Watch Linda Ronstadt’s Bilingual Performance of Her Signature Hit “Blue Bayou” from 1983

Linda Ronstadt has the kind of voice and talent that transcend genre lines. Over the years, she recorded rock, country, Latin music, light opera, and beyond. Over the years, she won 11 Grammy Awards, a pair of ACM Awards, a Primetime Emmy, a Tony Award, and a Golden Globe among others.

Today (July 15), Ronstadt turns 78 years old. To celebrate this vocal powerhouse’s birthday, we’re looking at a throwback performance of her signature song “Blue Bayou.”

[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Linda Ronstadt Wrote Since Her New Union Ramblers Days]

Linda Ronstadt Performs “Blue Bayou”

In what appears to be a television appearance from 1983, Linda Ronstadt and her band perform a beautiful rendition of her signature song. In this performance, she runs through the song in English before dipping into her Mexican roots and finishing the song in Spanish.

Roy Orbison and Joe Melson co-penned “Blue Bayou” and Orbison released it as a single in 1963. However, he didn’t see much success with it. His version peaked at No. 29 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

More than a decade later, Ronstadt released her version of the song in 1977 as the lead single from her classic album Simple Dreams. While “Blue Bayou” didn’t go to No. 1 it became her biggest hit. It landed at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. The song also brought Ronstadt a No. 2 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was high on the Hot 100 when Ronstadt’s version of “It’s So Easy” peaked at No. 5 on the survey. This made her the first artist to have two singles in the top five simultaneously since the Beatles did it.

According to Songfacts, Orbison called ‘Blue Bayou’ a happy song. “That’s simply a song about being on the road. And that really is a happy song,” he said. “It probably sounds very strange to you for me to say that. The fellow’s bound and determined to get back to where you sleep all day and the catfish play and the sailing boats and the girl and all that stuff,” he added. “It’s a beautiful thought. Now, granted, that is a sad song, a lonely song, but it’s a loneliness that precedes happiness,” Orbison explained.

Featured Image by Arthur D’Amario III