Olivia Newton John

    Country Queen

After making a name for herself on the Australian pop scene in the mid-1960s, Olivia moved to England in order to further her career. Her debut album, “If Not For You”, was released in 1971 and was an instant success. “If Not For You” forged a blue print for the inoffensive mix of pleasant folk pop songs that would remain in place until 1973’s fabulous “Let Me Be There”, which showcased a slight move towards country music. The title track became Olivia’s first American top 10 hit and won her a Grammy Award for Best Country Music Vocalist. Lovely Livvy scored her next major chart success with her signature tune, “I Honestly Love You”. Peter Allen’s exquisite anthem hit #1 in Australia and America , and won Olivia two more Grammy Awards.

Making A Good Thing Better

The hits continued to flow with “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “Please Mr Please” but Olivia’s fortunes changed for the worse in the mid-1970s. She released a string of relative commercial failures but the quality remained outstanding. “Come On Over” is one of Livvy’s most complex and lovely albums, which is only marred by a couple of dodgy cover versions. “Don’t Stop Believin’” is slightly uneven but is redeemed by the title track and the pure gorgeousness of “Sam”. Olivia’s next album, “Making A Good Thing Better”, is essential listening to trash fans for the title track, which represents Olivia’s first taste of disco, and her hilariously light-hearted cover of the Johnny Cash classic, “Ring Of Fire”.

Totally Hot

“Grease” really was the word in 1978. The film was the highest grosser of that year and the soundtrack quickly became one of the biggest sellers in history. Songs like “You’re The One That I Want”, “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and “Summer Nights” continue to win Olivia new fans to this very day. Needless to say, the mega-success of “Grease” instantly revitalised Olivia’s musical career and she released one of the best albums of the 1970s in the form of “Totally Hot” the following year. Never has an album title so accurately reflected the content and the artist. These 10 songs are truly scorching. "Totally Hot" is highly recommended as a starting place for any serious Olivia exploration. The album is varied, experimental and exquisitely produced by John Farrar. This is one of those albums that flows effortlessly from the melancholy disco of the brilliant opening track, "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting", to the rock orientated cover of "Gimme Some Lovin'" that closes the album. Everything in between is equally fantastic. Other highlights include the title track, “Deeper Than The Night" and the hauntingly beautiful “Boats Against The Current”. Olivia’s voice is beautifully matched by John Farrar's production, which was years ahead of its time. "Totally Hot" was Olivia’s first pop trash masterpiece. Just be warned that this album is more addictive than heroin!

Xanadu

Everything Olivia touched in the early 1980s turned to gold – well apart from her movie career, which went down the toilet after her appearance in “Xanadu” in 1980. Despite being quite possibly the best film ever in the history of cinema, “Xanadu” was a dismal flop and Olivia put acting on the back burner. However, the soundtrack to “Xanadu” was a stunning success and Olivia scored number 1 hits with the title track and “Magic”. Olivia’s next album would be her most successful and influential. “Physical” is one of the most iconic albums of the 1980s. The title track spent 10 weeks at #1 in America and became the biggest seller of the entire decade. The song is a near perfect slice of pop trash, from the camp exercise video to the raunchy lyrics. The rest of the album is a gorgeous concoction of upbeat pop and sweet mid-tempo ballads. Olivia embarked on a massive world tour and released a best selling video album to accompany the album.

Soul Kiss

The success continued for Olivia over the next couple of years with a platinum selling greatest hits compilation and another hit soundtrack for a floptastic movie. “Two Of A Kind” might be a god awful movie, even by Olivia’s standards, but it deserves respect for showcasing one of Olivia’s finest pop trash singles – the unthinkably fabulous “Twist Of Fate”. That title turned out to be prophetic because her next project single-handedly ended her career as a major chart force. I'm not sure if anyone has managed to sabotage their own career as spectacularly as Olivia did with "Soul Kiss". In the space of one album, 15 years of international superstardom and chart domination came to a screeching halt. So, what went wrong? The album itself is a rather glorious concoction of 1980s pop-rock and tender balladry. In fact, "Soul Kiss" contains some of Olivia's most spectacular offerings. The problem was Olivia's skanktastic new image, which included a semi-nude album cover (complete with nasty 80s perm and black riding trousers!) and a selection of songs that attempted to "out-sex" the, then emerging, Madonna. While acting like a slut came naturally to Madonna, fans did not expect a classy diva like Olivia to be singing songs about oral sex, threesomes and most bizarrely, female taxi-drivers! All of a sudden, Sandy had become Rizzo, and Olivia's fans were having none of it!

