Introduction
When Linda Ronstadt decided to take on Chuck Berry’s “Back in the U.S.A.” in 1978, the world wasn’t ready for the shockwave she was about to unleash. This wasn’t just another cover. This was a revolution—one that flipped the rock industry on its head and proved, once and for all, that a woman could dominate a man’s song with more power, grit, and sheer ferocity than anyone ever imagined.
From the very first note, Linda’s voice hits like a thunderclap—sharp, confident, unstoppable. She didn’t just sing the song; she owned it, injecting every lyric with a fearless intensity that made her version not only rival the original but, in many critics’ eyes, surpass it. Imagine the audacity: taking a Chuck Berry classic, one of the sacred texts of rock and roll, and turning it into a feminist statement of independence and raw energy.
The shock wasn’t just in her delivery—it was in the reaction. Radio stations couldn’t get enough of it, blasting Linda’s voice across America like a battle cry for freedom. Fans who had grown up on Berry’s 1959 version suddenly found themselves saying something no one thought possible: “Ronstadt’s version is better.” In a male-dominated rock world, that was nothing short of explosive.
Her “Back in the U.S.A.” wasn’t nostalgia—it was defiance. She made it sound like coming home wasn’t just about celebrating America, but about reclaiming power, identity, and the right to stand tall in a genre that often tried to sideline women.
Linda Ronstadt shocked the industry by proving that the so-called “girl singer” stereotype was dead. She wasn’t just the “Queen of Rock”—she was the storm that ripped the crown off the heads of anyone who doubted her. And with “Back in the U.S.A.,” she carved her name deeper into the bedrock of American music history.
Video
Lyrics
Come on out here Linda Ronstadt
Back in the U.S.A.
Come on darlin’
Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today
Just touched ground on an international runway
Jet propelled back home, from overseas to the U.S.A.
New York, Los Angeles, oh, how I yearned for you
Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge
How I long just to be at my home back in ol’ St. Lou
Did I miss the skyscrapers, did I miss the long freeway?
From the coast of California to the shores of Delaware Bay
You can bet your life I did, ’til I got back to the U.S.A.
Looking hard for a drive-in, searching for a corner cafe
Where hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day
Yeah, and a juke-box jumping with records like in the U.S.A.
I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
Anything you want, we got them right here in the U.S.A.
I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
I’m so glad I’m livin’ in the U.S.A.
Anything you want, we got right here in the U.S.A.
I’m so glad
I’m so glad
I’m so glad
I’m so glad
