Dear Olivia We're Hopelessly Devoted To You - Cinema Odyssey

In her first decade of stunning success, Olivia Newton-John has collected millions of fans, over 40 major awards, and John Travolta's phone number. But what lies ahead as she begins her second prosperous decade?

It's hard to believe that more than ten years have passed since Olivia Newton-John first exploded onto the scene. Remember that angelic face that form clad in dungarees or long dresses, that voice, sweetly singing some lovely country-flavored tune?

What's even harder to believe is the starting metamorphosis that Olivia has undergone during the last couple of years. Now the face is more engaging, the voice stronger the form, blessedly free of deceptions-revealing pop music's sexiest legs this side of Debbie Harry And these new songs! Physical and Heart Attack are a long long way from Honestly Love You or If You Love Me Let Me Know

Coming off her recent grueling North American tour, Olivia Newton John now finds herself at the pinnacle of an astounding career. She (and we) can look back on the past with fond remembrance while awaiting her next, sure to be triumphant move.

It's nice to know that Olivia has not completely changed her love for animals and the outdoors, for instance endure I've always had a great affinity for animals, she says. In fact, it used to concern me. When I was a little girl I used to play more with the local dog than I did with the local kids. There's a great feeling of release when there's just you and the animals and nature and no pretension. I wanted to be a vet, actually, because I was animal crazy, and still am I haven't changed much.

Some might beg to differ with her regarding that last comment.

Born September 26, 1948. in Cambridge, England. Olivia lived in Britain until the age of five, when her parents moved to Melbourne, Australia. Although her father is a college dean (and her grandfather was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and close friend of Albert Einstein), the family was always both musically and intellectually oriented.

Once her dreams of a veterinary career were dashed (I wasn't very good at science or math in school, so I kind of passed on that one, she recalls), she became a member of one of the local singing groups, the Soul Four. These three girls and I used to mess around together on weekends. I went into an audition for a talent contest and surprised myself and won it. The prize was a trip to England, where she pursued a singing career.

Olivia looks back on this particular stage of her career with fondness. The first thing I did was work in a terrible little dive called the Poor Millionaire's Club, and that's just what it was, she laughs I sang three or four songs to open for the main act, a folk singer, I used to sing everything cabaret stuff, the Beatles, old tunes, blues, rock and roll, ballads, everything Then a friend of mine from Australia won a trip over, so we went and threw together an act in under a week

After her partner returned to Australia Olivia pined a band called Toomorrow, about which she rarely speaks. Few in America know that Olivia actually made her film debut at this time - not in GREASE, as most believe, but in a little English musical called TOOMORROW, produced by ex-James Bond movie mogul Harry Saltzman. TOOMORROW was a big flop, and disappeared without a trace, along with its namesake group.

Undaunted, Livvy next appeared on British television's popular Cliff Richard Show and soon became a regular Cliff and Livvy remain close friends today. Cliff was really instrumental in getting me my first break in England. We had the same manager, which is how I got to meet him in the first place. Cliff was looking for someone to record a song with. This eventually led to her first recording contract and her first hit, Bob Dylan's If Not For You.

Olivia recalls her concern about the song: Someone in the record company suggested it. I didn't like it or the way I sang I was completely wrong, thank God.

Other hits followed, and, by 1972, a top record magazine voted Olivia England's favorite female vocalist. The next step, Inevitably, was America.

With a few notable exceptions, crossover recording stars from Britain don't do well in the United States. Even Cliff Richard, legendary in England, caused nary a ripple when he attempted an invasion here in the sixties. Livvy's first experience in this country did not bode well for an international future.

I think my first concert here was in a school gym in North Dakota. John Farrar came with me because he was my producer and he was going to play on the tour, too. We all met in Minneapolis and had to put a band together in a week. We fired the first people we'd hired, then had to find new people and put a whole show together in two days!

Things turned out all right, obviously, and Olivia began to win attention here with hits like Let Me Be There and If You Love Me, Let Me Know.

The first super breakthrough, however, was via a song she received through the mail Honestly Love You. That was a special song, Olivia says I was lucky to find it. There are turning points in my career, and that song was definitely one of them.

Olivia's haunting rendition of this love song made it a standard, and today she closes her concerts with it.

Honestly Love You. her third gold single, was only a preview of things to come. More gold followed with country styled hits like Have You Never Been Mellow?, Please Mister Please, Come On Over and Don't Stop Believing blazing a trail of top-selling singles and LPs.

Ironically, Olivia soon found herself type-cast and, worse, the subject of resentment. Despite her varied singing back ground in England. Olivia was now a country singer and many folks in Nashville did not look kindly on an Australian winning the 1973 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocalist.

Olivia remembers being a little amused by it all. I just consider myself a singer, not any particular kind of singer. When started recording, I had to find a style because people like to categorize you. It was decided that my voice was best suited to ballads and soft country. I wasn't aware that there was specific country-and-western market in this country. The first I heard about it was an interviewer asking me, What do you think about the controversy over your winning the award? I said, 'What?' Loretta Lynn, a very sweet lady, wrote some thing in her book like, 'We love ya', Liv, and we don't care. I kind of understood, but to me, music is an international kind of thing that doesn't belong to anybody or a particular town.

