WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.359 Welcome to the Deep Dive. We're here to unpack 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:04.480 your source material, pulling out all those crucial 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:07.240 insights and bits of knowledge. Today we're diving 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:09.259 deep into what has to be one of the greatest 00:00:09.259 --> 00:00:11.880 comeback stories in modern music. We're talking 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:14.599 Bonnie Raitt and her 10th studio album, Nick 00:00:14.599 --> 00:00:16.940 of Time. Yeah, this is more than just an album 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:18.519 deep dive, isn't it? It's really about a complete 00:00:18.519 --> 00:00:21.059 transformation. When this record came out March 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:24.320 21st, 1989, it wasn't just successful. It felt 00:00:24.320 --> 00:00:27.489 like... Well, vindication. It was this huge commercial 00:00:27.489 --> 00:00:29.750 and critical breakthrough. But it came after 00:00:29.750 --> 00:00:32.490 years, literal years, where the industry had 00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:34.590 basically written her off. She was fighting some 00:00:34.590 --> 00:00:37.770 serious personal demons, really struggling. And 00:00:37.770 --> 00:00:39.909 the numbers alone just tell this incredible story 00:00:39.909 --> 00:00:42.490 of, well, resurrection, basically. Nick of Time 00:00:42.490 --> 00:00:44.210 didn't just make the top ten. It went all the 00:00:44.210 --> 00:00:46.509 way to number one on the Billboard 200, sold, 00:00:46.649 --> 00:00:49.700 what was it, five million copies. Astonishing. 00:00:49.859 --> 00:00:53.020 And then it just swept the 1990 Grammys. Three 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:55.600 major wins, including the big one, Album of the 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:59.420 Year for her and producer Dawn Woz. Right. And 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:01.200 you've got to remember the context here. 1989, 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:04.359 what was big? Synthesized pop, hair metal bands, 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:07.280 New Wave was still around. So for a blues rock 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:09.920 veteran, someone nearly 40, who'd actually been 00:01:09.920 --> 00:01:12.959 dropped by her previous label, to come out with 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:15.680 this kind of understated, really honest record 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.159 and conquer the Grammys like that. It says so 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:20.480 much about the album itself, its quality, its 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:22.760 sincerity. Absolutely. And its legacy is still 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:24.599 growing, isn't it? This isn't just some nostalgia 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:26.540 piece. We're talking about, you know, significant 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:29.659 American art. In 2022, the Library of Congress 00:01:29.659 --> 00:01:32.159 picked Nick of Time for preservation. It's in 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:34.239 the National Recording Registry now. Yeah, that's 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.480 the official recognition, right? Deemed culturally... 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.439 Historically or aesthetically significant, that's 00:01:40.439 --> 00:01:42.599 about as big a validation as you can get. And 00:01:42.599 --> 00:01:44.599 that really sets up our mission today, I think. 00:01:44.620 --> 00:01:46.920 We need to trace that whole dramatic story. We 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:49.459 have to understand just how deep the hole was 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.819 that she climbed out of. How did Bonnie Raitt 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:55.299 go from being broke, emotionally shattered, basically 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:58.159 hitting rock bottom, to this massive industry 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:02.219 -defining success? We'll look at the... really 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:04.140 cruel professional stuff she went through, the 00:02:04.140 --> 00:02:06.659 unexpected partnership she formed, and the kind 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:08.780 of thematic honesty that just made this underdog 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:11.849 record resonate so powerfully. Okay, let's start 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:13.889 there then. Let's look into that abyss, because 00:02:13.889 --> 00:02:16.610 you really can't appreciate the win without understanding 00:02:16.610 --> 00:02:19.189 how bad things got for her professionally between, 00:02:19.270 --> 00:02:22.750 say, 1983 and 1988. Yeah, it's a tough part of 00:02:22.750 --> 00:02:25.189 the story, for sure. And the details really show 00:02:25.189 --> 00:02:27.069 you, well, the harsh side of the music business. 00:02:27.509 --> 00:02:29.229 Raitt had been respected for years, you know, 00:02:29.270 --> 00:02:31.889 a real musician's musician. But her albums just 00:02:31.889 --> 00:02:33.930 weren't selling in the huge numbers major labels 00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:37.069 wanted. So the axe finally fell in 1983. Warner 00:02:37.069 --> 00:02:39.830 Bros. Records dropped her. And the reason they 00:02:39.830 --> 00:02:42.270 gave was just purely business, right? The sales 00:02:42.270 --> 00:02:45.330 figures for The Glow in 79 and Greenlight in 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:47.270 82 just weren't good enough for them. Bottom 00:02:47.270 --> 00:02:50.810 line decision. Exactly. Cold calculation. But 00:02:50.810 --> 00:02:53.069 here's where it gets almost unbelievably cruel. 00:02:53.370 --> 00:02:56.550 The timing. They made that decision to fire her 00:02:56.550 --> 00:02:58.849 one day after she'd finished recording her next 00:02:58.849 --> 00:03:01.449 album, an album she'd been working on, tentatively 00:03:01.449 --> 00:03:04.819 called... Tongue in groove. Wow. Just think about 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:07.139 that for a second. You finish this huge creative 00:03:07.139 --> 00:03:08.900 effort. The recording's done. You're probably 00:03:08.900 --> 00:03:11.500 feeling relieved, maybe even proud. You've poured 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:14.639 everything into it. And then, bam, the next morning, 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:17.219 you get the call. You're fired. It's like a professional 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:19.219 gut punch right when you're most invested, most 00:03:19.219 --> 00:03:21.259 vulnerable. And just when you think it couldn't 00:03:21.259 --> 00:03:25.039 get worse, it does. She was fired, but the contract 00:03:25.039 --> 00:03:27.439 wasn't entirely severed. It still had power over 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:30.939 her. So two years later, this is 1986 now, Warner 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:44.550 Bros. Oh, that's just... Demoralizing doesn't 00:03:44.550 --> 00:03:46.870 even cover it. So she's legally forced to promote 00:03:46.870 --> 00:03:50.189 an album she has no control over anymore, released 00:03:50.189 --> 00:03:52.590 by the very label that told her she wasn't worth 00:03:52.590 --> 00:03:55.909 investing in. She has to go out, tour, talk it 00:03:55.909 --> 00:03:58.729 up, and split the profits with the company that 00:03:58.729 --> 00:04:01.580 dumped her. Exactly. She essentially had to promote 00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:04.199 her own professional failure, legally bound to 00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.780 it. It kept her tied to this past she desperately 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.219 needed to move on from. And that financial drain, 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:11.860 that creative humiliation, it all happened right 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:14.740 alongside a major personal breakdown. The professional 00:04:14.740 --> 00:04:17.459 side was bad, yeah, but the sources are clear. 