{{more citations needed|date=April 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Simple Dreams | type = studio | artist = [[Linda Ronstadt]] | cover = Simple_Dreams_Album_Cover.jpg | released = {{start date|1977|09|06}} | recorded = May 23–July 22, 1977 | studio = [[The Sound Factory|Sound Factory]] (Hollywood) | genre = [[Rock & roll|Rock]], [[country rock]], [[folk rock]] | length = 31:49 | label = [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] | producer = [[Peter Asher]] | prev_title = [[Greatest Hits (Linda Ronstadt album)|Greatest Hits]] | prev_year = 1976 | next_title = [[Living in the USA]] | next_year = 1978 | misc = {{Singles | name = Simple Dreams | type = studio | single1 = [[Blue Bayou]] | single1date = August 23, 1977 | single2 = [[It's So Easy! (The Crickets song)#Linda Ronstadt version|It's So Easy]] | single2date = September 1977 | single3 = [[Poor Poor Pitiful Me]] | single3date = January 1978 | single4 = [[Tumbling Dice]] | single4date = April 1978 | single5 = I Never Will Marry | single5date = April 1978 }} }}
'''''Simple Dreams''''' is the eighth studio album by the American singer [[Linda Ronstadt]], released in 1977 by [[Asylum Records]]. It includes several of her best-known songs, including her cover of the [[Rolling Stones]] song "[[Tumbling Dice]]" (featured in the film [[FM (film)|''FM'']]) and her version of the [[Roy Orbison]] song "[[Blue Bayou]]", which earned her a [[Grammy]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]]. The album also contains covers of the [[Buddy Holly]] song "[[It's So Easy! (The Crickets song)|It's So Easy!]]" (a top-5 hit) and the [[Warren Zevon]] songs "[[Poor Poor Pitiful Me]]" (another top-40 hit) and "[[Carmelita (song)|Carmelita]]".
It was the best-selling studio album of her career, and at the time was the second best-selling album by a female artist (behind only [[Carole King]]'s ''[[Tapestry (Carole King album)|Tapestry]]''). It was her first album since ''[[Don't Cry Now]]'' without long-time musical collaborator [[Andrew Gold]], though it features several of the other [[Laurel Canyon]]-based session musicians who appeared on her prior albums, including guitarists [[Dan Dugmore]] and [[Waddy Wachtel]], bassist [[Kenny Edwards]], and producer and multi-instrumentalist [[Peter Asher]].
==Release and promotion== The album was released by [[Asylum Records|Asylum]] in the LP, 8-track tape & cassette Tape format in September 1977 (catalogue number 6E-104, TC8-104, and TC5-104). In 1986, Asylum released the album in the CD format (2-104). The album has never been out of print.
One of the most successful albums of Ronstadt's career, ''Simple Dreams'' spent five successive weeks at number 1 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' album chart in late 1977, displacing [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s ''[[Rumours (album)|Rumours]]'' after it had held that position for a record-breaking 29 weeks. It also knocked [[Elvis Presley]] out of the number 1 position on the ''Billboard'' Country Albums chart after "The King" had held it for fifteen consecutive weeks following his death in August. ''Simple Dreams'' was Ronstadt's fifth consecutive million-selling platinum album and sold over 3½ million copies in less than a year in the United States alone—a record for a female artist. Among female recording artists at that time, only Carole King, with her album ''Tapestry'', had sold more copies of one album.
The album was such a success that Ronstadt became the first female artist—and the first act overall since [[the Beatles]]—to have two singles in the top five at the same time: the Platinum-certified "[[Blue Bayou]]" (#3 Pop, #3 Adult contemporary, and #2 Country) and "[[It's So Easy! (The Crickets song)|It's So Easy]]" (#5 Pop). "It's So Easy" was originally recorded by [[Buddy Holly]] and [[The Crickets]] in 1958 but had failed to chart in its original version. It was Ronstadt's second cover of a Holly song to become a hit in as many years; she had taken a rousing cover of "[[That'll Be the Day]]" to #11 Pop in 1976, using a similar arrangement.
