About The Song
“Someone to Lay Down Beside Me” appears as the closing track on Linda Ronstadt’s album Hasten Down the Wind, released August 21, 1976, via Asylum Records. Produced by Peter Asher at The Sound Factory in Los Angeles and recorded in March 1976, the song runs 4:28 and features a spacious, emotionally charged arrangement with Andrew Gold’s prominent piano, gentle acoustic guitar, and Ronstadt’s powerful, vulnerable vocal that builds from quiet introspection to passionate release.
Written by Karla Bonoff, the track was one of three Bonoff songs Ronstadt recorded for the album (alongside “Lose Again” and “If He’s Ever Near”). Bonoff’s own version later appeared on her 1977 self-titled debut, but Ronstadt’s recording gave the song its first major exposure and remains the most widely known interpretation.
The lyrics explore deep loneliness and the ache for simple human connection, even if it is not rooted in lasting love. The narrator describes wandering city streets at night, feeling isolated amid crowds: “There’s somebody waiting alone in the street / For someone to walk up and greet.” The chorus delivers the raw plea—“I need someone to lay down beside me / And even though it’s not real / Just someone to lay down beside me / You’re the story of my life”—turning the desire for physical closeness into a universal confession of emotional emptiness. The melody rises dramatically on the piano-driven choruses, matching the intensity of the words without ever becoming overwrought.
The song was issued as a single in November 1976, with Willie Nelson’s “Crazy” as the B-side. It climbed to No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 38 on the Easy Listening chart, adding to the album’s momentum. Hasten Down the Wind reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, earned platinum certification, and won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Ronstadt performed the song regularly on her 1976–1977 tours, with a notable live version captured in Offenbach, Germany, in November 1976 that highlighted its emotional depth. The track has appeared on compilations including Greatest Hits, Volume 2 and various anthologies, remaining a fan favorite for its honesty and vocal power.
Video
Lyric
There’s somebody waiting alone in the street
For someone to walk up and greet
Here you are all alone in the city
Where’s the love that you took to your side
Lonely faces will stare through your eyes in the night
And they’ll say
Woman sweet woman
Please come home with me
You’re shining and willing and free
But your love is a common occurrence
Not like love that I feel in my heart
Still you know that may be what I need
Is someone to lay down beside me
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside me
You’re the story of my life
Someone to lay down beside me
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside me
You’re the story of my life
The morning is breaking
The street lights are off
The sun will soon share all the cost
Of a world that can be sort of heartless
Not like love that I feel in my heart
Still you know that may be all you’ll get
Is someone to lay down beside you
And even though it’s not real
Just someone to lay down beside you
You just can’t ask for more