00:04:17.779 --> 00:04:20.300 Her whole life was kind of imploding in the mid-'80s. 00:04:20.379 --> 00:04:22.519 Right. There were relationship breakdowns, too. 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.339 The end of her affair with producer Rob Friboni 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:28.069 around 85. But the money problems sound like 00:04:28.069 --> 00:04:29.850 they were the immediate trigger for things really 00:04:29.850 --> 00:04:31.670 spiraling. Yeah, it got to the point where she 00:04:31.670 --> 00:04:33.389 couldn't even afford to pay her backing band 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:36.250 anymore. Imagine having to tell your band, the 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:37.949 musicians who've been with you, your creative 00:04:37.949 --> 00:04:40.529 family, that you just can't pay them. The financial 00:04:40.529 --> 00:04:43.110 stress, the isolation. It created this vacuum. 00:04:43.550 --> 00:04:45.689 And the sources say that led to some pretty destructive 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:48.949 coping mechanisms. Understandable, maybe, but 00:04:48.949 --> 00:04:51.750 destructive. Severe depression set in. And Raitt 00:04:51.750 --> 00:04:53.810 herself said she started dealing with it through 00:04:53.810 --> 00:04:56.910 excessive eating, drinking, and partying. Yeah, 00:04:56.930 --> 00:04:58.769 and this wasn't just, you know, typical rock 00:04:58.769 --> 00:05:02.009 star behavior. This sounds like a serious uncontrolled 00:05:02.009 --> 00:05:05.389 spiral driven by despair. She really summed up 00:05:05.389 --> 00:05:08.399 how bad it got. She admitted she hit absolute 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:11.180 rock bottom. Her quote was, I wasn't kicking 00:05:11.180 --> 00:05:13.439 and screaming into dementia, but I did have a 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:16.779 complete emotional, physical, and spiritual breakdown. 00:05:17.100 --> 00:05:19.199 That's a powerful quote. They suggest this quiet 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:21.740 internal collapse, not some big public meltdown, 00:05:21.759 --> 00:05:24.339 just wreckage inside. So she's promoting nine 00:05:24.339 --> 00:05:26.720 lives, feeling completely broken, no direction. 00:05:27.500 --> 00:05:30.360 Which brings us to the next phase, the turning 00:05:30.360 --> 00:05:33.300 point. How do you possibly pull out of that kind 00:05:33.300 --> 00:05:35.480 of complete breakdown? Well, the first bit of 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:37.319 luck is almost like something out of a movie. 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:40.160 And it comes via pop royalty. She's on the road 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:42.120 touring for Nine Lives, the album she hates promoting. 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:45.319 And Prince attends her show at the Beverly Theater 00:05:45.319 --> 00:05:49.060 in L .A. Yes, that Prince. Wow. OK. Prince was 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.459 huge at Warner Bros. then. Massive clout. He 00:05:52.459 --> 00:05:54.399 must have seen past all the industry nonsense 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.139 and just heard the talent. Absolutely. The sources 00:05:57.139 --> 00:06:00.069 say he was a fan. And when he found out she didn't 00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:02.389 have a contract, that she was basically adrift, 00:06:02.529 --> 00:06:05.110 he apparently just immediately offered her a 00:06:05.110 --> 00:06:07.449 deal. He said, come join my label, Peasley Park 00:06:07.449 --> 00:06:10.470 Records. Raitt, obviously seeing this as this 00:06:10.470 --> 00:06:12.670 incredible lifeline, this huge vote of confidence 00:06:12.670 --> 00:06:15.170 from someone like Prince, she agreed, went off 00:06:15.170 --> 00:06:17.430 to Minneapolis. That must have felt like a genuine 00:06:17.430 --> 00:06:19.750 miracle, like a hand reaching down to pull her 00:06:19.750 --> 00:06:21.850 out. But even that wasn't the magic fix, was 00:06:21.850 --> 00:06:24.430 it? It was more like a change of scene before 00:06:24.430 --> 00:06:27.689 the real work had to begin. Exactly. And that's 00:06:27.689 --> 00:06:29.990 where fate, or maybe just bad luck with good 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:32.810 consequences, stepped in again. This time, it 00:06:32.810 --> 00:06:34.629 was physical. Before she could really get down 00:06:34.629 --> 00:06:36.829 to recording for Paisley Park, she had a skiing 00:06:36.829 --> 00:06:39.199 accident. A bad one. They put her in the hospital 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:41.600 for two months. So an injury, something that 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:43.620 normally seems like a huge setback for an artist, 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.519 actually became the catalyst for recovery. Pretty 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:49.939 much. It forced her to stop. The touring stopped. 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:53.060 The partying had to stop. The constant worry 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:56.740 about the next gig. All of it paused. And in 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:00.279 that quiet, that enforced stillness, she had 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:03.589 to look inward. And those two months gave her 00:07:03.589 --> 00:07:06.430 the space, the clarity to realize that she needed 00:07:06.430 --> 00:07:09.009 to change things, not just the industry, but 00:07:09.009 --> 00:07:11.649 her. Right, that crucial moment of self -accountability. 00:07:12.050 --> 00:07:14.449 Yeah, she was really honest with herself. She 00:07:14.449 --> 00:07:16.750 said something like, it seemed that some changes 00:07:16.750 --> 00:07:19.670 needed to be made. And I looked at myself and 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:21.769 just felt I wasn't being the best version of 00:07:21.769 --> 00:07:24.089 me as I could. I wasn't going to blame anyone 00:07:24.089 --> 00:07:28.100 other than myself. That shift. Deciding not to 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:30.560 blame everyone else, that's the real pivot from 00:07:30.560 --> 00:07:33.100 being a victim of circumstance to taking control. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:35.079 And the concrete action that came out of that 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:38.759 realization was sobriety, the big one. Yes. She 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:40.620 credits going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:42.800 with giving her a totally new perspective on 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.139 life. She got stable emotionally, spiritually. 