Olivia's career
Translation from French
Pretty as Barbie. There are stars like wines: the most famous aren’t always the best. Unknown in France, Olivia is a star in the UK (19 singles charting on the Top of the Pops) and a star in the USA (28 singles in the Top 40). In France, her name remains linked to the cult 70s film, “Grease.” There were Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, Natalie Wood and George Chakiris; now there will be Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. For better, and far from worse…
Born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England, to a German mother and a Welsh father, Olivia Newton-John and her family moved to Melbourne, Australia, when she was five years old. Despite a grandfather who won the Nobel Prize in Physics, a father who was a headmaster, and a brother who wanted to become a doctor, Olivia had only one passion: music.
In 1964, after singing with three teenage girls, the Sol Four, she made numerous television appearances alongside her best friend, Pat Carroll. She even won a prize at the Johnny O’Keefe National Talent Contest, singing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.” The prize was a trip to England, which she would later take.
After finishing her schooling and appearing on numerous Australian television programs, she went to England in 1965 with Pat Carroll to sing in pubs and clubs. Their duo lasted until the spring of 1966, with a few appearances on the BBC.
Pat, having expired his visa, returned to Australia. Olivia, meanwhile, recorded her first single (a cover of “Till You Say You’ll Mine” by Jackie de Shannon), which was released in 1966. That same year, she met Bruce Welch of The Shadows in Bournemouth, the original writer of “Moi, je voudrais bien me marier” (Claude François), “Toujours des beaux jours” (Sheila), and others.
The Shadows offered Olivia a role in their stage production of “Cinderella,” which she declined in order to spend Christmas with her family in Australia.
In 1967, she returned to London and began a relationship with Bruce. From then on, her career would be closely linked to that of The Shadows, with whom she recorded “The Day I Met Marie.”
In 1970, Bruce offered her a spot in Toomorrow, a group composed of former musicians from Tom Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight. Together they filmed a musical comedy that was released as an LP and a single. The whole thing was a “spectacular” failure that led to the group’s breakup.
In 1971, Olivia recorded a duet with Cliff Richard, formerly of The Shadows, “Don’t Move Away,” and toured with him. She released her second single, Bob Dylan’s “If Not for You,” which finally flirted with the British and American charts. “Love Song,” however, didn’t take off, despite her performance at the London Palladium.
Then came “Banks of the Ohio” and her first solo album, “Olivia Newton John,” was released in late 1971.
Still a frequent guest on Cliff’s television shows (the British equivalent of Johnny Hallyday), she sang George Harrison’s “What Is Life” and parted ways with Welch.
After a six-month hiatus during which she recorded “Quand on a que l’amour” in English, “Just a Little Too Much” was a flop.
Upon the release of her new album, “Olivia,” she was voted “Best Female Singer of the Year” in England.
Success returned in 1973 when her cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Road” became a hit in the UK. Her next album, “Let Me Be There,” only found success in the US, primarily in the country charts.
She contributed to a Shadows album, “Music Makes My Day,” which shook up the US charts. In 1974, she represented the UK at Eurovision with “Long Live Love.” The LP of the same name did well in England, while the single “If You Love Me” went gold in the US, later covered in French by Sylvie Vartan (“Les chemins de ma vie”).
However, “I Honestly Love You,” which she also performed in French and German, was a hit everywhere, selling over a million copies in the States.
She even indulges in a (successful) cover of Véronique Sanson’s “Amoureuse.” It’s certainly on the other side of the Atlantic, where she’s racking up gold records, that Olivia’s talent is most recognized. Yet, her albums always come from England, like “First Impressions,” which is a sort of compilation.
In 1975, Olivia’s new partner, Lee Kramer, becomes her manager. The two settle in California, in a Malibu ranch. It’s the era of concerts in gymnasiums across North Dakota and the Midwest.
Very quickly, the stunning Olivia becomes the darling of farmers. Her English career is at a standstill. “Have You Never Been Mellow” once again reaches number one on the American charts, selling 1 million copies as a single, and is even adapted by Nicole Rieu (“Ma maison au bord de l’eau”). The album of the same name goes Gold in the US and finally charts in England, as does the single “Follow Me.”
Olivia receives two Grammy Awards and is elected by the Country Music Association in 1974 and 1975. Dolly Parton is worried. Olivia records in Nashville, and her success continues unabated: “Please Mister Please,” her 5th million-selling single in the US, reaches number one again. The song is adapted in France by our very own Claude François (Cloclo) and becomes “Pourquoi pleurer sur un succès d’été” (Why Cry Over a Summer Hit).
The album “Clearly Love” earned another gold record thanks to American cowboys, and the single, “Something Better to Do,” only found success there. How could they conquer Europe? “Let It Shine/He Ain’t Heavy,” “He’s My Brother,” and “Fly Away” (a duet with John Denver) exploded onto the US charts. Finally, the album “Come On Over” was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, just as Olivia separated from Kramer.
