Olivia Newton-John skillfully made the transition from popular country-pop
singer to popular mainstream soft rock singer, becoming one of the most
successful vocalists
of the '70s in the process. The transition itself wasn't much of a stretch --
her early-'70s hits "I Honestly Love You" and "Have You Never Been Mellow" were
country only in the loosest sense -- yet the extent of her success in both
fields was remarkable. As a country singer, her first five charting singles all
went Top Ten in the U.S.; as a pop singer, she had no less than 15 Top Ten hits,
including five number one singles, highlighted by "Physical," which spent ten
weeks at number one in 1981-1982.
Olivia Newton-John's sweet voice suited both country-pop and soft rock perfectly,
which is what kept her at the top of the charts until the mid-'80s. After 1984,
she was no longer able to reach the Top 40, partially because of shifting
musical tastes and partially because she was unable to successfully record sexy
dance-pop, no matter how hard she tried. Nevertheless, her '70s and '80s hits
remained soft rock and adult contemporary staples into the '90s, when she was no
longer recording frequently Although she was born in Cambridge, England,
Olivia Newton-John was raised in Melbourne, Australia, where her father was the
headmaster of Ormond College (her grandfather Max Born won the Nobel Prize for
physics). She tentatively entered show business at the age of 12, when she won a
local Haley Mills-lookalike contest. A few years later, she formed an all-female
vocal group called the Sol Four with three school friends. Once the Sol Four
disbanded,
Olivia Newton-John entered a television talent contest, winning the grand prize of
a trip to London, England. Once in London, she formed a duo with
Pat Carroll, another Australian-based vocalist, and tried to work her way
into the music industry. Though her partnership with
Carrol was short-lived --
Pat was sent back to Australia once her visa expired --
Olivia Newton-John was making inroads in the business. Following
Carrol's departure,
Olivia Newton-John recorded and released her first single, a version of
Jackie DeShannon's "Till You Say You'll Be Mine." Shortly afterward, she
became a member of Toomorrow, a bubblegum group assembled by Don Kirshner in
hopes of creating a British version of
the Monkees.
Toomorrow appeared in a science fiction movie of the same name and had one
minor British hit single, "I Could Never Live Without Your Love," in early 1970
before the group quietly disbanded. Following the failure of Toomorrow,
Olivia Newton-John became part of
Cliff Richard's touring show, appearing both as an opening act at his
concerts and on his British television series, It's Cliff!. The exposure as a
singer and comedienne on the show helped
Olivia Newton-John's career immeasurably, and her first single for Uni Records, a
version of
Bob Dylan's "If Not for You," became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. in the spring
of 1971; in America, it was surprisingly successful, spending three weeks at the
top of the adult contemporary charts and peaking at number 25 on the pop charts.
For the next two years,
Olivia Newton-John's success was primarily contained in Britain, where she had a
string of lesser hits with covers of
George Harrison's "What Is Life" and
John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads." In America, her career was
stalled -- her follow-up single, "Banks of the Ohio," barely scraped the lower
reaches of the Top 100. On the other hand, she didn't release a full-length
album in the U.S. until 1973, when Let Me Be There appeared. The title track
from the record became a huge hit, going gold in early 1974 and peaking in the
Top Ten country and pop charts. "Let Me Be There" was so successful it won the
Grammy award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female, much to the
consternation of many members of Nashville's music industry.
"Let Me Be There" was followed by four other Top Ten hits -- "If You Love Me
(Let Me Know)" (number two country, number five pop, 1974), "I Honestly Love
You" (number six country, number one pop, 1974), "Have You Never Been Mellow"
(number three country, number one pop, 1975), and "Please Mr. Please" (number
five country, number three pop, 1975).
Olivia Newton-John moved to Los Angeles late in 1974, and early the following year,
she won the Female Vocalist of the Year award from the Country Music
Association. As a protest, several members of the CMA quit the organization.
Ironically,
Olivia Newton-John was already planning to move away from country. During 1976 and
1977, she had a number of minor hits with soft rock songs. Though none of these
were big pop successes, they began to establish her as a pop singer, not a
country-pop singer.
Olivia Newton-John's transformation into a mildly sexy pop singer was complete in
1978, when she starred in the movie version of the popular Broadway musical
Grease. Also starring
John Travolta, Grease was an international hit and spawned three huge hit
singles -- "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Summer Nights," and "You're the One
That I Want"; the latter two were duets between
Olivia Newton-John and
Travolta. "You're The One That I Want," in particular, was a massive
success, reaching number one in both America and Britain; in the U.K., it spent
a staggering nine weeks at number one. During 1979,
Olivia Newton-John released the Totally Hot album, which boasted a mixture of soft
rock and light disco. The record was another hit, with the first single, "A
Little More Love," peaking at number three on the U.S. pop charts and going
gold. Early in 1980,
Olivia Newton-John starred in the roller-disco fantasy film Xanadu. While the movie
was an unqualified bomb, the soundtrack was a huge hit. "Magic" spent four weeks
at the top of the U.S. pop charts, while the
ELO duet "Xanadu" reached number eight and her duet with
Cliff Richard, "Suddenly," peaked at number 20.
With her next album, Physical,
Olivia Newton-John continued to rework her image, re-inventing herself as a sexy
aerobics fanatic. The first single from the record, the suggestive "Physical,"
was a huge hit, spending ten weeks at number one during the fall and winter of
1981-1982. Physical spawned another Top Ten hit -- "Make a Move on Me" -- and
became her most successful record. Following the album's success, she was
awarded with an Order of the British Empire. In 1983,
Olivia Newton-John again starred with
Travolta, this time in the comedy Two of a Kind. The movie was a bomb, but a
song she recorded for the soundtrack, "Twist of Fate," became a Top Ten hit in
early 1984.
By the end of 1984,
Olivia Newton-John had married actor Matt Lattanzi. The following year, she
released the Physical clone Soul Kiss, which produced only one minor hit with
its title track. In 1986, she had a daughter named Chloe and opened a clothing
store chain called Koala Blue.
Olivia Newton-John attempted to launch a comeback in 1988 with The Rumour, but the
album was ignored. She signed with Geffen the following year, releasing the
children's album Warm and Tender. During the late '80s and '90s, she devoted
herself to her family and business as well as several environmental activist
organizations. In 1992, Koala Blue folded and
Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. Over the next year, she
successfully underwent treatment for the disease. In 1994, she returned to
recording with the independently released and self-produced album Gaia. Back
With a Heart, a return to Nashville, followed in 1998. One Woman's Live Journey
was issued two years later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Olivia Newton-John for your next corporate or private event.
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