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:47.199 But, you know, getting sober doesn't magically 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:49.040 fix your bank account. The professional path 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.120 was still incredibly bumpy. And that initial 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:53.699 hope, the Paisley Park deal, it didn't work out 00:07:53.699 --> 00:07:56.470 in the end. No. It kind of fizzled. She ended 00:07:56.470 --> 00:07:58.889 up leaving Prince's label because apparently 00:07:58.889 --> 00:08:01.110 the album she envisioned just wasn't materializing 00:08:01.110 --> 00:08:02.610 the way she wanted. So she was still in a really 00:08:02.610 --> 00:08:04.509 tough spot financially. Couldn't afford a full 00:08:04.509 --> 00:08:06.410 band again. She ended up just playing acoustic 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:09.110 shows, stripping everything back, just her guitar, 00:08:09.410 --> 00:08:11.370 the songs. But it was in that stripped down, 00:08:11.389 --> 00:08:14.069 vulnerable state that she found the key collaborator 00:08:14.069 --> 00:08:16.769 for her comeback. Exactly. Right in that raw 00:08:16.769 --> 00:08:19.149 performance setting, she connects with the musician 00:08:19.149 --> 00:08:22.709 Don Was. Now, we need to pause here because Don 00:08:22.709 --> 00:08:25.730 Was, people knew him from the band Was. Now, 00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:29.529 Was, right? With his brother. And their sound 00:08:29.529 --> 00:08:33.580 was, well... pretty distinctive, very eclectic, 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:37.299 quite slick kind of funk, dance, new wave, pop 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:40.639 fusion. Think Walk the Dinosaur or Spy in the 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.200 House of Love. OK, yeah. So known for really 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.259 polished production, funk pop stuff seems like 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:48.899 the absolute opposite of the raw bluesy direction 00:08:48.899 --> 00:08:50.840 she'd eventually take. How did they connect? 00:08:51.309 --> 00:08:54.049 It was almost random, really. Their first actual 00:08:54.049 --> 00:08:57.490 collaboration was on this quite unusual project 00:08:57.490 --> 00:09:00.830 in 1988, an album called Stay Awake, various 00:09:00.830 --> 00:09:03.129 interpretations of music from vintage Disney 00:09:03.129 --> 00:09:06.429 films. Raitt sang Baby Mine from Dumbo for that 00:09:06.429 --> 00:09:09.519 album, produced by Waz. It's kind of wild to 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:11.379 think that this career -defining partnership 00:09:11.379 --> 00:09:14.580 started on a Disney covers compilation. Yeah, 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:16.980 it's unexpected, but clearly something clicked 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:19.379 between them. She liked working with him, trusted 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:21.659 him enough to choose him as her producer for 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:24.279 her own album. That says a lot about their connection, 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:26.759 overlooking the genre expectations. It really 00:09:26.759 --> 00:09:29.799 does. So, okay, Dawn was lined up as producer, 00:09:29.940 --> 00:09:32.899 she's sober, focused, but she still needs a record 00:09:32.899 --> 00:09:35.059 deal. And this is where you see just how skeptical 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:37.600 the industry still was about her. Her co -manager, 00:09:37.620 --> 00:09:40.000 Danny Goldberg, was shopping her around to labels. 00:09:40.059 --> 00:09:42.259 That must have been incredibly frustrating. Oh, 00:09:42.299 --> 00:09:45.120 massively. Goldberg reported that at least 14 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:47.320 different record executives passed on signing 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:51.399 Bonnie Raitt. 14. She wasn't seen as a hot prospect 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:53.340 at all. She was widely considered, you know, 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:56.220 commercially washed up, basically. A huge gamble, 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:59.279 especially after the Nine Lives debacle just 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:02.149 a couple of years before. 14 rejections. That's 00:10:02.149 --> 00:10:05.210 brutal. It shows just how completely the industry 00:10:05.210 --> 00:10:07.110 had written her off as someone who could sell 00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.710 records. So when Capitol Records finally bit, 00:10:09.830 --> 00:10:12.049 was it because they saw the artistic potential 00:10:12.049 --> 00:10:15.169 or was the deal just really low risk for them? 00:10:15.659 --> 00:10:17.539 It definitely sounds more like the latter. Tim 00:10:17.539 --> 00:10:19.379 Devine of Capitol Records was the one who finally 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:21.519 took an interest. He saw something there, maybe 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:24.679 sensed the change in her. But the deal she signed 00:10:24.679 --> 00:10:27.259 with Capitol in 1988, it wasn't huge. It was 00:10:27.259 --> 00:10:30.320 for $150 ,000, not exactly a bidding war. It 00:10:30.320 --> 00:10:33.080 was more like a cautious, fairly small bet on 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.600 a veteran artist who was reliable, even if she 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.179 hadn't had recent hits. And that detail is so 00:10:38.179 --> 00:10:40.259 important. It really underscores just how much 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.700 of an underdog project Nick of Time was right 00:10:42.700 --> 00:10:46.129 from the very start. $150 ,000 investment that 00:10:46.129 --> 00:10:49.230 turned into 5 million sales and three Grammys. 00:10:49.590 --> 00:10:52.129 Incredible. Okay, let's shift from the struggle 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:55.350 to the actual creation. What did this partnership 00:10:55.350 --> 00:10:58.129 produce musically? What was the sound that ended 00:10:58.129 --> 00:11:01.230 up captivating everyone? Well, the musical direction 00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:03.529 was very much a deliberate step away from the 00:11:03.529 --> 00:11:06.309 typical late 80s sound. The core sound of Nick 00:11:06.309 --> 00:11:09.230 of Time is, I'd say, smooth, but definitely not 00:11:09.230 --> 00:11:12.509 slick. It's understated rock with a real warmth 00:11:12.509 --> 00:11:14.889 and accessibility. Yeah, I think Stephen Thomas 00:11:14.889 --> 00:11:17.029 Erlewine, the critic from all music, he really 00:11:17.029 --> 00:11:19.149 nailed that sort of paradox in his description. 00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:21.710 He did. Erlewine wrote that rate never rocks 00:11:21.710 --> 00:11:24.169 too hard, but there is grit to her singing and 00:11:24.169 --> 00:11:26.889 playing, even when the surfaces are clean and 00:11:26.889 --> 00:11:30.210 inviting. That word grit is key. This isn't bland 00:11:30.210 --> 00:11:33.049 adult contemporary. It's mature blues -based 00:11:33.049 --> 00:11:35.529 rock. Yeah. Sounds inviting, yeah, but it carries 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:36.789 the weight of everything she'd been through. 