As a teenager in the late 1970s I would often DJ for my parents’ parties and the most requested track was Linda Ronstadt’s Poor Poor Pitiful Me. Written by Warren Zevon, the song never failed to get everyone dancing and I still remember those nights every time I hear it. That personal connection is one of the reasons this track feels so iconic, and why it stands as a perfect choice for the Classic Tracks series.
Poor Poor Pitiful Me was recorded at The Sound Factory in Hollywood between May and July 1977 and released on 6 September 1977. It was produced by Peter Asher and recorded and mixed by Val Garay with assistance from Mark Howlett, while the mastering was handled by Doug Sax. The song featured many of Ronstadt’s regular collaborators including Dan Dugmore and Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Kenny Edwards on bass and Rick Marotta on drums, along with Don Grolnick on clavinet and percussion contributions from Asher himself.
The parent album Simple Dreams is one of Ronstadt’s finest works and a late 1970s classic. It features standout interpretations of Blue Bayou, Zevon’s Carmelita and the Rolling Stones’ Tumbling Dice, each treated with the same high production values and attention to detail. The record became Ronstadt’s most commercially successful release, spending five consecutive weeks at number 1 on the Billboard albums chart in late 1977 and earning Val Garay a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Album Non-Classical.
Technically, Simple Dreams was an analogue recording project tracked and mixed through an analogue console. Garay has confirmed the use of the DBX 160 compressor on the drums, which gave the rhythm section its tight and punchy sound. Studio effects typical of the era, such as the EMT 250 reverb, were likely employed during the mix. What is well documented is the use of the then new Aphex Aural Exciter across the finished mixes. This device added clarity and presence to the sound by enhancing high-frequency harmonics, and its inclusion gave the album a sonic character that stood out at the time.
Poor Poor Pitiful Me remains one of Linda Ronstadt’s most memorable recordings. It demonstrates the strength of her interpretive skills, taking Warren Zevon’s composition and turning it into a mainstream hit with her distinctive voice, energy and style. Supported by Peter Asher’s production, Val Garay’s engineering and a first-class group of musicians, the track has endured as both a dance floor favourite and a highlight of one of the most important albums of the late 1970s.