I like ONJ. I suspect many of you do, too. People my age grew up with her songs on the radio and watching her as Sandy in Grease. (Note to self: "Sandy in Grease" would be an excellent band name). I make no apologies for owning this CD.
Tracks: The first four tracks are all from early days when she was more of a country-ish artist (Let Me Be There, I Honestly Love You, Have You Ever Been Mellow, and Please Mr. Please). I remember hearing these on the AM radio in Odessa (KRIG) in the '70s. Then there are songs from the movie musicals Grease and Xanadu. Don't worry, each of those soundtracks will get their own posting on this blog at some point. Of course the song Physical is here. You couldn't turn on the radio in 1981 without hearing Physical. Curiously, when radio stations have "Retro '80s Weekends," you never hear songs like Physical. I have to admit that 3 songs from my youth I still enjoying listening to are A Little More Love, Heart Attack, and Twist of Fate. The only song on this disc that I hadn't heard before was Deeper Than The Night. It was probably for the best that I hadn't heard before.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Any red-blooded male remembers the sight of Olivia Newton-John in leather pants at the end of the movie Grease or in the video for Physical. I'm sure if I met her today, I would start blushing and look down at my feet because I'd suddenly be 12 years old again.
Tracks: The first four tracks are all from early days when she was more of a country-ish artist (Let Me Be There, I Honestly Love You, Have You Ever Been Mellow, and Please Mr. Please). I remember hearing these on the AM radio in Odessa (KRIG) in the '70s. Then there are songs from the movie musicals Grease and Xanadu. Don't worry, each of those soundtracks will get their own posting on this blog at some point. Of course the song Physical is here. You couldn't turn on the radio in 1981 without hearing Physical. Curiously, when radio stations have "Retro '80s Weekends," you never hear songs like Physical. I have to admit that 3 songs from my youth I still enjoying listening to are A Little More Love, Heart Attack, and Twist of Fate. The only song on this disc that I hadn't heard before was Deeper Than The Night. It was probably for the best that I hadn't heard before.
| Song | Year | Hot 100 | AC |
| Let Me Be There | 1973 | 6 | 3 |
| I Honestly Love You | 1974 | 1 | 1 |
| Have You Never Been Mellow | 1975 | 1 | 1 |
| Please Mr. Please | 1975 | 3 | 1 |
| Hopelessly Devoted To You | 1978 | 3 | 7 |
| A Little More Love | 1978 | 3 | 4 |
| Magic | 1980 | 1 | 1 |
| Suddenly (w/Cliff Richard) | 1980 | 20 | 4 |
| Deeper Than The Night | 1979 | 11 | 4 |
| Physical | 1981 | 1 | 29 |
| Heart Attack | 1982 | 3 | - |
| Twist of Fate | 1983 | 5 | - |
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Any red-blooded male remembers the sight of Olivia Newton-John in leather pants at the end of the movie Grease or in the video for Physical. I'm sure if I met her today, I would start blushing and look down at my feet because I'd suddenly be 12 years old again.
I'm a big fan of Miss Newton-John's music, too, and recently welcomed most of her earlier, pre-1977 albums into my library via super cheap CDs from Goodwill. Really liked her earlier, country-pop hits but I remember my country loving, gun rack truck driving, Copenhagen spitting aunts and uncles hating her - when they'd give me quarters for the jukebox, they would always tell me not to play her though I supposed they missed the irony that one of her songs ("Please Mr. Please") was about not playing a certain song on the jukebox.
ReplyDeleteHave been pleasntly surprised by her cover versions of other artists' songs on my new discs and may attempt to lump all the covers together for the cliche-titled Under The Covers with Olivia Newton-John CD. Unfortunately, her catalog on Spotify doesn't go back quite that far but three of those pre-Grease CDs can be found there so here's a taste:
Under the Covers with ONJ
Count me as non-fan of leather-clad Sandy in Grease (guess my blood is not red enough). For me, her hottest look was on cover of Olivia's Greatest Hits, Volume Two. Or more particularly, inside the center... I mean gatefold.