00:11:36.990 --> 00:11:39.129 It sounds like maturity, really. Bringing together 00:11:39.129 --> 00:11:41.549 all her influences without needing to be loud 00:11:41.549 --> 00:11:43.909 about it. You hear that amazing blend, Americana, 00:11:43.970 --> 00:11:46.509 rock, blues rock, but with the touches of R &B, 00:11:46.649 --> 00:11:49.269 pop, even country woven, it feels very whole. 00:11:49.509 --> 00:11:51.570 And like we mentioned, given Don Wass' background, 00:11:51.909 --> 00:11:53.889 people might have expected something funkier, 00:11:53.950 --> 00:11:56.570 maybe more dance -oriented, but Raiden Wass together 00:11:56.570 --> 00:11:59.730 made this very deliberate, almost countercultural 00:11:59.730 --> 00:12:03.129 artistic choice. Why reject the trends? What 00:12:03.129 --> 00:12:05.450 was the thinking behind going against the grain 00:12:05.450 --> 00:12:08.230 of the late 80s sound? It was explicitly framed 00:12:08.230 --> 00:12:11.429 as a return to her roots. They wanted to emphasize 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:15.429 that laid -back blues rock feel. Critically, 00:12:15.450 --> 00:12:17.950 they aimed for less production, less slickness. 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:20.960 which meant actively avoiding the gated reverb 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:23.620 drums, the layers of synthesizers, the programmed 00:12:23.620 --> 00:12:25.980 beats that were everywhere back then. They wanted 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:28.460 something timeless, not trendy. And that decision 00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.259 was probably crucial for the album's longevity. 00:12:31.149 --> 00:12:33.389 By stripping away that 80s production artifice, 00:12:33.629 --> 00:12:35.889 the focus landed squarely on the performance, 00:12:36.090 --> 00:12:38.309 the songwriting, the arrangements, and just the 00:12:38.309 --> 00:12:40.769 pure emotional power of her voice and that signature 00:12:40.769 --> 00:12:42.850 slide guitar. Okay, let's drill down into the 00:12:42.850 --> 00:12:44.830 actual making of it, the production mechanics. 00:12:45.309 --> 00:12:48.370 Given that relatively small budget, $150K, and 00:12:48.370 --> 00:12:50.370 the goal of sounding less slick, how did they 00:12:50.370 --> 00:12:52.250 manage to get such a high -quality, professional, 00:12:52.570 --> 00:12:55.149 yet still kind of raw sound? Well, efficiency 00:12:55.149 --> 00:12:58.450 was key. And preparation made that efficiency 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:01.740 possible. Even before they had the capital deal 00:13:01.740 --> 00:13:04.740 finalized, Raitt and Waz had been working together, 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:07.500 recording early, very stripped -down demos at 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:10.120 Waz's home studio. This wasn't just practicing 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:12.539 the songs. It was about figuring out which songs 00:13:12.539 --> 00:13:15.139 worked best with just the essentials, without 00:13:15.139 --> 00:13:17.299 needing a big band or lots of studio layers. 00:13:17.850 --> 00:13:19.590 So they were already making sure the core of 00:13:19.590 --> 00:13:21.570 the music was strong, that it didn't rely on 00:13:21.570 --> 00:13:24.950 studio magic later on. Exactly. It mirrored how 00:13:24.950 --> 00:13:27.090 she'd been playing live during those lean years, 00:13:27.289 --> 00:13:30.769 just acoustic, focusing on the song itself. Because 00:13:30.769 --> 00:13:32.570 they'd already worked out the arrangements and 00:13:32.570 --> 00:13:34.470 knew the material inside out from those demos, 00:13:34.669 --> 00:13:37.529 the actual studio recording process was remarkably 00:13:37.529 --> 00:13:40.429 fast. How fast are we talking? The main recording 00:13:40.429 --> 00:13:43.269 sessions happened over about a week. At Ocean 00:13:43.269 --> 00:13:44.990 Way Recording and a couple of other LA studios, 00:13:45.330 --> 00:13:47.570 they were apparently knocking out about two tracks 00:13:47.570 --> 00:13:50.950 per day, which for a major label album with top 00:13:50.950 --> 00:13:52.970 -tier musicians, recording two finished tracks 00:13:52.970 --> 00:13:56.409 a day is incredibly quick. That's almost punk 00:13:56.409 --> 00:13:58.370 rock speed, not what you expect for a Grammy 00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:00.509 -winning record. And the engineer, Ed Cherney, 00:14:00.610 --> 00:14:02.970 he mentioned that the speed didn't actually hurt 00:14:02.970 --> 00:14:05.370 the quality. In fact, it helped create the album's 00:14:05.370 --> 00:14:07.289 core feeling. Yeah, Cherney pointed out that 00:14:07.289 --> 00:14:09.509 most of the music was recorded live in the studio. 00:14:09.899 --> 00:14:13.100 Which means the core band, bass, drums, piano, 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.080 radon, guitar, and vocals, they were all playing 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.720 together in the same room at the same time. Capturing 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:22.000 that interaction, that moment, it avoids that 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:24.419 kind of sterile, pieced -together feel you can 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:26.940 get when every instrument is recorded separately 00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:29.899 and perfectly layered. Why does that live feel 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:32.019 so important, especially for blues and roots 00:14:32.019 --> 00:14:34.549 music? Well, that kind of music really thrives 00:14:34.549 --> 00:14:36.990 on the interplay between musicians. The little 00:14:36.990 --> 00:14:39.769 improvisations, the feel. Recording live captures 00:14:39.769 --> 00:14:42.850 that human groove, those slight imperfections 00:14:42.850 --> 00:14:44.870 that make it feel authentic. It demands amazing 00:14:44.870 --> 00:14:46.990 musicianship. Obviously, there's nowhere to hide 00:14:46.990 --> 00:14:49.570 mistakes. But when it works, like it did here, 00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:52.409 you get this warmth, this dynamic energy, this 00:14:52.409 --> 00:14:54.830 realness that became the signature of the album's 00:14:54.830 --> 00:14:57.899 appeal. That live feel is totally connected to 00:14:57.899 --> 00:15:00.320 the emotional honesty everyone praised. Speaking 00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:03.779 of emotional honesty, let's talk themes. An album 00:15:03.779 --> 00:15:06.340 made right after hitting rock bottom, getting 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:09.460 sober. It's bound to be reflective, right? This 00:15:09.460 --> 00:15:11.580 wasn't just songs. It was a statement about where 00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:13.799 she was in life. Oh, absolutely. It was a very 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.500 conscious shift towards adult themes, towards 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:19.960 maturity. Her biographer, Mark Bedogo, he noted 00:15:19.960 --> 00:15:22.519 that the songs felt... much more personal than 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:25.299 her earlier stuff. She kind of moved away from 00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:28.940 the standard blues or rock themes, you know, 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:31.360 the You Break My Heart songs or the rowdy party 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:34.100 anthems, and really dug into deeper, more internal 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:37.019 stuff. Adult relationships, self -reflection. 00:15:37.179 --> 00:15:39.120 And the timing, her age was a big part of that. 