Olivia, the unexpected success
Translation:
Pop music today is so varied that it is difficult to discern between the extremes. Some teenagers are filled with aggression and generational differences. It comes naturally to them to like music that speaks to their feelings. Others are more calm. They like music that you can relax to. In the middle we still find most people, people who like to dance to Slade and listen to James Taylor while reading a book. But one thing is forbidden to almost everyone: soft, weepy country & western: Tammy Wynette, Charlie Rich and Buck Owens are artists we rarely find on young people’s record labels.
That’s why Olivia Newton-John’s great success is strange. She has actually managed to bring country music to young people. She hangs on the walls of thousands of homes, and is listened to almost on a par with Led Zeppelin and the other greats. It is primarily in the USA that she has had her big breakthrough. She is actually from Australia, and considers herself English, so her success in the States is viewed with astonishment by many.
“I have been in the USA since October 1974, and only came back to England for a short visit in June”, she says. “In the States I have worked hard, have sung at schools, universities, and I have even performed in Las Vegas”.
Olivia has her own group “The Oneness” which actually plays heavy jazz/rock, but which concentrates on country music when Olivia is around. “The nicest thing about my success is that I reach so many different people”. Everything from teenagers with long hair and jeans to elderly grandmothers. This is unusual, one might say, and Olivia agrees. She doesn’t really understand why it has gone so smoothly for her.
“I had a couple of hits in England a few years ago. But I was about to disappear into oblivion when the US suddenly opened its ears to me. Two country songs became hits and then a ballad. Then I went over and concentrated on the States. I soon got paid for my hard work with my really big hit I Honestly Love You”.
Most people probably remember Olivia’s English hits. “Banks of Ohio”, “Country Roads” and “What Is Life”. But why did people lose interest in her here in Europe? “People didn’t take me very seriously. Maybe I came up with the wrong songs at the wrong time. But I Honestly Love You didn’t become anything big in England either. That’s probably one of the main reasons. It’s harder to hear new records in Europe. In the US, there are lots of radio stations, up to 20-30 in each city. That way, people can hear an album around 10-12 times a week, which means you can get the melody etc. faster. Here in Europe you’re lucky if you hear the same song a couple of times, and ballads like “I Honestly Love You” need quite a few plays before they stick.”
So how did Olivia Newton-John get into the record business? “I came to the UK in 1966 after leaving Australia. For a couple of years I performed with another girl. Then I joined Toomorrow, a group that was built on the same principle as the Monkees. We got a lot of publicity, we made a film and an album. Toomorrow was really going to be the new “in” group. But nothing happened. The whole thing was a terrible failure. For two years we waited for the big breakthrough, but in 1970 we just gave up.”
In 1971 Olivia released her first solo album “If Not For You”. It became a pretty big hit, even in the US. “I was overwhelmed, but I had no idea what my next step would be”. It ended up with a collaboration between her and Cliff Richard. They often performed together both on TV and on records. Indeed, a TV film was also made here in Norway with Cliff, Olivia and The Breakaways. “But I almost never performed at concerts. It wasn’t until 1974, when the USA took an interest in me, that I was forced into that life”.
Of course she is happy about her success. But she really wants to make a breakthrough in her home country. It’s probably country music that people here in Europe have a hard time swallowing. That’s why it takes a long time to be accepted. “But I think Tammy Wynette’s great success in England in May/June has meant a lot. Maybe I’ll get my chance now?”
The reason she concentrates on country music is simple. “I think it’s a pleasant form of music and puts you in a good mood. Plus, it’s easy to sing along to. The melodies stick with you.”
It’s a strange life Olivia has had. Raised in Australia with England as her homeland, she goes and ends up as a success in the Americans’ own music charts. Why did she leave Australia in the first place, by the way? “I didn’t really want to. I won a talent competition on TV, the prize was a trip to England. Mother insisted that I travel, she thought it would broaden my horizons. Once I had arrived, I started to like it better and better. Plus, I was busy with my singing career - as mentioned before, I sang with another girl.”
And now she lives in the USA, and has released one big hit after another. Her only wish is a similar response here in Europe. It’s probably just a matter of time - wait and see (or listen).
Photos: Olivia (known to friends as Livvy). Here she entertains the press on the beach in Brighton. The pictures were taken during last year’s final in the Eurovision Song Contest where she did not win for England with “Long live Love”.
Olivia photographed at Heathrow Airport in London a few weeks ago. She was then on her way to the South of France to take a well-deserved vacation.