The album includes songs by [[Warren Zevon]], [[Eric Kaz]], and [[JD Souther]], as well as [[the Rolling Stones]]' "[[Tumbling Dice]]". Ronstadt was joined by [[Dolly Parton]] on the traditional ballad "I Never Will Marry", which became a Top 10 Country hit during the summer of 1978. (Ronstadt, Parton, and [[Emmylou Harris]] were also working on an ill-fated collaborative project around this same time, but nine years would pass before the release of their first ''[[Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris album)|Trio]]'' album.)
Ronstadt also recorded a Spanish-language version of "Blue Bayou" entitled "Lago Azul" only released as a single in 1978 (Asylum E-45464). The album's 40th anniversary reissue in 2017, augmented by the addition of four live tracks, likewise omits this recording.
Originally, the cover photograph was to show Ronstadt dressed in a [[Slip (clothing)|mini-slip]] and seated in front of multiple mirrors. Uncomfortable with the physical exposure, she changed into a robe, and the picture was made artificially grainy. A retouched photo from the original photo sessions was included on the inner [[record sleeve|sleeve]] of her platinum-plus album ''[[Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (Linda Ronstadt album)|Greatest Hits, Volume 2]]'', released in 1980. At the [[20th Grammy Awards]], [[John Kosh]] won the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for ''Simple Dreams''.
== Critical reception == {{Music ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r16882|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine}}</ref> |rev2 = ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies|Christgau's Record Guide]]'' |rev2Score = B+<ref name="CG">{{cite book|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|year=1981|title=[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]|publisher=[[Ticknor & Fields]]|isbn=089919026X|chapter=Consumer Guide '70s: R|chapter-url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/get_chap.php?k=R&bk=70|access-date=March 12, 2019|via=robertchristgau.com}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' | rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite book| last = Brackett | first = Nathan |author2=Christian Hoard | title = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York | page = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/n714 701] | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access = registration }}</ref> }} ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' stated: "Throughout ''Simple Dreams'' (in which Ronstadt and Asher wisely have scaled down the production), the singer evokes a bittersweet world of disappointments, fantasies and cheerfully brazen assertions."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Simple Dreams |date=1977-10-20 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910202300/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/simple-dreams-19771020 |archive-date=2017-09-10 |url-status=live |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/simple-dreams-19771020}}</ref> Reviewing in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981), [[Robert Christgau]] wrote:
{{blockquote|"In which [[Andrew Gold]] goes off and Pursues His Solo Career, enabling Ronstadt to hire herself a rock and roll band. She's still too predictable—imagine how terse and eloquent 'Blue Bayou' would seem if instead of turning up the volume midway through she just hit one high note at the end—but she's also a pop eclectic for our time, as comfortable with [[Mick Jagger]] as with [[Dolly Parton]], interpreting [[Roy Orbison]] as easily as Buddy Holly. Even her portrayal of a junkie seeking succor from Warren Zevon's 'Carmelita; isn't totally ridiculous. And I admit it—[[1977 World Series#National anthem|she looks great in a Dodger jacket]]."<ref name="CG"/>}}
==Accolades== "Blue Bayou" was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year]] in early 1978. It also earned Ronstadt a Grammy nomination for [[Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female]], alongside [[Barbra Streisand]], [[Dolly Parton]], [[Carly Simon]], and [[Debby Boone]], while the album was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical]] ([[Val Garay]]). [[Peter Asher]] also won the [[Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical]] in-part for his work on this album.
