Song of the Day: 'That'll Be the Day' by Linda Ronstadt

Day 17 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: "That'll Be the Day" was the first single off Linda Ronstadt's 1976 album, "Hasten Down the Wind," which became her third straight platinum LP -- making her the first woman to have three million-sellers in a row. The album also won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1977, the second of her 13 Grammy Awards. 

Her superb gender-flip cover of the Buddy Holly classic wasn't as successful as some of her other 1970s singles -- "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," "Heat Wave," "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy" were all Top 5 or better -- but became a staple in her live shows for reasons that are evident in the video below. Thirteen years later, Ronstadt scored her second No. 11 single, "All My Life" (featuring Aaron Neville), which also happened to be the last of her 21 Top 40 hits. 

The co-writer of the song, drummer Jerry Allison of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, died yesterday at age 82. RIP.