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:41.139 She was nearly 40 when it came out, hitting that 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:43.899 big milestone, middle age. Yeah, and the title 00:15:43.899 --> 00:15:46.220 track, Nick of Time, deals with that head on. 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:48.620 It's explicitly about coming to terms with middle 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:51.320 age, that feeling of time speeding up, realizing 00:15:51.320 --> 00:15:53.820 maybe some doors are closing, or that you need 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:55.740 to make changes now if you want to find fulfillment. 00:15:55.919 --> 00:15:57.700 It almost sounds like it was deliberately aimed 00:15:57.700 --> 00:16:00.539 at the baby boomer generation, who were all hitting 00:16:00.539 --> 00:16:03.419 that same point of reflection around then. Madonna 00:16:03.419 --> 00:16:06.000 definitely suggested that, that Raitt was consciously 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:09.019 making an album for her generation, reflecting 00:16:09.019 --> 00:16:11.740 their concerns, their relationships, their desire 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:13.940 for something genuine in a pretty commercialized 00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:17.620 world. It was mature record tackling mature subjects, 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.159 sobriety, lasting love, self -acceptance. And 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:23.720 it connected so deeply because her audience was 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:25.960 right there with her going through similar things. 00:16:26.340 --> 00:16:28.799 What's really interesting, though, is how much 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:31.500 of this deeply personal statement was actually 00:16:31.500 --> 00:16:34.820 made through cover songs. The album's got 11 00:16:34.820 --> 00:16:37.960 tracks, runs about 42 minutes, but only two songs 00:16:37.960 --> 00:16:40.480 were written solely by Rae herself. The title 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:43.059 track, Nick of Time, and The Road's My Middle 00:16:43.059 --> 00:16:45.539 Name. Right. It really highlights her skill as 00:16:45.539 --> 00:16:47.980 an interpreter, as a curator. Choosing covers 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:50.080 wasn't just about filling the album. She found 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.759 songs by other writers that perfectly articulated 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:54.879 the emotional territory she wanted to explore. 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:57.440 Writers like John Hyatt, his thing called love 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:59.139 just perfectly captures that kind of mature, 00:16:59.340 --> 00:17:02.039 comfortable joy and commitment. And Bonnie Hayes, 00:17:02.039 --> 00:17:03.840 who wrote Love Letter and Have a Heart, which 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:05.839 have that really introspective quality. So she 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.839 used these outside songs, like pieces of a puzzle, 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.339 building this cohesive, thematic picture. It 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:15.000 let her channel her own new perspective, the 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:17.180 sobriety, the stability, the grown -up love, 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:20.180 through lyrics written by others, but delivered 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:22.339 with the full weight of her own lived experience. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:25.029 That's it, exactly. Anyone can sing a cover song. 00:17:25.470 --> 00:17:29.269 But Raitt inhabited these songs. Her voice, which 00:17:29.269 --> 00:17:31.450 had been roughed up by life but was now newly 00:17:31.450 --> 00:17:35.250 clear and energized by sobriety, gave such authenticity 00:17:35.250 --> 00:17:37.789 to the material. They felt like her own stories, 00:17:37.950 --> 00:17:40.049 even if she didn't write the words. Okay, let's 00:17:40.049 --> 00:17:42.130 get into the personnel now, Section V. Despite 00:17:42.130 --> 00:17:45.369 that modest $150k advance and the tight recording 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:47.930 schedule, the list of musicians who played on 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:50.690 this album is seriously impressive. A real who's 00:17:50.690 --> 00:17:53.349 who. It absolutely is. And that speaks volumes 00:17:53.349 --> 00:17:55.369 about the respect Bonnie Raitt commanded among 00:17:55.369 --> 00:17:57.670 fellow musicians, even when her commercial stock 00:17:57.670 --> 00:18:00.140 was low. Great players, they recognized talent 00:18:00.140 --> 00:18:02.240 and integrity. Having these names on the credits 00:18:02.240 --> 00:18:04.579 basically validated the whole project before 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:06.859 it even hit the stores. So beyond Raitt herself 00:18:06.859 --> 00:18:09.140 who handled vocals, electric piano, her amazing 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.119 slide guitar work, and other guitars who were 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:13.519 the core players. Well, obviously Dawn was producing, 00:18:13.539 --> 00:18:16.279 setting that sonic tone. And Ed Cherney engineering 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.119 and mixing, capturing that clean but live sound. 00:18:19.779 --> 00:18:23.519 But the band playing with her, really top notch. 00:18:23.819 --> 00:18:26.450 Who laid down the foundation? The rhythm section. 00:18:26.509 --> 00:18:29.890 That crucial groove came from James Hutch, Hutchinson 00:18:29.890 --> 00:18:33.210 on bass, and Ricky Fattar on drums. These guys 00:18:33.210 --> 00:18:35.670 are seasoned pros. They play with incredible 00:18:35.670 --> 00:18:38.410 taste, never too busy, never too slick, just 00:18:38.410 --> 00:18:42.130 solid, supportive, mature playing that lets Russ' 00:18:42.210 --> 00:18:44.890 voice and guitar really breathe and shine. And 00:18:44.890 --> 00:18:46.829 then there are the guest appearances, which definitely 00:18:46.829 --> 00:18:49.009 add another layer of credibility, don't they? 00:18:49.109 --> 00:18:51.450 Oh, yeah. I mean, the biggest name on the album, 00:18:51.569 --> 00:18:54.569 undeniably, is Herbie Hancock. Playing acoustic 00:18:54.569 --> 00:18:56.569 piano on track 10, I ain't gonna let you break 00:18:56.569 --> 00:18:59.130 my heart again, Herbie Hancock. A true legend 00:18:59.130 --> 00:19:02.190 of jazz, fusion. His presence alone sends a signal 00:19:02.190 --> 00:19:04.329 to everyone, critics, listeners, that this is 00:19:04.329 --> 00:19:06.470 a serious musical undertaking, not just some 00:19:06.470 --> 00:19:08.829 quick comeback attempt. What did Hancock specifically 00:19:08.829 --> 00:19:11.670 bring to that track, musically? He brings this 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:14.369 harmonic sophistication, you know. It lifts the 00:19:14.369 --> 00:19:16.970 song beyond just a simple blues ballad. His touch 00:19:16.970 --> 00:19:20.049 is just exquisite, often subtle. But the chords 00:19:20.049 --> 00:19:23.190 he chooses, the way he voices them. It adds this 00:19:23.190 --> 00:19:26.289 layer of elegance and complexity that really 00:19:26.289 --> 00:19:29.430 deepens the emotional impact of the song. It 00:19:29.430 --> 00:19:31.970 wasn't just name -dropping. It was casting the 00:19:31.970 --> 00:19:34.690 perfect musician for that specific mood. There 00:19:34.690 --> 00:19:36.710 was a strong horn section too, right? Yeah, the 00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:38.490 heart attack horns. They were key for adding 00:19:38.490 --> 00:19:41.190 that bit of soul, that R &B edge on tracks like 00:19:41.190 --> 00:19:43.250 Have a Heart. You're talking about Bill Bergman, 00:19:43.309 --> 00:19:45.910 Greg Smith, John Berry Jr., Dennis Farias. A 00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:48.349 really tight, powerful section that adds energy, 00:19:48.430 --> 00:19:51.000 but again. never overpowers the main groove. 