 | I Honestly Love YouOlivia Newton-John |
Writer(s): Peter Allen, Jeff Barry (see lyrics here) First Charted: August 3, 1974 Peak: 12 US, 12 CB, 14 GR, 12 HR, 16 RR, 13 AC, 6 CW, 22 UK, 11 CN, 14 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 4.0 radio, 7.96 video, 21.52 streaming |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
|
About the Song:Jeff Barry made a name for himself co-writing songs like the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” and the Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack,” as well as #1 hits for the Dixie Cups, Manfred Mann, and the Archies. He set to produce Peter Allen’s first album for A&M Records. Allen had already written some tunes, but Barry didn’t hear any hits. He had an idea for a song which the two then wrote together and then they made a demo. FB The demo was just intended for themselves, but it made its way to John Farrar. He’d been a member of the Shadows before taking up songwriting, arranging, and producing work with Olivia Newton-John. Cliff Richards, who’d been the leader of the Shadows, was also pivotal in Olivia’s career. After she won a talent contest in Australia, she got to go to England as part of the prize. She eventually landed a spot on Richards’ television series. RC Farrar played “I Honestly Love You” for Olivia and she loved it. In her 2019 memoir Don’t Stop Believin’, she recalled thinking “that everyone would be able to make those words fit in their own personal story of love and perhaps even loss.” SF She told Billboard magazine “I flipped out when I heard it…I was terrified that I would find out it had already been done.” FB Barry convinced Allen to let her record it since she was one of the world’s most popular singers. SF It proved a savvy move which helped launch Allen’s career as a songwriter, SF although he did release a version on his Continental American album which came out at the end of the year. WK She recorded the song in just three takes with vocals which were, at times, “almost a whisper,” as she said. SF Surprisingly, the label didn’t originally intend to release Olivia’s version as a single until radio demand pushed them to decide otherwise. FB Radio stations in Denver and Chicago ranked it the song of the year. WK VH1 ranked the song at #11 on its list of soft-rock songs. It also makes the DMDB’s list of the top 100 adult contemporary songs of all time. It won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female. Resources:
Related Links:
First posted 10/24/2020; last updated 4/30/2024. |
No comments:
Post a Comment