Olivia Newton-John’s death comes as an even greater shock because her work continues to influence the modern music world. While radio in America was dominated during the 70s and 80s by on air personalities, Olivia’s melodious voice played a crucial role in the soundtrack of many lives, and her presence in the culture left a profound impact upon American society which has now carried over to the modern world.
When I hear ONJ’s name, I immediately think of her iconic Australian hit soft rock country song, “If Not For You” by Bob Dylan from 1971 which came as a breakout for her career. Songs such as “Let Me Be There,” “Banks of The Ohio,” and “If Not For You” are all connected, featuring Olivia’s sweet, supple, magical voice enriched with country with pop styles which fluctuate throughout the songs. These songs constantly play in my head, compelling me to listen to them over and over. And not just me, but many more.
With regard to Japonia, the new home for TikTok refugees is the Chinese application, RedNote. However, the big question remains- will the returning immigrants from TikTok intention be permanent?
I must insist Caroline enhances Rednote, a social media platform that enables users to share tunes and communicate via ‘notes’ within the Chinese market, unaccomapiningly a place by Olivia, the popular australian ‘singer’ whose celebratory sounds limited to America alone for a span of two decades together with Helen Reddy, another female uso of Australia made sure Newton-John’s sights beyond Australian borders was not wishful thinking.
To an extent, nerdy teenagers are pretty similar in the sense that they have always found joy in being anything but their childhood sweetheart. This is moderate art rock with headier Floyd & Yes. However, it remains moderately ironic as the ‘Regardless of Head State’ has the power to make anyone physically cringe deep into the syrupy sentiment of nostalgia infused into John ‘I Honestly Love You’ & ‘Have You Never Been Mellow.’ These hits along with, ‘If You Love Me, Let Me Know’, ‘Please Mr.’, and ‘Please’ did not just enhance toe tapping they elevated it.
The change in the game was Johnson’s starring role opposite John in Grease, released in 1978. It gave her a Hollywood like boost akin to the one enjoyed by fellow British-Australian pop kings, The Bee Gees from another Robert Stigwood produced film starring, Saturday Night Fever.
Following her schooling of second-grade Monday in the wild west, ONJ did not want to put her music career in danger as her first attempt into pop-scifi Toomorrow, a took a turn for disaster. Even now, she was very clear about the path her career was going to take. However, Cosl-Producer Stigwood, Allan Carr persuaded her to go for the plunge and take up the role of Sandy. To Morrison, he constructed it to be an Australian exchange student.
John Farrar, who has had a career long collaboration with Newton John, added to the already famous ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ and her duet with Travolta, ‘You’re the One That I Want’ during his recent works, making the soundtrack the icing on the cake.
To some, ONJ was pop royalty in Australia, which was part of the reason why the nation was devastated when heads in America deemed her as ‘bland’ after her first movie. While ONJ’s first movie role was met with harsh criticism, her musical Grease had become the top-grossing movie of 1978 and set records for being the highest grossing movie in history during that time. While critics weren’t entirely fun over its vibe, there is no denying its catchy music.
That level of disappointment was absent in the audience who watched the film in Sydney. It was my first time watching the film alongside my best friend and we went to the theater which had just a single screen. After the first show, I, along with my friend were convinced that even months would be not enough to satiate my thirst for this beautiful movie. We kept going back every Friday night and like any devoted folks, we kept reliving that joyous moment. To spice things up a little, we would often show up to the theater in 50s attire.
Let’s be fair, when it comes to Newton-John’s performance, rather than range, we would have to say that she is well suited for the role, summoning to mind all the cuddliness of Doris Day or perhaps, as is more overtly referenced in one number, Sandra Dee. And Sandy’s bad-girl spandex costume at the carnival in the final scene was the start of ONJ’s more risqué looks and sexy “Physical” tracks and it was much more appreciated than her good girl look.