==Track listing== {{track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = [[It's So Easy! (The Crickets song)|It's So Easy]] | writer1 = [[Buddy Holly]], [[Norman Petty]] | length1 = 2:27 | title2 = [[Carmelita (song)|Carmelita]] | writer2 = [[Warren Zevon]] | length2 = 3:07 | title3 = Simple Man, Simple Dream | writer3 = [[JD Souther]] | length3 = 3:12 | title4 = Sorrow Lives Here | writer4 = [[Eric Kaz]] | length4 = 2:57 | title5 = I Never Will Marry | writer5 = Traditional | length5 = 3:12 }} {{track listing | headline = Side two | title1 = [[Blue Bayou]] | writer1 = [[Roy Orbison]], [[Joe Melson]] | length1 = 3:57 | title2 = [[Poor Poor Pitiful Me]] | writer2 = [[Warren Zevon]] | length2 = 3:42 | title3 = Maybe I'm Right | writer3 = [[Waddy Wachtel]] | length3 = 3:05 | title4 = [[Tumbling Dice]] | writer4 = [[Mick Jagger]], [[Keith Richards]] | length4 = 3:05 | title5 = [[I Ride an Old Paint|Old Paint]] | writer5 = Traditional | length5 = 3:05 | total_length = 31:49 }}
== Personnel == * Linda Ronstadt – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 10), acoustic guitar (5, 10), arrangements (5, 10) * [[Don Grolnick]] – [[clavinet]] (1, 7), [[Electric organ|organ]] (2), electric piano (3, 6), acoustic piano (4, 9) * [[Dan Dugmore]] – acoustic guitar (1, 2, 7), [[steel guitar]] (3, 6), electric guitar (9) * [[Waddy Wachtel]] – electric guitar (1, 2, 7–9), backing vocals (1, 2, 9), acoustic guitar (2, 5, 6, 8), slide guitar solo (9) * [[Mike Auldridge]] – [[dobro]] (5, 10) * [[Kenny Edwards]] – bass guitar (1–3, 6–9), backing vocals (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10), [[mandolin]] (6) * [[Rick Marotta]] – drums (1–3, 6, 7, 9), [[syndrum]]s (2, 6, 7), [[Shaker (musical instrument)|shaker]] (3), [[Cowbell (instrument)|cowbell]] (6) * Steve Forman – [[marimba]] (6) * [[Peter Asher]] – backing vocals (1, 8, 10), tambourine (7), [[maracas]] (7) * [[David Campbell (composer)|David Campbell]] – string arrangements (3), viola (3) * Dennis Karmazyn – cello (3) * Charles Veal – violin (3) * Richard Feves – double bass (3) * [[Dolly Parton]] – harmony vocals (5) * [[Don Henley]] – backing vocals (6) * Larry Hagler – backing vocals (7) * [[JD Souther]] – backing vocals (8) * [[Herb Pedersen]] – backing vocals (10)
=== Production === * Producer – Peter Asher * Recorded and Mixed by [[Val Garay]] * Recording and Mix Assistant – Mark Howlett * Mastered by [[Doug Sax]] at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, CA). * Art Direction and Design – [[John Kosh|Kosh]] * Photography – Jim Shea
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" !scope="col"|Chart (1977–78) !Peak<br/>position |- !scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=258}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"| 1 |- !scope="row"|[[RPM (magazine)|Canadian Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5455a&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|title=Top Albums/CDs - Volume 28, No. 11|magazine=RPM|format=PHP|date=1977-12-10|access-date=2014-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502032808/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.5455a&type=1&interval=50&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062|archive-date=2014-05-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> |1 |- !scope="row"|[[MegaCharts|Dutch Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=dutchcharts.nl Linda Ronstadt – ''Simple Dreams''|work=Hung Medien|publisher=[[MegaCharts]]|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Linda+Ronstadt&titel=Simple+Dreams&cat=a|format=ASP|access-date=2012-04-04}}</ref> |8 |- !scope="row"|[[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|French SNEP Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://infodisc.fr/Album_R.php |title=InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste |language=fr |publisher=infodisc.fr |access-date=2012-04-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126084927/http://infodisc.fr/Album_R.php |archive-date=2016-01-26 }}Note: user must select 'Linda RONSTADT' from drop-down</ref> |15 |- !scope="row"|[[Oricon|Japanese Oricon LPs Chart]]<ref name="oricon">{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=[[Roppongi]], [[Tokyo]]|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9}}</ref> |38 |- !scope="row"|[[Official New Zealand Music Chart|New Zealand Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=charts.nz Linda Ronstadt – ''Simple Dreams''|work=Hung Medien|publisher=[[Recording Industry Association of New Zealand]]|url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Linda+Ronstadt&titel=Simple+Dreams&cat=a|format=ASP|access-date=2012-04-04}}</ref> |2 |- !scope="row"|[[Sverigetopplistan|Swedish Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web|title=swedishcharts.com Linda Ronstadt – ''Simple Dreams''|format=ASP|url=http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Linda+Ronstadt&titel=Simple+Dreams&cat=a|language=sv|access-date=2012-04-04}}</ref> |46 |- !scope="row"|[[UK Albums Chart]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/linda%20ronstadt/| title= Linda Ronstadt : Artist: Official Charts | publisher=UK Albums Chart| access-date=2014-04-01}}</ref> |15 |- !scope="row"|[[Billboard 200|U.S. ''Billboard'' Pop Albums]]<ref