Xanadu soundtrack released

Xanadu Olivia Newton-John/ Electric Light Orchestra

Released: June 27, 1980 Peak: 4 US, 2 UK, 4 CN, 16 AU Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 3.07 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop

Tracks: Song Title (Performer) (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Magic (Olivia Newton-John) (5/23/80, 1 US, 1 AC, 32 UK, 1 CN, 4 AU, gold single) Suddenly (Olivia Newton-John with Cliff Richard) (10/24/80, 20 US, 4 AC, 15 UK, 6 CN, 37 AU) Dancin’ (Olivia Newton-John with the Tubes) Suspended in Time (Olivia Newton-John) Whenever You’re Away from Me(Olivia Newton-John with Gene Kelly) I’m Alive (Electric Light Orchestra) (5/24/80, 16 US, 20 UK, 10 CN, 27 AU, gold single) The Fall (Electric Light Orchestra) Don’t Walk Away (Electric Light Orchestra) (11/22/80, 21 UK) All Over the World (Electric Light Orchestra) (8/2/80, 13 US, 11 UK, 16 CN, 78 AU) Xanadu (Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra) (6/6/80, 8 US, 2 AC, 1 UK, 6 CN, 2 AU) Total Running Time: 41:34

Rating: 3.529 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings) Quotable: -- Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: I turned 13 in 1980. That meant, among other things, that my musical tastes were just beginning to form and that my hormones were just beginning to stir. Even in my early adolescence, I was able to see that a roller-skating fantasy movie starring Olivia Newton-John was a laughable idea. After the monstrous success of Grease, it was a no-brainer to put ONJ in another music-fuelled movie, but this was not the right choice. Regardless of how bad the movie was, I was head-over-heels infatuated with ONJ. I also was just becoming enamored with pop radio and becoming one of the record-buying public. As a child of the ‘80s, I started out with eight-tracks before moving to cassettes and eventually CDs, but the soundtrack to Xanadu held a special place in my personal music history as my first cassette purchase. Musically, the soundtrack sounded like an idea as bad as the movie. Half were songs by Olivia Newton-John and half by Electric Light Orchestra. What act of lunacy drove anyone to think it was a good idea to pair an Australian country-turned-pop singer with a prog-rock-oriented British rock band? Critical reviews aside, the record-buying public anointed the project with its approval. Five singles from the album reached the top 20 in the U.S., including the #1 song Magic. Six songs hit the top 40 in the UK, including the #1 title song, which paired ONJ and ELO. In addition to that collaboration, Olivia duets with “British luminary Cliff Richard” AMG on Suddenly, a song which “seems better than most love themes.” AMG Whenever You’re Away from Me puts her together with Gene Kelly, who gave his final film performance in this movie, capping an outstanding career with a career lowlight. The oddest mix, however, is “the doomed swing/rock hybrid Dancin’,” AMG which the “appearance of the Tubes almost saves…but the two styles should never meet.” AMG In addition to the title cut, ELO served up three more charting singles with I’m Alive, All Over the World, and Don’t Walk Away. The latter song and “The Fall stand as two of Jeff Lynne’s finest.” AMG This was definitely a work tied to a specific era and it doesn’t hold any long-term value beyond nostalgia. However, if you were 13-years-old and in love with pop radio and Olivia Newton-John, this is a work which, however laughable, will always hold a special place.

Resources and Related Links: Olivia Newton-John’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry Electric Light Orchestra’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Doug Stone WK Wikipedia First posted 10/14/2020; last updated 6/7/2021.