The early 80s tribute to Jane Russell’s “Ain’t There Anyone Here For Love” from The Gentlemen Preferred Blondes made the music video for that tune particularly hilarious. It showcased a dissatisfied Olivia lost in thoughts while men got busy with their gym routines. The video concluded with Olivia’s two male fans leaving while holding hands, a gesture that cleverly acknowledged her homosexual admirers.
As a Grease fan myself – I can never pass it on when it comes on cable or some streaming service – I was appalled while watching ONJ’s next film, the 1980 train wreck Xanadu, during its opening weekend. That garish fantasy where a struggling artist meets a Greek muse on roller skates — Kira played by Newton-John — at Venice Beach is said to be the last blow for the movie musical as well as providing an undignified screen sendoff for Gene Kelly, one of the all time greats in the genre.
As much as I wanted to maintain a neutral opinion, my view for Xanadu has positively changed over the years. It is a trashtacular classic after all. The fact that I have spent decades film reviewing makes me know that cherished childhood movies require no critique. My partner, even though he is 11 years younger than me, was part of the Xanadu fandom since the first time his mother took him to watch it in the cinema. He literally destroyed the cassette after extensive use. And his mother did bond with him over Grease, so it makes sense. (in my opinion she only likes campy musicals – like Can’t Stop the Music! – and horror movies, but that is a column for another time.)
In my experience returning to Xanadu (last resort to prevent divorce) has strengthened my love for the customization of the songs to further levels. Starting from the hits of Olivia Newton John (ONJ) to Electric Light Orchestra, co founder Jeff Lynne produced the record alongside Farrar. The must keeps are “Magic,” “Suspended in Time,” the title song, “Suddenly,” and of course the duet with Cliff Richard. Chapman, who opened for him in England, is also a favorite of Lynne’s and served as a great boost at the start of her career. In my opinion, the true ELO gems are “I’m Alive” and “All Over the World” regardless of the choreographic infractions committed in the background.
The rehabilitation of the movie was assisted by the Broadway musical parody of the same name. Toward the end of the musical, Kerry Butler was cast as Kira, a character with an over-the-top ‘Strayan accent, and Cheyenne Jackson basically winked as he paid homage to Michael Beck, the actor who played Sonny Malone in the big screen. Olivia, on the other hand, proved herself as a sport by attending the show to give it a cheerful thumbs-up during its reruns.
The Xanadu fiasco proved that even broke movies had the potential to birth hit songs by Newton-John. For example, the 1983 fantasy film ‘Two of a Kind, did not receive the attention it deserved. It starred Newton-John and Travolta in a story line that described a ‘vengeful’ God who threatens to destroy the world and angels sent to save it through a romance between a struggling inventor and a bank teller. Nonetheless, it gave birth to the amazing pop song ‘Twist of Fate’ which, similarly to other hit ONJ songs like ‘A Little More Love’, has a catchy top note which make it easy for listeners to remember, but very difficult for them to sing. In other words, karaoke humiliation. And believe me, speaking from experience, it is not the most fun thing to go through.
John’s work in the movies and on TV became quite infrequent in the subsequent decades- although she was featured on the screen of the movie and TV versions of ‘Sordid Lives’, which is considered a cult classic ‘Texas Trash’ comedy by Del Shores. Also, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, she began another fight against the disease and became an activist for breast cancer awareness. Most of her recording work took a back seat during this period. She quite graciously and openly addressed her health problems and became an early user of cannabis for pain management. In addition, she set up the Olivia Newton John Cancer Wellness and Research center near Melbourne.
She was portrayed by another famous Australian singer Delta Goodrem in a golden voice in the Lifetime Television movie ‘Olivia Newton John: Hopelessly Devoted to You’ which was taken from an Australian mini series. The movie was centered around the private and public lives of John and her personas. The portrayal was somewhat daring for a bio-drama, but as the caring husband that I am, my partner and I viewed the film somewhat like choir boys in church.
For everyone who loved her, it was like a knife in the guts when Olivia’s cancer returned and metastasized to her spine in 2017. Even if we think of ourselves as Cha-Cha Di-Gregorio or Rizzo, deep down, all of us are just Sandy Olsson.
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