Unfortunately, the singles “Come On Over” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” only charted in the US. The latter was followed by the album of the same name and the single “Every Face Tells a Story”. In late 1976. ABC TV dedicated a special program to her.
In 1977, “Sam” was a hit in the US and, shortly after, rekindled her success in the UK charts, a genre she hadn’t been able to break into for three years. In the spring, she toured, notably performing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. A successful gamble. She appeared at the Queen of England’s Silver Jubilee at Windsor Castle (Big Top Show), alongside Elton John and Leo Sayer.
Her new album, “Making a Good Thing Better,” was a triumph in both England and the United States. In 1978, her “Greatest Hits” album was a worldwide success, selling a million copies in the US and proving she deserved her star status.
She was offered the role of Sandy in “Grease,” a Broadway musical. Olivia takes a huge gamble: she leaves the world of farms for that of universities. The risk is enormous. She manages to turn things around and change her image.
Young people worldwide will look to her as a role model. She is the embodiment of Barbie, and ABC TV dedicates a new special to her.
When, in June, the film “Grease” is released in the US, it’s an immediate tidal wave. “You’re the One That I Want,” a duet with Travolta, is a smash hit in the US: 2 million singles sold, Number One, Platinum record. In England, the same: Number One, 1.8 million copies. Not to mention France, Germany, and Italy. The whole world is infected by acute “Newtonitis.” When the LP and the singles, “Summer Nights” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” are released following the same path to success, Olivia wonders if she’s dreaming…
In 1979, “A Little More Love” and the LP “Totally Hot” are still worldwide hits. Olivia is chosen for the UNICEF concert “A Gift for Song,” which takes place at the UN headquarters in NYC. While “Deeper Than the Night” remains popular in Great Britain, the follow-up single, “Totally Hot,” only charts in the US.
1980: Olivia sings a duet with Andy Gibb of the Bee Gees. With Gene Kelly in “Xanadu,” she tries to recapture the success of “Grease.” The soundtrack will be more successful than the film, perhaps thanks to the captivating ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) sound. Olivia will then have another track from the film, “Magic,” become a worldwide hit. At the end of the year, the ballad duet with Cliff Richard, “Suddenly,” becomes a local hit.
It wasn’t until the end of 1981 that a new worldwide hit emerged: “Physical,” which was briefly banned from the airwaves for its pre-Madonna eroticism. Olivia nevertheless sold 2 million copies in the US alone. The album of the same name will sell a million copies in the US and chart worldwide.
Is Olivia truly headed for a sustained global career? Current events would seem to prove it. In 1982, the hits keep coming: “Landslide,” “Make a Move on Me,” “Heart Attack”… The summer tour in the US is filmed. Her “Greatest Hits” albums break new world records.
In 1983, the skies darken; “Tied Up” is only a hit in the US. For a brief moment, with the single “Twist of Fate” from the film “Two of a Kind” with Travolta, Olivia regains hope. But the film, like the soundtrack, and the following single in 1984, “Livin’ in Desperate Time,” are, once again, only successful in the States.
She becomes a businesswoman by launching, with Pat Carroll (who later became Farrar), an Australian store in Los Angeles: “Koala.” This last one would have 55 offspring across the USA, Japan, and even Europe.
In 1984, she married actor-dancer Matt Lattanzi, 11 years her junior, whom she met on the set of “Xanadu.”
The following album, “Soul Kiss,” entered the American charts, then the British charts, in 1986. The single, once again, only succeeded in the USA, while she sang “The Best of Me” with David Foster, became a mother, and developed a passion for environmental issues. She even canceled a tour in Japan to protest the dolphin slaughter.
It wasn’t until 1988, with the album and single “The Rumour,” written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, that Olivia broke records again in the UK charts. Her next album, “Warm and Tender,” was her first recorded album in Melbourne, released in 1989. On it, she explains her role as an ambassador for UNICEF and the environment, a position entrusted to her by the Americans.
In 1991, after filming a movie for Walt Disney (“A Mother for Christmas”), she performed at the Griego Theatre in Los Angeles, alongside Cher, Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawk, Bette Midler, and Lily Tomin, for a gala benefiting cancer research.
It was a bad omen. She was going through a difficult period: after losing her father to a tumor in the summer of 1992, she learned that she, too, had breast cancer. After surgery, her daughter, Chloe, and her husband helped her regain her zest for life. Her lifelong friend, Pat, was also by her side.
As with all those who have flirted with death, her life changed. Even though her new album features four new songs, its title, “Back to Basics,” is very significant. Olivia decided to take the time to live with the people she loves on her ranches in California and Australia. Deeply.
By Freacutedeacuterick Brillouet and J.-P. P. Photos: Jean Laurent Photo Library.