Skantastic

Despite the hugely underwhelming response to "Soul Kiss", the album has since become a fan favourite and something of a cult classic. While it can be difficult to reconcile old school Olivia with the fabulous tramp on "Soul Kiss", the album can not be recommended highly enough. Olivia herself has bemoaned the tacky styling, which her record company insisted on, but the music itself is more quirky and experimental than any mainstream 80s pop album has the right to be. "Soul Kiss" is something of a concept album about working women. At least, that has always been my interpretation. For example, Olivia sings songs from the perspective of a journalist, a taxi driver, a pilot and a ho. "Soul Kiss" is a lot of things - but it's never boring! The album spawned two singles - the title track, which actually made the US top 20, and "Toughen Up", an independence anthem. Both choices were bizarre because there are far better songs on the album. Thankfully, the video of "Soul Kiss" is 80s trash at its best with Olivia rolling around on red satin sheets. The video for "Toughen Up" is even better, with Olivia wielding a riding crop!

The Rumour

Olivia spent the next three years licking her wounds and raising her daughter, Chloe. Like any good diva, she made an explosive return to the pop scene with a fabulous mutton dressed as lamb image and a brilliant new album. “The Rumour” is Olivia’s last traditional pop album and standards up as one of her best. Unlike her later recordings which sometimes slide into granny pop territory, “The Rumour” was an attempt to make a contemporary pop album directed at adults. The idea of tackling issues like AIDS, single parenting and ageing within the context of trashy pop album is really quite revolutionary. Olivia’s touching AIDS anthem, “Love And Let Live”, inspired fans well before AIDS advocacy became trendy, while “It’s Not Heaven” is an unusually frank commentary on single parenthood. The album might sound heavy but its not. The title track boasts one of the trashiest videos of Olivia’s fabulous career and the closing track, “Tutta La Vita” is one of the defining pop trash moments of the 1980s. The video, which depicts Olivia doing the conga on a Navy ship, has to be seen to be believed! Sadly, the album was a failure everywhere except Australia . The general view was that Olivia was too old to compete with the new generation. Those bitches wish they were in Ms Newton-John’s league!

The 90s

The follow up to “The Rumour” was the dreadful “Warm & Tender”, which is basically a collection of lullabies for children. I use my copy as a beer coaster. Olivia’s next release was the greatest hits compilation, “Back To Basics”. That album famously houses “I Need Love”, Livvy’s last ditch attempt at being a raunchy dance diva. Despite being a work of genius, the song flopped. Shortly after the release of “Back To Basics”, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer. Olivia’s experiences battling the illness inspired her to make “Gaia”. Released in 1994, the album represented Olivia’s first completely self-composed release and was a surprising success in Australia , reaching #7 on the album chart. “Gaia” is an intriguing album, which shows Olivia in a whole new light. It touches on her illness and her dedication to the environment but “Gaia” also works as a straightforward pop album. After a four year hiatus, Olivia returned to Nashville to record “Back With A Heart” and scored a top 10 album on the US country chart in 1998. The album is tarnished by the brutally updated version of “I Honestly Love You”, which is transformed into a hideous duet with Babyface. The rest of the album is rather pleasant.

Recent History

Olivia has released several albums in Australia in the decade since “Back With A Heart” and has enjoyed considerable success. While Livvy’s music has drifted towards granny pop, each of her recent albums contain at least a handful of fabulous new tracks. Olivia’s music might have mellowed with age but her back catalogue remains a treasure trove of fierce pop gems. Olivia Newton-John is the grande dame of Australian pop music and an icon to fans around the globe.

Twist Of Fate (1985)