25 Albums I Can't Live Without: #19

Olivia Newton-John, "Physical"

In elementary school, I had a massive crush on Olivia Newton-John. In 4th grade, we formed the Olivia Newton-John Fan Club, and I was the president.

It’s cheesy, I know, but I remember hearing her music growing up. By the time we formed the fan club, ONJ had one of the biggest hits of all time on the Hot 100. “Physical,” the title cut from her 1981 album, spent 10 weeks atop the charts, due no doubt to the sensuality of the song and video.

The video was controversial enough to have some channels ban it (MTV even cut the ending because the two guys in the gym with her turned out to be… umm… together), and it’s easy to see why:

But what’s funny about all of it is that “Physical” is far from one of the best songs on that album, which was ubiquitous on my turntable for a couple of years. The album starts out strong with the upbeat “Landslide,” which was a hit in the UK but not a single in the States.

The album’s second single, the irresistible “Make a Move on Me,” was another big hit all over the world.

The real magic to the “Physical” album is the songs that for some reason never became singles. On Side One, the dreamy ballad “Falling” showcases ONJ’s vocal range.

“Carried Away” is vintage Barry Gibb, but ONJ makes it her own.

Olivia had a rare writing credit of her own with “The Dolphin Song.”

But the best track on the whole album is the penultimate song, the superb “Recovery.” It was my favorite then, and it’s my favorite now.

The 40th anniversary remaster in 2021 brought these songs to even more life for me. They sound even better than before, and it’s obvious why I was in love with this album as a kid (even if I didn’t get some of the more grown-up lyrics).

Photo Credit: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons