![]() Newton-John has been the unspoken blueprint for much of pop’s modern incarnation. It’s quintessentially Newton-John and reflects that ethereal vocal beauty that she manages so effortlessly. Another standout, “Falling,” captures all of the above, albeit with less of the lyrical strength. A blend of beautiful ballads like “Strangers Touch” and the exquisite “Carried Away” co-written by Sir Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten add an emotional depth along with a space for Newton-John to flex her vocals a little more than the predominant dance feel of the rest of the album. In fact, there really isn’t one track on this album that doesn’t do its job perfectly. The album’s third and final single, “Landslide” failed to make a chart impact, but continued the dance-rock vibe of the majority of the album and again, is equally as good as its predecessors. Co-written by long time record producer John Farrar, the song explores the unspoken longing for someone to make the first move. The album’s second single, a catchy dance track, “Make A Move On Me,” is pop heaven and is just as captivating as the album’s lead single. With three songs released as singles from the album, and “Physical” not only being a commercial and critical success topping charts around the globe but also a pop-culture phenomenon, it is easy to understand how everything else on the album was left in its wake. Newton-John has said that this song for the dolphins is one of her favorites. One of Physical’s hidden gems is the album’s closer and the only track written by Newton-John for this album, “The Promise (The Dolphin Song).” Again, the song exemplifies her passion for the environment and its inhabitants, a theme that would continue throughout her career ( The Rumour and Gaia: One Woman’s Journey). The song explores environmental pollution well before others had taken up the cause and the accompanying video sees Newton-John assuming the role of various characters including a drunk and a power-hungry politician. ![]() The latter, being the premise for “Silvery Rain,” a song first recorded by Sir Cliff Richard. Ritts would go on to create a similar iconic image with Madonna on the True Blue (1986) album cover.Īlthough the focus was on Newton-John’s supposed newfound sexuality, the album explored many themes like love, relationships and environmental protection. The album’s cover image, shot by famed photographer Herb Ritts, embodied a sense of combined sexuality and sensuality without showing anything from her shoulder down. Having been regarded as a predominantly country/adult contemporary artist, Physical set about to frame the singer in a new light. Although Newton-John’s eleventh studio album was eclipsed by the album’s lead single and title song, the other nine tracks on the album, although often referred to as “fillers,” hold out in their own right and aided the singer in becoming one of the most successful artists of the ‘80s. Along with garnering an immense amount of scrutiny over its then-controversial nature, the album would also go on to provide a soundtrack that would forever be associated with the singer. Just over a year later and little did Newton-John know, but her forth coming album Physical was going to become her most successful album to date. Newton-John, it would appear, had the Midas touch. Everything the singer touched turned to gold, no matter what the critics said. It not only did well, but it went to number one in six countries and hit the top five in both the UK and USA. The beginning of one of the most infamous decades (the ‘80s) and Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released the soundtrack to the now cult classic film of the same name, which interestingly was able to weather the storm of the film’s critical and commercial disappointment. An education in music that would go on to become a love affair with Olivia Newton-John and her music, and one that hasn’t waned one little bit over the past forty years.įollowing on from the phenomenal success that Newton-John had in 1978’s Grease, and continuing with another album ( Totally Hot) in the same year that saw the singer back at the top of the charts, it seemed that Australia’s “golden girl” could do no wrong. ![]() ![]() ![]() The window wound right down as the wind blew my curls into a gentle mess atop my head and my Mum, tilting the rear vision mirror in our direction, making us laugh with her over exaggerated version of “Physical” was in part-not that I knew at the time-the beginnings of my musical education. Sitting in the back of our old, beige Kingswood, my brother and I giggled profusely at our Mum singing along to Olivia Newton-John, a common occurrence during my summers as a kid in Adelaide, Australia. Happy 40th Anniversary to Olivia Newton-John’s eleventh studio album Physical, originally released October 13, 1981. ![]()
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