OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN MANIA

I've got the fever.

I was just a young child when I heard her. Just a young child.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_BelOZxxIMHg/R1CEXHcfa6I/AAAAAAAAD7Y/e5vsEA-otbg/s320/Olivia+Newton-John+-+Don%27t+Stop+Believin%27+-+front.jpg

Dude, you're really serious about this, aren't you?

Hahah Timi Yuro! Yes I am. Aren't you in Seattle, dude?

My dad used to play me these Olivia Newton John songs. "If you love me let me know..."

Yeah, I am. I was going to bed a good while ago, but I got a second wind.

Y'know, playing records is fun.

TS: Olivia Newton-John vs. Gang Gang Dance

My second wind is starting to tank, though. Have fun, Bimble.

HOTT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miPyiYZxhwE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sXLkKflnis

^^^^ I was just coming here to post that (again; I've said it on other threads). I'm betraying my age here, but she was so beautiful -- and elegant -- when I was growing up. I was crazy about her.

I like "Twist of Fate" a lot.

There's one of her early Decca singles on one of their collection CDs. "Girls" most likely.

It is amazing!

I'm absolutely astounded to realize that yes, in the deep recesses of my mind, I remember "Twist of Fate". It makes me feel really weird to hear it again, though. It's like some deep narrow crevice in my mind I'd completely forgotten. Especially the end of that song. Wow.

I'll check out that song "Girls", too, Mark G. I don't really know her earliest career all that well.

There's something magical about her. Through Grease and Xanadu. I don't know what it is. She's got some kind of charisma or something.

I love her covers of Dylan "If Not For You" (which also reminds me of George Harrison's lovely version) and John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads"...You see I just got this Greatest Hits again that I haven't had since I was like 7 years old or something and it completely flips my lid. The sleeve looks like the first picture I posted on this thread. Her face is so big on the sleeve. She's just stunning. And there really isn't a single bad track on the damn thing.

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I am a happily married man of 20 years. I would never do anything to disgrace my wife, but....if the opportunity came along to have a night out with Olivia, HMMM. Don't worry ladies, my wife has the hots for John Travolta so I think a fair trade could be made for her. You can have your Angelina Jolies, Julia Roberts', Eva Longorias and such. I would pick Olivia in a heartbeat. What a beauty!

The song is not called "Girls"...

Till You Say You'll Be Mine (Jackie DeShannon) -Olivia Newton-John

on the Decca Originals compilation "Girls Scene"

Oh thanks! I was just looking around and I found this site just now and I thought I had entered the gates of heaven. Look at the record covers, for the love of...well I'm an atheist, but...

http://www.onlyolivia.com/music/singles/70s.html

Mmm, good site! But (Cliff's first ever recorded duet was with Olivia) is rubbish: Loads of songs from The Young Ones and Summer Holiday with Grazina Frame (dubbing for the lead girls in both fims)

God, my mother used to listen to Olivia Newton-John incessantly when I was growing up, so my childhood memories have a soundtrack laden with "If You Love Me Let Me Know" (wtf with the crazy bass singer on that? did the Oak Ridge Boys back her?), "Please Mr. Please," "Have You Never Been Mellow," etc. etc. Admittedly, my 8-year-old self was quite taken with her in her chaste white nightie singing "Hopelessly Devoted To You."

Hahahahah re: Oak Ridge Boys.

Also reminds me of Ike Turner! Fucking nobody sings like that anymore.

I thought this was going to be about another rubbish ITV show where Zoe Ball is forced by the Inland Revenue to introduce Tony Hadley performing "Physical," Jenny Frost tackling "Long Live Love," Peter Andre & Jordan "Summer Nights" &c.

oh yeah, and clips of Fiona Phillips, Wayne Hemingway and Joe Pasquale saying when she put the leather on hey hey?

You were right, Mark G. "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" is freaking AMAZING. It's almost rock and roll! Wow.

I have "Twist of Fate" on repeat, now. I hope you're happy.

Okay wait a minute, wait a minute, I am not believing my eyes. She did a video with John Travolta in the 80's???? SINCE FUCKING WHEN DID THIS EXIST? I never saw it, man.

Yeah, it's cheeseville, though. Be ready for full on cheeseville.

THIS IS HER! THIS IS ACTUALLY HER! HOW CAN IT BE? Doing THAT SONG? Too good to be true. Bimble has had enough for the night, oh my god.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-cPvsH1_I8&NR=1

If it says "embedding disabled by request" just double click it. Cheers.

My favorite Livvy song... but I really hate the aerobics-instructor haircut :(

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TyAPNP4tE8A&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0";></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TyAPNP4tE8A&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

crap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyAPNP4tE8A

Love love love that song. Not my favorite hairstyle of hers, tho.

