Banning Olivia's Physical - Billboard

Banning Olivia's Physical

By Ed Harrison

LOS ANGELES-Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical,” number l4 of this week’s Hot 100 and climbing, is being banned from a handful Of stations because of the song’s “suggestive” lyrics.

Jim Sumpter, program director of KFMY-FM, Provo. Utah, says he added the record out of the box with the song doing well especially with females 25 plus. But three weeks down the road there was a noticeable reversal and a lot of negative reaction from that same demographic.

“Once the words sank in it caused an uncomfortableness among listeners,” says Sumpter. We must listen to the dictates of our audiences. In the middle of a rating book we couldn’t afford to play it.”

Sumpter says that the Provo market is extremely conservative and that the Mormon Church is a big part of people’s lives. He adds that since the record was pulled from the playlist there haw been few calls to have the record put back. Most requests have come from teens he says.

George Lemich program director of KSL-AM Salt Lake City, hasn’t even bothered to add the record, also because of its lyrical content. Although Lemich personally likes the record, he says the station is “very conscious of lyrics.”

There is an increasing trend in music to be more blatant about physical relationships says Lemich. “This isn’t the first time we’ve done this.”

Pat Pipolo, MCA Records vice president of promotion, acknowledges small pockets of resistance “One station tells me they won’t play it because of the lyrics. In the Bible belt, a station says the lyrics are too pubescent. It seems that stations are looking for reasons to stay off a record rather than reasons to play it. Any station not playing Physical is only hurting themselves and depriving its listeners “ argues Pipolo.