It’s time to follow your heart and stop waiting for love to come to you.
Do you remember a time when the world was filled with raw, unpolished energy? When rock and roll still felt a little dangerous, a little rebellious, and when a voice could cut through all the noise with sheer power and emotion? That’s the feeling that comes rushing back every time you hear the opening chords of Linda Ronstadt’s “Get Closer.” Released in 1982, this title track from her album of the same name was a spirited return to the rock and roll that had made her a superstar. It was a defiant, almost abrasive, statement from an artist who had nothing left to prove, yet still had so much to say.
By the time the Get Closer album was released, Ronstadt was already a titan of the music industry. She had stacked up a long list of platinum-selling albums and was one of the highest-grossing concert artists of the 1970s. But after a stint on Broadway in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, The Pirates of Penzance, and an unreleased jazz standards album, she was ready to get back to what she did best: belting out powerful rock anthems. “Get Closer” was the perfect re-entry point. The song, a blistering two-and-a-half-minute blast of pure rock, showcased a new confidence and vocal ferocity that hadn’t been heard from her in a while.
The song’s blunt and direct lyrics were a clear departure from the more melancholy and introspective ballads she was known for. This wasn’t a song of pining or heartbreak; it was a challenge. “Want love? Get closer,” she snaps in the opening line, a command rather than a plea. This was a new Linda Ronstadt, demanding affection instead of begging for it, and her voice—newly exercised from her time on the stage—ripped through the mix with a “shouting, growling exuberance” that critics likened to the legendary Aretha Franklin. The title track was a slap in the ears, a jolt of energy meant to grab the listener’s attention from the very first note.
And grab it, it did. While the Get Closer album itself, a blend of rock, country, and folk, was considered a commercial disappointment compared to her previous chart-topping LPs (peaking at #31 on the Billboard 200 and certified gold), the single “Get Closer” performed respectably. Aided by an engaging MTV music video, the song climbed to #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, a solid performance that proved she could still command the airwaves. It was even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female, a testament to its raw power and the strength of her voice at the time.
In a sense, “Get Closer” was the closing chapter of an era. It was Linda Ronstadt’s last rock and roll album before she pivoted to a series of critically acclaimed jazz and pop standards albums with arranger Nelson Riddle. Looking back, “Get Closer” feels like a final, glorious stand—a defiant roar from a woman who had mastered every genre she touched, reminding us all of her unmatched talent and her unwavering spirit. The song is a memory, a feeling, and a reminder of a time when the power of a single voice could make the whole world stop and listen.
Music Legend