Olivia Newton-John hit #1 with “Magic”

Magic Olivia Newton-John

Writer(s):John Farrar (see lyrics here) First Charted: May 23, 1980 Peak: 14 US, 13 CB, 11 GR, 13 HR, 12 RR, 15 AC, 32 UK, 2 CN, 4 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 15.5 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: After the huge success of Grease, it was a no-brainer to find another film vehicle for Olivia Newton-John. She agreed to do Xanadu because, as she said, “this musical fantasy appealed to me” FB and she would get to sing and dance with one of her idols – Gene Kelly. She played Kira, a muse who came down from Mount Olympus to inspire Sonny (Michael Beck) to open a night club. The roller-skating-themed movie, however, turned out to be what she called “a character-building” bomb. FB The soundtrack, however, was a success. Featuring music from Olivia and Electric Light Orchestra, it generated five top-20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. The lead single was “Magic” and it found its way to the top of the U.S. pop charts for four weeks. The song played in the movie when Kira and Sonny first met, again when she has to go back to Olympus, and a third time when she reappears as a waitress at the nightclub. The song’s theme about finding “inspiration for pursuit of one’s dreams and love” WK was fitting in the context of the movie, but also had a broader message about “destiny and faith” SF that worked even for those who hadn’t seen the movie. Considering the failure of the movie, it was a good thing that the song worked outside of the context of the movie. The song boasts “an easy-going melody and clear vocals” SF that continued to push Olivia farther away from her more country sound of the early ‘70s. “Magic” was her third trip to the top following the 1974 ballad “I Honestly Love You” and “You’re the One That I Want,” her smash duet with John Travolta from 1978’s Grease. She went on to hit the top one more time – with the monstrous song “Physical” from 1981. It spent a whopping ten weeks on top of the charts, becoming the biggest hit of the ‘80s. Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 528. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/24/2020; last updated 12/6/2022.

“You’re the One That I Want” hit #1

Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

Writer(s): John Farrar (see lyrics here) First Charted: April 1, 1978 Peak: 11 US, 3 CB, 2 GR, 11 HR, 3, 23 AC, 19 UK, 2 CN, 19 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 6.0 US, 2.49 UK, 15.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 653.43 video, 601.48 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The 1972 Broadway show Grease about American high schoolers in the ‘50s was such a success that it was brought to the big screen in 1978. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were cast as the stars. He “was the hottest thing going” RC since his Best Actor Oscar nomination and she was a successful crossover singer in country, pop, and adult contemporary. Despite being years removed from high school, they brought charisma and chemistry to their roles and turned the movie and its soundtrack into blockbusters. John Farrar, who’d worked with Olivia since 1971, wrote some new songs exclusively for the movie, including Olivia’s ballad “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “You’re the One That I Want,” a raucous duet between the leads. The movie’s director, Randal Kleiser, was not a fan because he felt it didn’t fit with the songs written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs for the original show. WK However, “You’re the One That I Want” was a huge hit with fans across the world, reaching #1 in the U.S., UK, Australia, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland, and Sweden. Within two weeks of charting, it was certified gold for selling a million copies. WK It reached #1 in the U.S. before the movie was even released. SF In the UK, it became the fifth biggest-selling single of all time. SF In Olivia’s native Australia, the song spent nine non-consecutive weeks on top, interrupted by a six-week run at #1 by Boney M’s “Rivers of Babylon.” “You’re the One That I Want” spent those six weeks hovering right behind “Babylon” at #2. WK As the movie’s closer, it showcased the transformation of Olivia’s character Sandy from good girl to greaser queen to win back Danny, played by Travolta. Meanwhile, Danny has made his own change to win Sandy back. To the surprise of his greaser friends, he now sports a sweater with a letter he received in cross country. Originally the movie closed with “All Choked Up,” which was sort of a send up of Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up.” However, it was one of two songs from the original score which was removed completely from the movie and soundtrack. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for John Travolta RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Page 336. SF Songfacts Thunder bay ( WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/23/2020; last updated 4/30/2024.

Olivia Newton-John hit #1 with “I Honestly Love You”

I Honestly Love You Olivia 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: FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 378. RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Pages 225-6. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/24/2020; last updated 4/30/2024.