‘You're No Good’ is a song written by Clint Ballard Jr., first performed by Dee Dee Warwick for Jubilee Records in 1963 with production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It has since been covered by many artists, including charting versions by Betty Everett in 1963, The Swinging Blue Jeans in 1964, and Linda Ronstadt in 1974, whose version was a number 1 hit in the United States.
In the lyrics, the singer tells her ex that she's glad they broke up because he's "no good." We learn in the second stanza that she also broke up a previous relationship with a man who was "gentle and true." In a twist of fate, she wouldn't blame him if he said to her that she's no good.
Linda Ronstadt began performing ‘You're No Good’ to close her live shows in early 1973, after her band member Kenny Edwards suggested it to her. She first included it in her setlist while opening for Neil Young. Ronstadt gave an early televised performance of ‘You're No Good’ on an episode of The Midnight Special, broadcast December 21, 1973.
Ronstadt recorded her album Heart Like a Wheel with producer Peter Asher in the summer of 1974 at the Sound Factory; ‘You're No Good’ was a last-minute choice for recording, and while the song was Ronstadt's suggestion, Asher recalls: "It was an odd coincidence. She’d been doing the song already, and it was always a favorite song of mine...the version I fell in love with [being by] the Swinging Blue Jeans"
Capitol Records was unsure whether to release ‘You're No Good’ or ‘When Will I Be Loved’ as the lead single off Heart Like a Wheel, only deciding to release ‘You're No Good’ a week after the album's release. Linda Ronstadt's version of ‘You're No Good’ became the song's most successful cover. The track ascended to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated February 15, 1975. ‘You're No Good’ was also an international hit for Ronstadt, reaching number 15 in Australia, number 17 in the Netherlands, and number 24 in New Zealand.
Buoyed in part by the success of ‘You're No Good’, the album Heart Like a Wheel, which was released in late 1974, was a major success, eventually going double platinum and topping the Billboard album chart. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The success of ‘You're No Good’ set a precedent for Ronstadt's single releases which over the next five years would virtually all be remakes of classic rock and roll songs.
The song was featured in the 2022 comedy-adventure-action film Minions: The Rise of Gru, when Gru (the titular character) played the record as a key to the lair of the "Vicious 6".
Label – Capitol
Songwriter – Clint Ballard Jr.
Producer – Peter Asher
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]Feeling better now that we're through
Feeling better 'cause I'm over you
I learned my lesson, it left a scar
Now I see how you really are
[Chorus]
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
I'm gonna say it again
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
[Verse 2]
I broke a heart that's gentle and true
Well, I broke a heart over someone like you
I'll beg his forgiveness on bended knee
I wouldn't blame him if he said to me
[Chorus]
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
I'm gonna say it again
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
[Instrumental]
[Bridge]
I'm turning you down, baby, and I'm going my way
Forget about you baby 'cause I'm leaving to stay
[Chorus]
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
I'm gonna say it again
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good
[Outro]
Oh, oh no
You're no good, you're no good, you're no good
Baby, you're no good