Top 20 Olivia Newton-John Hits
Olivia began singing at the age of 14 in coffee shops and soon became a regular on local Australia radio and television shows. She entered and won a talent contest with the grand prize being a trip to England. Here, she teamed with another Aussie, Pat Carroll as "Pat And Olivia." When Pat's visa expired, sending her back to Australia, Olivia remained in England.
American producer, Don Kirshner, recruited Olivia as part of the group "Toomorrow." A film based on the group turned out to be a bust and the group disbanded.
Even though she had been recording since 1966, Olivia didn't receive her first recognition, until she recorded the Bob Dylan tune, "If Not For You" which made it to #25 on the Billboard weekly charts in 1971. Subsequent singles bombed until 1973 when her country flavored "Let Me Be There" went Top 10.
On the charts, Olivia made it to the weekly Billboard Top 40 Charts 27 times and to the top of the charts five times. This includes duets with Olivia teaming up with John Travolta, Andy Gibb, Electric Light Orchestra and Cliff Richard. Here's a look at Olivia Newton-John's twenty biggest hits, according to the Billboard Weekly Top 40 charts.
1. Physical - 1981
Olivia's biggest single went to # 1 for 10 weeks, tying Debby Boone's record You Light Up My Life and making it the #1 record of 1982. The #6 record of all time, according to Billboard's Top 100 records of all time, was censored and banned by some radio stations.
2. Magic - 1980
One of three songs, from the film Xanadu that went Top 20 for Olivia.
3. I Honestly Love You - 1974
Written by Jeff Barry and Peter Allen, Olivia's first number one single was rerecorded by Olivia in 1998.
4. You're The One That I Want - 1978
From the film Grease, this is one of two singles teaming her up with co-star John Travolta.
5. Have You Never Been Mellow - 1975
Olivia received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, thanks to this song.
6. A Little More Love - 1979
From the Totally Hot album, it was the 17th most popular single of 1979.
7. Hopelessly Devoted To You - 1978
Also from the film Grease, John Farrar penned this song, as he did many of Olivia's hits and this one got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
8. Heart Attack - 1982
From the Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 album.
9. Please Mr. Please - 1975
Originally written for and recorded by Cliff Richard, Olivia had much better luck at requesting that no one play B-17.
10. Twist of Fate - 1984
Olivia's last Top 10 single, to date, was from the film Two Of A Kind reteaming Olivia with John Travolta.
11. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - 1974
In addition to being a pop hit, it also went to #2 on the Billboard Country charts and was also performed by Elvis Presley at many of his live concerts.
12. Summer Nights - 1978
The second duet with John Travolta from the film Grease.
13. Make A Move On Me - 1982
The follow up single to "Physical."
14. Let Me Be There - 1974
Olivia's first Top 10 single was also covered by Elvis Presley.
15. Xanadu - 1980
This time Olivia teamed up with the Electric Light Orchestra for the title song of the film of the same name, which also starred Hollywood legend Gene Kelly.
16. Deeper Than The Night - 1979
From the Totally Hot album.
17. I Can't Help It - 1980
Olivia teamed up with Andy Gibb for this Top 20 single.
18. Something Better To Do - 1975
From her Clearly Love album.
19. Sam - 1977
From the Don't Stop Believing album.
20. Soul Kiss - 1985
Olivia's last Top 20 hit to date.
Olivia had some success acting by starring in the films Grease in 1978, Xanadu in 1980 and Two Of A Kind in 1983. Since then, she has appeared in several television movies, specials and series, including a guest cameo spot on the television series, Glee in 2010.
In 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer and as a survivor she has become an advocate for breast cancer research, as well as other health issues and animal rights.
She married actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984 and they have a daughter, Chloe. Olivia and Matt divorced in 1995. She married again in 2008.
In 1984, Olivia began her own chain of clothing boutiques called, Koala Blue.
Olivia Newton-John continues to record and tour today making new fans with every performance.
Published by Carl Megill
I started writing comedy while working at a local radio station. Then, I became interested in writing spec scripts for sitcoms. After writing about twenty spec scripts and winning a couple of scriptwriting... View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentI loved her in the '70's. I'm enjoying your articles on musical artists.