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:53.599 They kept that balanced grit, but not slickness. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.140 And finally, the vocals. Who was supporting her 00:19:56.140 --> 00:19:58.500 on harmonies? The backing vocal lineup was pretty 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.960 stacked, too. You had incredible session singers 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.039 like Sir Harry Bowens, Arnold McCullers, Sweet 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.819 Pea Atkinson, guys known for their power and 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:07.700 soul. But the real star power, in terms of harmony, 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:10.079 came from David Crosby and Graham Nash singing 00:20:10.079 --> 00:20:12.940 back up on Cry On My Shoulder. Crosby and Nash? 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:16.380 Legends of Harmony, what kind of impact did having 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:18.740 them on the record make? Well, instantly, you've 00:20:18.740 --> 00:20:21.759 got rock royalty lending their voices. And their 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:24.539 specific harmonic blend is iconic, instantly 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:27.059 recognizable. Their presence just underlined 00:20:27.059 --> 00:20:29.799 the fact that, despite her struggles, Raitt still 00:20:29.799 --> 00:20:32.539 had this deep network of respect within the music 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:35.559 community. They brought those intricate, beautiful 00:20:35.559 --> 00:20:37.920 harmonies they're famous for, adding this richness 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:40.740 and texture. It was like a signal that the folk 00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:42.920 rock establishment was fully behind her return. 00:20:43.349 --> 00:20:45.509 Really, the whole personnel list reads like a 00:20:45.509 --> 00:20:47.589 statement of trust from the best in the business. 00:20:47.769 --> 00:20:50.849 That musical support was clearly there. But now, 00:20:50.950 --> 00:20:52.829 as we move into the commercial success story, 00:20:53.029 --> 00:20:55.390 we have to go back to the business side. Even 00:20:55.390 --> 00:20:57.470 with the album finished, getting it marketed 00:20:57.470 --> 00:21:00.089 by Capitol Records was still a battle. Yeah, 00:21:00.109 --> 00:21:02.230 the resistance inside the label was pretty significant. 00:21:02.549 --> 00:21:05.390 You have to remember, Raitt was known, yes, but 00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:07.569 she was known for not selling huge numbers recently. 00:21:08.009 --> 00:21:10.150 So Capitol's marketing department was really 00:21:10.150 --> 00:21:12.650 reluctant to throw much money behind promoting 00:21:12.650 --> 00:21:15.470 her. They saw it as a big risk. So it took Tim 00:21:15.470 --> 00:21:18.170 Devine, the executive who signed her, to really 00:21:18.170 --> 00:21:21.369 push for it. Absolutely. Devine apparently had 00:21:21.369 --> 00:21:23.849 to go directly to the president of Capitol just 00:21:23.849 --> 00:21:26.069 to get approval for basic things like putting 00:21:26.069 --> 00:21:30.019 full page ads in music magazines. This wasn't 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.779 launched with a massive coordinated media campaign. 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:35.319 It was a record that had to fight for attention 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:37.900 both inside the building and out in the world. 00:21:37.980 --> 00:21:40.019 And the way it sold really shows that. It wasn't 00:21:40.019 --> 00:21:42.960 an instant smash hit. It was the absolute definition 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:45.559 of a slow burn. Totally. It debuted pretty low 00:21:45.559 --> 00:21:47.779 on the Billboard 200 chart, like number 105. 00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:50.759 It sold steadily, though, right from the start. 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:53.299 Became her best -selling album to date fairly 00:21:53.299 --> 00:21:56.109 quickly, which was already a win. But its journey 00:21:56.109 --> 00:21:58.630 to the very top, that took an incredibly long 00:21:58.630 --> 00:22:00.730 time. How long are we talking? It took over a 00:22:00.730 --> 00:22:04.349 year. Consistent sales, growing critical acclaim, 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:07.809 lots of positive word of mouth, building and 00:22:07.809 --> 00:22:10.430 building from its release in March 89 all the 00:22:10.430 --> 00:22:13.549 way until April 6, 1990. That's when Nick of 00:22:13.549 --> 00:22:16.509 Time finally hit number one. I mean, think about 00:22:16.509 --> 00:22:19.109 today's music world. Albums debut high based 00:22:19.109 --> 00:22:21.589 on pre -orders and first week streams, then often 00:22:21.589 --> 00:22:24.470 drop quickly. A 13 -month climb to number one. 00:22:24.529 --> 00:22:26.970 It's basically unheard of now. And that slow 00:22:26.970 --> 00:22:29.029 climb wasn't just impressive, it actually set 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:32.009 a record. Yeah, a really fascinating chart record 00:22:32.009 --> 00:22:34.589 that says so much about her persistence. The 00:22:34.589 --> 00:22:36.670 time between Bonnie Raitt's first album ever 00:22:36.670 --> 00:22:39.410 charting on the Billboard 200 that was Give It 00:22:39.410 --> 00:22:42.230 Up way back in 1972 and Nick of Time hitting 00:22:42.230 --> 00:22:45.910 number one in 1990 was 17 and a half years. That 00:22:45.910 --> 00:22:48.069 broke the record for the longest time it ever 00:22:48.069 --> 00:22:49.930 took an artist to reach number one after their 00:22:49.930 --> 00:22:52.250 first chart appearance. It wasn't just a comeback 00:22:52.250 --> 00:22:54.609 hit. It was like proof that quality and sticking 00:22:54.609 --> 00:22:56.589 with it could eventually move the system. So 00:22:56.589 --> 00:22:58.789 what kept that momentum going for so long? It 00:22:58.789 --> 00:23:00.210 couldn't have just been touring, right? They 00:23:00.210 --> 00:23:02.569 needed radio play, maybe some visuals. Definitely. 