name="USchart">{{cite web|title=Allmusic:''Simple Dreams'' : Charts & Awards: Billboard Albums|publisher=allmusic.com|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r16882/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2014-05-01}}</ref> |1 |- !scope="row"|U.S. ''Billboard'' Country Albums<ref name="USchart"/> |1 |- |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col"| Chart (1977) ! scope="col"| Position |- !scope="row"|Australian Albums Chart<ref name="auchart">{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1970-1992|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=[[St Ives, New South Wales|St Ives]], N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref> |27 |- !scope="row"|[[RPM Year-End|Canadian Albums Chart]]<ref name="CAYearend77">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.5558&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |title=RPM Top 100 Albums of 1977 |magazine=RPM |date=1977-12-31 |access-date=2014-05-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405134622/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.5558&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 |archive-date=2014-04-05 }}</ref> |18 |} {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" ! scope="col"| Chart (1978) ! scope="col"| Position |- !scope="row"|[[List of Top 25 albums for 1978 in Australia|Australian Albums Chart]]<ref name="auchart" /> |4 |- !scope="row"|Canadian Albums Chart<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0069&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|title=RPM Top 100 Albums of 1978|magazine=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|access-date=2013-09-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619211343/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.0069&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5|archive-date=2013-06-19}}</ref> |54 |- !scope="row"|Dutch Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1978&cat=a |title=Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1978 |format=ASP |language=nl |access-date=2014-05-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512112209/http://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1978&cat=a |archive-date=2014-05-12 }}</ref> |63 |- !scope="row"|French Albums Chart<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1978.php |title=Les Albums (CD) de 1978 par InfoDisc |language=fr |format=PHP |publisher=infodisc.fr |access-date=2012-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130711073702/http://www.infodisc.fr/B-CD_1978.php |archive-date=2013-07-11 }}</ref> |31 |- ! scope="row" | New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1978-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1978 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart|publisher=[[Recorded Music New Zealand]]|access-date=January 25, 2022}}</ref> |11 |- !scope="row"|[[Billboard Year-End|U.S. ''Billboard'' 200]]<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121231092504/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/855508?imw=Y |url=http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/archivesearch/article_display/855508?imw=Y |title=Top Pop Albums of 1978 |publisher=billboard.biz |archive-date=2012-12-31 |access-date=2014-05-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |8 |} {{col-end}}
==Certifications and sales== {{certification Table Top}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Simple Dreams|artist=Linda Ronstadt|type=album|relyear=1978|region=Australia|award=Platinum|number=5|certyear=2001|access-date=December 27, 2021}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Simple Dreams|artist=Linda Ronstadt|type=album|relyear=1978|region=Canada|award=Platinum|number=2|access-date=2012-04-04}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Simple Dreams|artist=Linda Ronstadt|type=album|relyear=1978|region=Hong Kong|award=Platinum|certyear=1979|accessdate=November 16, 2019}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|type=album|artist=Linda Ronstadt|title=Simple Dreams|nocert=true|salesamount=42,540|salesref=<ref name="oricon"/>}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Simple Dreams|artist=Linda Ronstadt|type=album|relyear=1978|id=1978-08-11|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum}} {{certification Table Entry|title=Simple Dreams|artist=Linda Ronstadt|type=album|relyear=1978|region=United States|award=Platinum|number=3|access-date=2012-04-04}} {{Certification Table Bottom}}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release history and formats for ''Simple Dreams'' !scope="col"| Region !scope="col"| Date !scope="col"| Format !scope="col"| Label !scope="col"| Ref. |- ! scope="row"| North America | September 6, 1977 | {{hlist|LP|cassette}} | Asylum Records | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ronstadt |first1=Linda |title=''Simple Dreams'' (Liner Notes) |journal=[[Asylum Records]] |date=September 6, 1977 |id=6E-104 (LP); TC5-5104 (Cassette)}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
{{Linda Ronstadt}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1977 albums]] [[Category:Linda Ronstadt albums]] [[Category:Albums arranged by David Campbell (composer)]] [[Category:Albums produced by Peter Asher]] [[Category:Asylum Records albums]]