Introduction
In 1975, the music world wasn’t just listening—they were reeling. Linda Ronstadt, the woman with the velvet voice who had already seduced audiences with her tender ballads, suddenly detonated a bombshell on the airwaves. That bombshell was “When Will I Be Loved.”
This wasn’t just another love song. It was an eruption. It was Ronstadt refusing to play the role of the fragile woman, instead standing tall and hurling the raw question every broken heart has whispered in the dark: When will it be my turn? Her performance wasn’t sweet—it was scorching. With every note, she tore down the walls of polite romance and replaced them with something urgent, something dangerous, something that felt like truth itself.
The shock? She took a song originally written by the Everly Brothers and transformed it into a fierce anthem of heartbreak and defiance. In Ronstadt’s hands, the tune wasn’t a soft plea—it was a challenge, a cry that echoed across radio stations and right into the hearts of millions. The world wasn’t prepared for a female singer to bring that kind of grit, that kind of power, to the stage. And yet, she did it—unapologetically.
The result? “When Will I Be Loved” exploded to the top of the charts, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. More importantly, it forced listeners to confront a question they couldn’t ignore. Ronstadt wasn’t just singing—she was demanding answers, and in doing so, she redefined what a love song could be.
Nearly five decades later, that question still lingers. Every time the track plays, it doesn’t just entertain—it unsettles. It reminds us that love isn’t always gentle, and sometimes the most powerful thing a voice can do is demand what it deserves.
Linda Ronstadt didn’t just sing “When Will I Be Loved.” She made the world feel the weight of the words—and it’s a shock we’re still recovering from.
Video
Lyrics
I’ve been cheated
Been mistreated
When will I be loved?
I’ve been put down
I’ve been pushed ’round
When will I be loved?
When I find a new man
That I want for mine
He always breaks my heart in two
It happens every time
I’ve been made blue
I’ve been lied to
When will I be loved?
When I find a new man
That I want for mine
He always breaks my heart in two
It happens every time
Oh, I’ve been cheated
Been mistreated
When will I be loved?
When will I be loved?
Tell me, when will I be loved?