00:23:02.609 --> 00:23:04.680 The singles were important. Nick of Time itself, 00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:07.339 Love Letter, they did okay. But Thing Called 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:10.819 Love and especially Have a Heart were the ones 00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:13.019 that got significant radio play. Have a Heart 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:15.059 actually cracked the top 50 on the Billboard 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:18.200 Hot 100, hitting number 49. That gave it the 00:23:18.200 --> 00:23:20.319 crossover push it needed, getting played on pop 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:22.519 stations, not just rock or blues formats. And 00:23:22.519 --> 00:23:24.839 Mark Bago, the biographer, he highlights the 00:23:24.839 --> 00:23:27.200 music video for Thing Called Love as being pretty 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:28.920 important too, especially for reaching a new 00:23:28.920 --> 00:23:30.859 audience. Yeah, that's a great point for that 00:23:30.859 --> 00:23:34.730 era. The late 80s, early 90s. MTV and VH1 were 00:23:34.730 --> 00:23:37.990 huge. That video is a smart way to reintroduce 00:23:37.990 --> 00:23:39.990 Bonnie Raitt to a younger generation who might 00:23:39.990 --> 00:23:43.369 have only known her vaguely. if at all. And the 00:23:43.369 --> 00:23:45.529 video itself was affected because it was simple, 00:23:45.650 --> 00:23:48.470 charismatic, just rate playing in a bar, looking 00:23:48.470 --> 00:23:51.029 great, energetic, flirting with Dennis Quaid, 00:23:51.130 --> 00:23:53.210 who played a patron. It sold her personality 00:23:53.210 --> 00:23:55.410 or magnetism, showed she was still relevant and 00:23:55.410 --> 00:23:57.910 cool. OK, so we've got the quality music, the 00:23:57.910 --> 00:24:00.569 emotional depth, the slow, steady marketing push, 00:24:00.670 --> 00:24:04.130 the video. But if you had to boil it down, why 00:24:04.130 --> 00:24:06.750 did this record at this moment connect so deeply 00:24:06.750 --> 00:24:09.509 that it sold five million copies and became this 00:24:09.509 --> 00:24:12.319 defining comeback? Her publicist at the time, 00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:14.880 Joan Myers, probably had the simplest and maybe 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:17.460 the best explanation. She put it down entirely 00:24:17.460 --> 00:24:20.460 to Raitt's authenticity. Myers said, Bonnie's 00:24:20.460 --> 00:24:22.640 personality and sincerity just won people's hearts. 00:24:22.720 --> 00:24:24.700 In addition to her music, there was nothing ever 00:24:24.700 --> 00:24:27.259 pretentious about her. Okay, let's unpack that 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:30.059 word sincerity in the context of 1989. The late 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:32.039 80s, as we said, lots of big hair, big production, 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:34.660 maybe some manufactured images out there. Why 00:24:34.660 --> 00:24:37.019 did her specific brand of authenticity cut through 00:24:37.019 --> 00:24:39.339 so strongly then? I think it cut through because 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:42.309 it felt like an antidote. An alternative to all 00:24:42.309 --> 00:24:44.869 the gloss and excess of the time. People were 00:24:44.869 --> 00:24:46.930 maybe getting tired of the artifice and were 00:24:46.930 --> 00:24:49.289 hungry for something real. And the narrative 00:24:49.289 --> 00:24:51.789 surrounding the album, the artist who battled 00:24:51.789 --> 00:24:55.210 addiction, got sober, found maturity, and made 00:24:55.210 --> 00:24:57.829 this honest record about real life that created 00:24:57.829 --> 00:24:59.930 a powerful emotional connection. It wasn't about 00:24:59.930 --> 00:25:02.730 fantasy. It was about resilience, about growth. 00:25:03.250 --> 00:25:05.490 Especially for that boomer audience who were 00:25:05.490 --> 00:25:08.089 doing their own soul -searching, this album felt 00:25:08.089 --> 00:25:11.259 like a genuine companion. an honest voice talking 00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:12.799 about things they were actually experiencing. 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:15.680 And it wasn't just a U .S. phenomenon. The album 00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:17.900 did well internationally, too, suggesting that 00:25:17.900 --> 00:25:20.119 message resonated more broadly. Yeah, while North 00:25:20.119 --> 00:25:21.940 America was definitely the main driver, it hit 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:24.339 number four up in Canada, it charted respectably 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:27.119 across Europe, too. Made number 51 in the U .K., 00:25:27.119 --> 00:25:28.859 popped up on the charts in Australia, Germany, 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:31.960 the Netherlands. That core message of reflection, 00:25:32.259 --> 00:25:36.099 sincerity, it clearly translated. Which brings 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:39.079 us nicely to the ultimate validation. The critical 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:41.420 acclaim, specifically that massive Grammy night. 00:25:41.539 --> 00:25:44.859 The commercial success was huge, but the industry 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:47.720 recognition cemented its place in music history. 00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:51.220 Oh, the 1990 Grammys were just total vindication. 00:25:51.220 --> 00:25:53.079 It's worth repeating the wins because they were 00:25:53.079 --> 00:25:56.200 so significant. Nick of Time wins the biggest 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:59.259 award album of the year. And then the title track, 00:25:59.339 --> 00:26:02.059 the song Nick of Time, it does this amazing double 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:04.079 winning best female rock vocal performance and 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:06.180 best female pop vocal performance. Winning across 00:26:06.180 --> 00:26:08.799 different genre categories like that, plus taking 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:11.740 the top prize. That's a huge statement from the 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:13.640 same industry that had basically given up on 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:15.559 her just a few years earlier. It's the ultimate 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:17.519 turnaround narrative, isn't it? To go from being 00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:20.420 fired, forced to promote an album your old label 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:22.839 dumped on the market, to standing on that Grammy 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:25.890 stage accepting album of the year. especially 00:26:25.890 --> 00:26:29.549 after signing for just $150 ,000. It's the definitive 00:26:29.549 --> 00:26:32.490 story of triumph over adversity. It wasn't just 00:26:32.490 --> 00:26:34.430 a win for her. It felt like the industry acknowledging, 00:26:34.650 --> 00:26:37.289 wow, we really missed the boat on this one. And 00:26:37.289 --> 00:26:39.289 that recognition, as we mentioned earlier, it 00:26:39.289 --> 00:26:41.609 wasn't just a one -night thing. The album was 00:26:41.609 --> 00:26:43.730 immediately recognized as important, getting 00:26:43.730 --> 00:26:47.259 included in those key... best of lists, like 00:26:47.259 --> 00:26:49.779 the Book 1001 albums you must hear before you 00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:52.140 die. Yeah, it instantly became part of the canon, 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:54.259 required listening. Although it's interesting 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:56.599 to look at how its critical standing, particularly 00:26:56.599 --> 00:26:59.180 in big publications like Rolling Stone, has maybe 00:26:59.180 --> 00:27:01.680 shifted a bit over the decades. Right. If you 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:04.259 track its position on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest 00:27:04.259 --> 00:27:07.059 Albums of All Time list. Exactly. In the first 00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:09.779 version, 2003, Nick of Time was