This is a MUCH better hairstyle. Also: I haven't heard this song since I was 5 years old!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V60gDLF4TBA

OMG that Little More Love video clip, mother of god wow. Just WOW!

Will try this supposed "better hairstyle clip" now.

She is totally challenging Sheena Easton you know that? She is totally saying "eat shit and die, bitch" to Sheena Easton.

LET ME BE THERE CLIP OH YEAH OH YEAH OH YEAH

This woman is a goddess. She can beat Linda Ronstadt with a bandana tied around her back. Fantastic, man. thanks for posting the You Tube Olivia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfH48pzNwxY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6JJjfnNwsY

;_;

For some reason this song popped into my head last night. I didn't know it was Olivia Newton John. Also, I now realize I never knew what a lot of the lyrics were (especially the B-17 part), but that's typical for most songs I liked when I was a kid.

I bet a lot of people have no idea how big this song was at one time.

"Please Mr. Please" has been rendered in Czech as "Nechci Už Víc" recorded by Helena Blehárová and in Finnish as "Viistoista Siis" recorded by Taiska.

lol @ "rendered"

My mom was a HUGE O N-J fan when I was growing up, and played her first greatest hits record from 1977 often, so I grew up hearing this song, "Let Me Be There," "If Not For You," "If You Love Me Let Me Know," et al., alllllllll the time.

ok, finally remembering this, probably heard this a lot on the country radio station my parents listened to in the 70s, WHN

I still get a v giddy feeling watching this vid. She's just so PRETTY I want to eat her face

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qtrLr5T0-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FclDw9TfaoM

I realize vocalizing along with a horn solo is fairly common in jazz, but this ridiculous. And also awesome.

holy shit that is crazy! and you're right - awesome

She was marvelous, and I want to do her justice.

RIP. So sad...

One of my first exposures to popular music as a kid was this 1978 TV special starring Olivia, with ABBA and Andy Gibb in supporting roles. I had a cassette recorder rolling in front of the TV speaker and listened to my tape for weeks afterward...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPYcUk9CfIM

Here's about 2/3 of the show with better sound quality, in stereo which was not available to anyone watching it on broadcast TV back then: www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8mQ9nt5WAY

Anyway, RIP.

just playing this on repeat & crying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbVmSPx8HSs

that video that Lee posted is so great btw, everyone needs to watch it

this captures what appears to me to me to be unquestionably the best place to have been on earth at the time it was happening…she sang this live, and she sounds (and looks) like a million bucks…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJw0m8QqjVY

I'm devastated.

i love this one off her alan hawkshaw-produced debut album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVNqdfAs5gQ

I find the days hard to face now
Empty rooms
There's much too much space now
And the nights go so slow
I'm sure you know
Wish I knew what to do
It would be so nice seeing you
And it might help you too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7LOOsydEoY

Wow. I was always struck by how happy and healthy she always seemed in recent years. I guess you just never know when you're going to go.

saw images of her flashing by on the tv screen and my heart sank.

RIP my dear, thank you for all the great songs

The brief tribute that Travolta posted made me lose it a little.

yeah that was beautiful

clicked to a random section of that tv special and landed on her singing "have you never been mellow" :(

“love song” is really amazing

The brief tribute that Travolta posted made me lose it a little.

― Disarm u with a SMiLE (morrisp), Monday, August 8, 2022 5:35 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah that was beautiful

― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, August 8, 2022

seems like they remained genuine besties?

yeah that was always my impression

my favorite random trivia is that Jeff Conaway had a crush on ONJ before she joined Grease & he was nervous to be around her on set
AND he ended up marrying ONJ’s sister!

alan hawkshaw-produced debut album

Wha??? I need to know this album

her 1984 duet with Barry Gibb “Face to Face” is so freaking good - their voices marry in such a beautiful way, really would have loved a whole album from them in this period

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kBCa-_Sytg

Last year, I discovered "Toomorrow" the movie was online, and I have watched it a few times since then. Also, Rough Trade were selling off the soundtrack RSD edition for not much, and grabbed it.

It's a lot better than its rep, just a sixties pop film but made too late.

alan hawkshaw-produced debut album

Wha??? I need to know this album

sorry i got that a bit wrong - hawkshaw only did the arrangements, producers were actually bruce welch and john farrar who were both in the band the shadows. 'love song' is the stand-out song for me and one where hawkshaw's somewhat eerie arrangement really shines. also has an okay version of 'no regrets'. like a lot of ONJ it's a charity shop regular and worth picking up for a quid, but i probably wouldn't go out of my way to get a copy tbh. it's this one btw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Not_for_You_%28album%29

A reminder that Elvis frequently performed two Olivia Newton-John hits in his tour dates of the 1974-1976 period. He sang "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" at his second-to-last ever show in June 1977.

