Olivia!

Olivia Newton-John is not a well known icon in France. If the French audiences remembered her name, it's only from "Grease" (1978)...

"Hopelessly Devoted To You" (1978)


However, as far as I'm concerned, I remember very well "Physical"!
An interesting beat, a ridicule video that tries to be funny, a perfect hair and Olivia's smile were the key to its success. Fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue paid a tribute with a cover, 20 years later, during the "On A Night Like This Tour" (2001).

Physical (1981 - Olivia)


Physical (2001 - Kylie)


Olivia was born in Cambridge, England in 1948. She left for Australia with her parents 6 years later. Her carreer started in the 1970s with some minor hits that only charted in Australia and in the UK. She was a contestant to the Eurovision and had a nice success with "I Honestly Love You". With "Grease", she's a huge hit!

Then Came "Xanadu"! This cinematic UFO, with Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton-John, Cliff Richards and the neo-pop band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) will totally flop. The songs and the roller-skating apparently didn't seduce the audience then. The movie will get some recognition later, mostly due to its first degree kitsch dimension and its effecient tunes.

A musical is even created on Broadway in 2007, it will get rave reviews from the press and the public. Here are two songs from the movie.

"Magic" (1980)


"Xanadu" (1980)


In the end of the 1980s, Olivia Newton-John sings "The Rumour", an energy-driven hit written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin also in the back-singers.

"The Rumour" (1988)