“Adios” (1989) – Linda Ronstadt * Written by Jimmy Webb * LP: Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind * Produced by Peter Asher * Label: Elektra * Charts: Billboard Adult Contemporary (#9)
The closing track from Ronstadt’s Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind showcases three American pop masters who, in comeback mode, are actually at the top of their game: Linda as lead vocalist, Jimmy Webb as songwriter, and Brian Wilson as vocal arranger. As one of two singles released from the album (the other one being “When Something Is Wrong with My Baby,” Ronstadt’s duet with Aaron Neville), “Adios” received enough radio love from Lite FM stations to reach #9 on Billboard’s AC chart.
This was the era of Wilson’s late ’80s revival, a time of musical productivity that was compromised, in many ways, by the smothering watchfulness of his psychotherapist Eugene Landy. According to two reports—Ronstadt’s Simple Dreams memoir and Christian Matijas-Mecca’s The Words and Music of Brian Wilson—the sessions for “Adios” were somehow Landy-free, which gives Wilson’s five-part harmonies, all sung by him, even more fresh-air resonance. In her book, Ronstadt refers to Webb’s song as “wistful,” but listen and hear how Wilson turns it into something more heart-rending.