ranked pretty 00:27:09.779 --> 00:27:13.279 high, number 229. Then in the 2012 update, it 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:16.579 held... steady basically at 230. But in the most 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.220 recent version, the 2020 list, it dropped quite 00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:22.220 a bit down to number 492. Wow. Yeah, that's a 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:24.819 significant drop from the top half down to almost 00:27:24.819 --> 00:27:27.079 the very end. What do you think that means for 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:29.339 its legacy? Well, it doesn't necessarily mean 00:27:29.339 --> 00:27:31.819 critics think less of the album itself. It often 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:35.440 reflects how critical tastes change, how subsequent 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:38.559 generations reassess eras. Maybe there's been 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.839 a renewed focus on other sounds from the late 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:43.779 80s or early 90s grunge alternative hip -hop 00:27:43.779 --> 00:27:45.660 that were perhaps seen as more groundbreaking 00:27:45.660 --> 00:27:48.559 or culturally disruptive. Those shifts might 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:51.039 push more polished, adult -oriented rock albums 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:53.740 down the list. But, I mean, the crucial thing 00:27:53.740 --> 00:27:56.119 is it's still on the list. That confirms its 00:27:56.119 --> 00:27:58.339 enduring quality and impact, even if its relative 00:27:58.339 --> 00:28:00.339 position fluctuates with critical trends. And 00:28:00.339 --> 00:28:02.240 regardless of where it sits on a magazine list, 00:28:02.339 --> 00:28:04.519 that final stamp of historical importance came 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:07.039 much more recently. Right. The Library of Congress 00:28:07.039 --> 00:28:09.759 selecting it in 2022 for the National Recording 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:12.579 Registry. That preservation honor deeming it... 00:28:12.730 --> 00:28:14.910 culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. 00:28:15.150 --> 00:28:18.269 That ensures the album and its story, this pivotal 00:28:18.269 --> 00:28:20.730 moment for Raitt, bringing mature themes to the 00:28:20.730 --> 00:28:22.869 mainstream, is saved and recognized permanently 00:28:22.869 --> 00:28:25.670 for its cultural value. The whole journey, from 00:28:25.670 --> 00:28:27.789 hitting rock bottom to this massive breakthrough, 00:28:28.109 --> 00:28:30.789 it's just such a powerful lesson in resilience, 00:28:30.890 --> 00:28:33.390 in artistic truth. Let's try and pull together 00:28:33.390 --> 00:28:35.250 the most potent parts of this story one last 00:28:35.250 --> 00:28:37.309 time for everyone listening. Yeah, I think it 00:28:37.309 --> 00:28:40.369 really boils down to two things. Just how bad 00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:43.190 things got for her initially. and how pure and 00:28:43.190 --> 00:28:45.720 honest her artistic response was. We started 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:48.200 with Bonnie Raitt getting dropped by Warner Bros., 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:51.180 being legally tied to promoting Nine Lives, this 00:28:51.180 --> 00:28:53.799 record she hated, and hitting that personal low 00:28:53.799 --> 00:28:56.140 point, that complete emotional, physical, and 00:28:56.140 --> 00:28:58.319 spiritual breakdown she talked about. Then came 00:28:58.319 --> 00:29:00.859 that unexpected forced pause, the skiing accident, 00:29:01.119 --> 00:29:03.700 which led her to the absolutely critical, life 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:06.599 -changing decision to get sober. And that clarity, 00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:08.839 that new perspective allowed her to connect with 00:29:08.839 --> 00:29:11.920 Dawn was maybe an unlikely choice on paper, but 00:29:11.920 --> 00:29:14.220 the perfect producer for her. And then after 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:16.329 being turned... down 14 times, she gets that 00:29:16.329 --> 00:29:19.450 relatively small $150 ,000 deal from Capitol. 00:29:19.630 --> 00:29:22.230 And from that modest beginning, she creates this 00:29:22.230 --> 00:29:25.789 absolute masterpiece. A blues rock album recorded 00:29:25.789 --> 00:29:28.890 quickly, mostly live, focused entirely on personal 00:29:28.890 --> 00:29:31.869 honesty, growing older, finding stability. It 00:29:31.869 --> 00:29:34.940 felt real. It had grit. And it connected universally 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:37.160 because it came from such a genuine place, not 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:39.440 from trying to chase trends. And that authenticity, 00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:41.839 backed up by relentless touring and incredible 00:29:41.839 --> 00:29:44.880 word of mouth, that's what fueled the slow, steady 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:47.519 climb up the charts for over a year, leading 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:51.079 to that historic 17 .5 -year record and the Grammy 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:53.700 for Album of the Year. She redefined her entire 00:29:53.700 --> 00:29:56.440 career completely on her own terms. And that 00:29:56.440 --> 00:29:59.200 mechanism, that slow burn success, is really 00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:01.119 fascinating to think about now. The steady touring, 00:30:01.319 --> 00:30:03.890 the critical buzz building over time. That's 00:30:03.890 --> 00:30:05.910 what pushed the album forward. The music resonated. 00:30:05.950 --> 00:30:08.170 The themes of reflection and sobriety felt true 00:30:08.170 --> 00:30:10.130 because they were so clearly rooted in her real 00:30:10.130 --> 00:30:12.430 -life struggles and recovery. People trusted 00:30:12.430 --> 00:30:14.569 the story because the music felt absolutely authentic. 00:30:14.930 --> 00:30:16.910 Which brings us to a final thought, something 00:30:16.910 --> 00:30:18.930 for you, the listener, to consider as we wrap 00:30:18.930 --> 00:30:21.730 up this deep dive. We've talked about this incredible 00:30:21.730 --> 00:30:25.670 17 .5 -year gap for Raitt to hit number one and 00:30:25.670 --> 00:30:28.250 how her success was built layer by layer touring, 00:30:28.549 --> 00:30:32.240 word of mouth. quality enduring over time, not 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.440 initial hype. So the question is, in today's 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:37.980 music world, with its intense focus on instant 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:41.160 hits, viral moments, first week streams, how 00:30:41.160 --> 00:30:43.480 likely is it that a similar kind of slow burn 00:30:43.480 --> 00:30:46.259 masterpiece, an album built on deep personal 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:48.380 experience that needs time to find its audience, 00:30:48.559 --> 00:30:50.819 could ever achieve that same kind of ultimate 00:30:50.819 --> 00:30:53.779 deserved success? Are we maybe losing the space 00:30:53.779 --> 00:30:55.819 for albums that take a year to truly connect 00:30:55.819 --> 00:30:57.759 and climb? That's definitely something to think 00:30:57.759 --> 00:30:59.519 about considering how quickly things move today. 00:30:59.960 --> 00:31:01.680 Thanks for joining us for The Deep Dive. Until 00:31:01.680 --> 00:31:02.099 next time.