Millions all over the world agreed, and proved it by making Livvy the decade's most popular female recording star.

Any girl as pretty, popular, and talented as Olivia would sooner or later find her way into films. But in Livvy's case, it would have to be on her terms.

In 1976, she said she'd like to do a film if the right role comes along. A year later, John Travolta was hoping he had the right role for her.

Travolta says that when he first met Olivia, My heart pounded. I was in awe of her I wanted her to co-star in GREASE, and I put in heavy pitching. I said, The perfect, ultimate Sandy would have to be Olivia Newton-John

After shooting a screen test (at her insistence), Livvy was ready for GREASE. The movie went on to become history's most profitable musical, with Olivia playing sweet, square high-schooler Sandy, almost a parody of herself.

It would be silly to say I don't like my image because it's a good one, she said at the time. It's just that they always used to refer to me as white bread or milk shake. That's O.K., because, thank goodness, a lot of people like white bread and milk shakes.

I was nervous when I did GREASE, because at the end Sandy becomes a totally different kind of character, which was a challenge and a new direction for me to go in.

Travolta adds, I had to talk her into doing You're The One That I Want. I told her, Believe me, you'll be fantastic. You'll get into that black spandex get-up and look real sexy, and the audience will love it. I know you're doing the right thing.

When Sandy said goodbye to her Sandra Dee image in GREASE and turned into a rocker, so did Olivia Newton-John.

It was time for a change. Totally Hot, Olivia's first album post-GREASE marked the starting change. The most obvious difference was her new punk look: Olivia is decked out in leather on the album cover. A more subtle difference songs like Deeper Than The Night and Summertime Blues signaled a distinct change of course for the country singer. ( Editor - the Summertime Blues track is not on Olivia's Totally Hot album but her Clearly Love album)

Olivia herself explained. My taste has changed a lot in the past ten years. Certain songs I recorded in the past probably wouldn't appeal to me now. Now I like more rocky songs than used to. When Totally Hot went platinum, it was clear that she had made the right move

Next on the agenda was XANADU, an elaborate and ex pensive musical fantasy in which Livvy played a heavenly muse, sent down to earth to help a young man pursue his dreams. With music by the Electric Light Orchestra, Olivia's perennial hit-writer John Farrar, and co-star Gene Kelly, XANADU just couldn't miss But it did in fact, it was a flop and surprised everyone.

Is Olivia ashamed of XANADU? I knew the music would be its saving grace, she notes But when I saw the film. I had the feeling that the story line was weak. The songs were good, and I think the musical numbers were great, but there were a few things lacking in XANADU. But the music kept my chin up.

Dancing with Gene Kelly was an unforgettable experience for her I'm a big fan of his. He's wonderful and a legend and the thought that I had to act with him was scary enough. But when I was going to have to tap dance with him, that was really intimidating! But he was very kind and never made me feel uncomfortable.

XANADU certainly wasn't a total loss the soundtrack album sold more than three million copies.

Those who found Totally Hot alarming must have been sent into shock when they saw Olivia's next album, Physical. Make A Move On Me and the album's title track were enough to forever squash the old square and sweet Olivia image.

Physical was Livvy's biggest hit to date, number one on the charts for ten weeks. The video version of the album was also a clear success and made her very happy. Every song had a different story and I got to play all kinds of different people. It's fantastic!

Two songs on the album hold special significance. Silvery Rain was a warning about pollution. It's something that concerns me greatly, and I think it should concern everyone. I wanted a song which wouldn't stand me on a soapbox, but I would be able to say what I felt, it's an old song, about ten years old. Cliff Richard had a hit with it in England back then.

Olivia wrote The Dolphin Song herself. I've been interested in dolphins and whales these past three or four years. That song just came to me one day, so we decided to shoot some pictures with them to use on the album cover. It was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. I was a bit nervous before I got into the water with them but the moment got close to them, I lost all my fear because they're so gentle They play with you!

And where is she now? Well, she's most likely taking a much-deserved rest from her recent tour, which took her across the continent in two months. Volume Two of her Greatest Hits album is selling like crazy, and you know about Heart Attack. her latest hit single. As for her private life, she keeps it quite private.

Is marriage in the offing? Not yet. she says, perhaps because she herself comes from a broken home Marriage is something I want to be permanent. I suppose because of my parents divorce, I'd never want to go through that. I'd rather never get married than take the chance, which is not good either, because it probably creates a fear of commitment. But I'd like to have that stability, and I'd like to have a family some day. Maybe I think that if I wait long enough, be so old that can't make a mistake she jokes.

Career-wise, Livvy remains remarkably good-natured and philosophical about it all. I'd like to keep making records, and I'd like to do a movie every now and again if I can find something good to do. But if I never have another hit record, I'll be content, because I've done it, you know? I had hits I never thought I'd have and I've had a hit movie, and the rest is a bonus to me, like icing on the cake. There are other things I'd like to get involved with, and I'd love to keep on having hits, but realistically I know it cannot happen forever. I'm pretty down-to-earth and well-balanced, which makes me a little dull for a writer to write about because there's nothing terribly crazy about me

No, she is not terribly crazy. Unless she believes that there aren't millions of people across the globe who wish her the best for a long, long time to come.

By Patrick White