And both of those ONJ hits were written by ex-Shadows bass player John Rostill, who took his own life before he would've been able to see Elvis do his tunes.

never knew that! what was the other he sang? you said there were two?

"Let Me Be There"

I knew they must've come from the same songwriter bc they're like soundalikes (but didn't know Rostill's story... he also played bass for Tom Jones).

I had completely forgotten about “Sam,” a lesser hit coming after her string of number ones and just before “Grease.” It was a staple on the playlist of the first MOR station I worked at as a teen, and I always had a soft spot for it. When she hits the chorus in her upper register she sounds almost like Kate Bush.

Sam is one of my absolute favorites

Delighted to learn I'm the only fan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JH0Z4vkXIc

It was your vid that reminded me of it Veg, thx!

there’s a video for Make A Move On Me and it is required viewing

the keyboard player gives new meaning to the term “pulling focus”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0JaFvjj_oo

That song is so great, from her strongest period.

The albums are worth it for bangers like "Totally Hot" or "Stranger's Touch".

Totally Hot rules! Also the video was shot at Century City mall if you’re into that kinda thing

^I am! Will check that out...

Btw, that “Make a Move on Me” vid is amazing… it plays like a Boogie Nights-level parody or something, you almost can’t believe it’s real

right!? it struck me that way too, like a Funny Or Die parody that Paul Rudd might do

casually tried to find out who that keyboard player was (prob just a random extra looking to get a bit of bang for his day rate)- couldnt find anything & gave up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9F942fNKIc

Well, yeah.

^ That's proper TV, right there.

Someone circulated this fabulously corny teenage appearance a few Xmas's ago. Bless. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz48PnbenBk

truly champagne television <3

“Take A Chance” is from the Two of a Kind movie soundtrack- a deep vhs favorite of mine as a kid

i havent seen this video in over thirty years but i still feel the lingering childhood betrayal that they tricked me - i was so sure they were going to get married >:(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6oSG92722g

I met Olivia once. I was 16, working in a CD store.

Had no idea who she was. I tried to sign her up for our Loyalty Card.

I said “first name” and she said “Olivia,” and then I said “last name” and she said “Newton John,” and then I said “phone number” and my boss said “MAX”

— Max Quinn (@Maxquinn) August 9, 2022

I knew there was an Olivia Newton-John/Cliff Richard/The Shadows connection but I didn't know she was engaged to Bruce Welch of the Shadows for five years - punching above your weight there, Bruce, my son. But then tragedy struck...

Five years after they had moved in together, Olivia became tired of her relationship with Welch, she now found him overly controlling and wanted to spread her wings. A brief fling with French crooner Sacha Distel effectively derailed her engagement to Bruce, who was inconsolable, after discovering the pair together in Olivia’s St. John’s Wood flat, round the corner from her sister Rona, who now lived in London. Welch hit the bottle and went on a long bender, in July 1972 he meticulously planned to commit suicide, telling his friends he was going away for the weekend, after cancelling milk and paper deliveries, he consumed a lethal dose of barbiturates washed down with brandy. But fate stepped in as he had forgotten that he had arranged to have his windows cleaned that weekend, the window cleaner saw him lying comatose on his apartment floor and called an ambulance to take Welch to Middlesex Hospital, just in time to save his life.

Blimey! Also I had no idea that "You're the One That I Want" was written by John Farrar, another member of the Shadows!

yeah i think at least a couple of Shadows were in her studio band for a while in addition to Farrar

and Farrar was her producer well into the 80’s

Farrar was her main collaborator throughout her career, kind of an amazing (and largely unheralded) musical partnership when you think about it

yeah he definitely seemed to have a really innate understanding of Olivia’s skills as a singer

Last year, I discovered "Toomorrow" the movie was online, and I have watched it a few times since then. Also, Rough Trade were selling off the soundtrack RSD edition for not much, and grabbed it.

It's a lot better than its rep, just a sixties pop film but made too late.

I've only just found out about this film, check the plot:

A group of students pay their way through school by forming a pop band, Toomorrow. Sonic vibrations from a special instrument, a "tonaliser" cause an extra-terrestrial to abduct the group, and have them entertain the Alphoid population.

Produced by Don Kirshner!

One of the imdb "goofs" on this was that the university they all went to looked totally unrealistic, being nothing but a bunch of prefab style blocks in front of an old building.

Mate, you've never seen a UK city uni, it's clear.

(Also, the Roundhouse bits are brilliant)