusty Springfield: Anyone Who Had a Heart, Oh No Not My Baby, I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself
• Songwriters include Burt Bacharach, Carole King, Jimmy Webb, and Tish Hinojosa
• Sarah Brightman covered Winter Light on her 2001 album Classics, and Chloë Agnew recorded it for her album Walking In The Air

Recording

• Recorded June through September 1993 at The Site and Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, and at Conway Studios in Hollywood
• Mastered at The Mastering Lab in Hollywood

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · it.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Born July 15, 1946 in Tucson, Arizona; American singer across rock, folk, pop, country, and soul.
• In the mid-1960s joined the folk-rock trio the Stone Poneys as lead singer, releasing three albums in 1967–68.
• Solo debut Hand Sown ... Home Grown (1969), described as the first alternative country record by a female recording artist.
• Became the first female "arena class" rock star; top-grossing concert artist of the decade.
• Voted Top Female Pop Singer of the 1970s; "You're No Good" reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Worked with producer Nelson Riddle on the Great American Songbook trilogy What's New, Lush Life, and For Sentimental Reasons.
• Recorded Canciones de Mi Padre (1987), the best-selling non-English-language album in US music history.
• Retired in 2011 after losing the ability to sing; later diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014; Kennedy Center Honoree in 2019.

Formation

• At age 14 formed a folk trio with her brother Peter and sister Gretchen.
• Moved to Los Angeles in 1964 to form a band with Bobby Kimmel.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Rolling Stone: rated the album 4 out of a possible 5 stars
• Allmusic critic Jose Promis praised the album, writing that it could arguably be classified as Ronstadt's best pop album of the 1990s
• Promis wrote that the album gets better with each listening and calls it a shining gem for fans of the singer

Reappraisal

• Considered one of Ronstadt's best and most underrated recordings
• Promis described the album as a sadly overlooked release

Records

• Peaked at number 92 on the Billboard album chart, a disappointing result
• Modest sales: 248,410 copies in the United States
• In 2008 became Ronstadt's first Elektra/Asylum release to be taken out of print

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original 1993 US release listed the songs incorrectly on the back of the tray card, with no track number 8 shown
• The printed listing jumps from track 7 to track 9, so it looked like twelve tracks instead of eleven
• The title track was prominently used in the 1993 film The Secret Garden, but was not on the film's original soundtrack release
• In 2008 it became the first Elektra/Asylum release by Ronstadt to be taken out of print
• Sarah Brightman later covered Winter Light on her 2001 album Classics

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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