"How Do I Make You" is a song composed by Billy Steinberg and recorded by

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

in 1980, reaching the top 10 in the United States.

Writing and recording

Steinberg stated that he was "a little bit influenced" by

the Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, " My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a ...

hit "

My Sharona "My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, ...

" in writing "How Do I Make You". He originally recorded the song with his band

Billy Thermal William Endfield Steinberg (born February 26, 1950) is an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly; together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits " Like a Virgin" by Madonna (1984), ...

as one of several demos produced while the band was signed to

Planet Records Planet Records was an independent American record label founded in 1978 by record producer Richard Perry. It was distributed by Elektra/Asylum Records until 1982, when Perry sold it to RCA Records. Label history Beginnings The label was found ...

. The label ultimately did not release these songs. However, several Billy Thermal demos, including "How Do I Make You", were eventually included on a ''Billy Thermal'' EP released by Kinetic Records, a Los Angeles-based independent label. According to Steinberg, the song's later rise to fame was born from a relationship between Billy Thermal's guitarist, Craig Hull, and

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman (born Wendy Steiner) grew up in the Los Angeles area. She was raised in a musical environment: her father Fred Steiner ...

, a backing vocalist for Linda Ronstadt's live shows: "without asking my permission or anything, Wendy and Craig played the Billy Thermal demos for Linda Ronstadt, and Linda liked the song 'How Do I Make You.'"

Release

"How Do I Make You", which featured Nicolette Larson on backing vocals, was released as an advance single from the album '' Mad Love''. It exemplified Ronstadt's change to a harder-edged style, propelling her stardom briefly in the direction of new wave. Shipped on January 15, 1980, "How Do I Make You" hit number 6 on the '' Cash Box'' Top 100 chart. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it reached a peak of number 10. A non-album track, Ronstadt's version of the traditional " Rambler Gambler", was the B-side of "How Do I Make You" and was serviced to C&W radio, charting on the ''Billboard'' C&W chart at number 42. "How Do I Make You" appeared in the U.S. Top 10 for several weeks during March and April 1980. The track hit number 1 on many AOR (Album Oriented Rock) stations' charts. The single was also successful in Australia (number 19) and New Zealand (number 3). A live version, recorded for an HBO special in April 1980, is included in the 2019 release "Live In Hollywood".

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

critic Mike DeGagne assessed "How Do I Make You" as "a far cry from the ballads, the love songs, and the ample amount of cover versions that onstadthad charted with in the past" saying " he track'squick tempo and pulsating pace had Ronstadt showing some new wave spunk mixed with a desire to rock out a little." However, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' critic Stephen Holden, felt that on "How Do I Make You" Ronstadt "frankly imitates

Deborah Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

," the lead vocalist of defining new wave act Blondie. He further described the song as " Buddy Holly-like" and that it roughly brackets "How Do I Make You" with earlier Ronstadt hits "

That'll Be the Day "That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widespr ...

" (1976) and " It's So Easy" (1977), both remakes of Buddy Holly records.

Cover versions

The 1980 album '' Chipmunk Punk'' by Alvin and the Chipmunks featured a cover of ''How Do I Make You'', with Simon Seville singing the lead. In 2019, Australian hard rock band

Baby Animals Baby Animals is an Australian hard rock band active from October 1989 to 1996 and reformed in 2007. The original line-up was Frank Celenza on drums; Suze DeMarchi on lead vocals and guitar; Dave Leslie on guitar and backing vocals; and Eddie Pa ...

released a version as the lead single from their first greatest hits album.

Charts

References

{{authority control Linda Ronstadt songs Baby Animals songs Songs written by Billy Steinberg 1980 singles 2019 singles Song recordings produced by Peter Asher 1979 songs Asylum Records singles Alvin and the Chipmunks songs