One of those "kangaroo" ladies who did so well on the charts in the 1970s, Olivia Newton-John was born in Cambridge, England in 1948. Shes the granddaughter of famed Nobel Prize winning German physicist, Max Born. She moved to Australia in 1953.
Olivia began singing at the age of 14 in coffee shops and soon became a regular on local Australia radio and television shows. She entered and won a talent contest with the grand prize being a trip to England. Here, she teamed with another Aussie, Pat Carroll as "Pat And Olivia." When Pats visa expired, sending her back to Australia, Olivia remained in England.
American producer, Don Kirshner, recruited Olivia as part of the group "Toomorrow." A film based on the group turned out to be a bust and the group disbanded.
Even though she had been recording since 1966, Olivia didnt receive her first recognition, until she recorded the Bob Dylan tune, "If Not For You" which made it to #25 on the Billboard weekly charts in 1971. Subsequent singles bombed until 1973 when her country flavored "Let Me Be There" went Top 10.
On the charts, Olivia made it to the weekly Billboard Top 40 Charts 27 times and to the top of the charts five times. This includes duets with Olivia teaming up with John Travolta, Andy Gibb, Electric Light Orchestra and Cliff Richard. Heres a look at Olivia Newton-Johns twenty biggest hits, according to the Billboard Weekly Top 40 charts.
1. Physical - 1981 - Olivias biggest single went to # 1 for 10 weeks, tying Debby Boones record of "You Light Up My Life" and making it the #1 record of 1982. The #6 record of all time, according to Billboards Top 100 records of all time, was censored and banned by some radio stations.
2. Magic - 1980 - one of three songs, from the film Xanadu, that went Top 20 for Olivia.
3. I Honestly Love You - 1974 - written by Jeff Barry and Peter Allen, Olivias first number one single was rerecorded by Olivia in 1998.
4. Youre The One That I Want - 1978 - from the film "Grease", this is one of two singles teaming her up with co-star John Travolta.
5. Have You Never Been Mellow - 1975 - Olivia received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, thanks to this song.
6. A Little More Love - 1979 - from the "Totally Hot" album, it was the 17th most popular single of 1979.
7. Hopelessly Devoted To You - 1978 - also from the film "Grease", John Farrar penned this song, as he did many of Olivias hits and this one got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
8. Heart Attack - 1982 - from the "Olivias Greatest Hits Vol. 2" album.
9. Please Mr. Please - 1975 - originally written for and recorded by Cliff Richard, Olivia had much better luck at requesting that no one play B-17.
10. Twist of Fate - 1984 - Olivias last Top 10 single, to date, was from the film "Two Of A Kind" reteaming Olivia with John Travolta.
11. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - 1974 - in addition to being a pop hit, it also went to #2 on the Billboard Country charts and was also performed by Elvis Presley at many of his live concerts.
12. Summer Nights - 1978 - the second duet with John Travolta from the film "Grease."
13. Make A Move On Me - 1982 - the follow up single to "Physical."
14. Let Me Be There - 1974 - Olivias first Top 10 single was also covered by Elvis Presley.
15. Xanadu - 1980 - this time Olivia teamed up with the Electric Light Orchestra for the title song of the film of the same name, which also starred Hollywood legend Gene Kelly.
16. Deeper Than The Night - 1979 - from the "Totally Hot" album.
17. I Cant Help It - 1980 - Olivia teamed up with Andy Gibb for this Top 20 single.
18. Something Better To Do - 1975 - from her "Clearly Love" album.
19. Sam - 1977 - from the "Dont Stop Believing" album.
20. Soul Kiss - 1985 - Olivias last Top 20 hit to date.
Olivia had some success acting by starring in the films "Grease" in 1978, "Xanadu" in 1980 and "Two Of A Kind" in 1983. Since then, she has appeared in several television movies, specials and series, including a guest cameo spot on the television series, "Glee" in 2010.
In 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer and as a survivor she has become an advocate for breast cancer research, as well as other health issues and animal rights.
She married actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984 and they have a daughter, Chloe. Olivia and Matt divorced in 1995. She married again in 2008.
In 1984, Olivia began her own chain of clothing boutiques called, Koala Blue.
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Olivia began singing at the age of 14 in coffee shops and soon became a regular on local Australia radio and television shows. She entered and won a talent contest with the grand prize being a trip to England. Here, she teamed with another Aussie, Pat Carroll as "Pat And Olivia." When Pats visa expired, sending her back to Australia, Olivia remained in England.
American producer, Don Kirshner, recruited Olivia as part of the group "Toomorrow." A film based on the group turned out to be a bust and the group disbanded.
Even though she had been recording since 1966, Olivia didnt receive her first recognition, until she recorded the Bob Dylan tune, "If Not For You" which made it to #25 on the Billboard weekly charts in 1971. Subsequent singles bombed until 1973 when her country flavored "Let Me Be There" went Top 10.
On the charts, Olivia made it to the weekly Billboard Top 40 Charts 27 times and to the top of the charts five times. This includes duets with Olivia teaming up with John Travolta, Andy Gibb, Electric Light Orchestra and Cliff Richard. Heres a look at Olivia Newton-Johns twenty biggest hits, according to the Billboard Weekly Top 40 charts.
1. Physical - 1981 - Olivias biggest single went to # 1 for 10 weeks, tying Debby Boones record of "You Light Up My Life" and making it the #1 record of 1982. The #6 record of all time, according to Billboards Top 100 records of all time, was censored and banned by some radio stations.
2. Magic - 1980 - one of three songs, from the film Xanadu, that went Top 20 for Olivia.
3. I Honestly Love You - 1974 - written by Jeff Barry and Peter Allen, Olivias first number one single was rerecorded by Olivia in 1998.
4. Youre The One That I Want - 1978 - from the film "Grease", this is one of two singles teaming her up with co-star John Travolta.
5. Have You Never Been Mellow - 1975 - Olivia received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, thanks to this song.
6. A Little More Love - 1979 - from the "Totally Hot" album, it was the 17th most popular single of 1979.
7. Hopelessly Devoted To You - 1978 - also from the film "Grease", John Farrar penned this song, as he did many of Olivias hits and this one got him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
8. Heart Attack - 1982 - from the "Olivias Greatest Hits Vol. 2" album.
9. Please Mr. Please - 1975 - originally written for and recorded by Cliff Richard, Olivia had much better luck at requesting that no one play B-17.
10. Twist of Fate - 1984 - Olivias last Top 10 single, to date, was from the film "Two Of A Kind" reteaming Olivia with John Travolta.
11. If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - 1974 - in addition to being a pop hit, it also went to #2 on the Billboard Country charts and was also performed by Elvis Presley at many of his live concerts.
12. Summer Nights - 1978 - the second duet with John Travolta from the film "Grease."
13. Make A Move On Me - 1982 - the follow up single to "Physical."
14. Let Me Be There - 1974 - Olivias first Top 10 single was also covered by Elvis Presley.
15. Xanadu - 1980 - this time Olivia teamed up with the Electric Light Orchestra for the title song of the film of the same name, which also starred Hollywood legend Gene Kelly.
16. Deeper Than The Night - 1979 - from the "Totally Hot" album.
17. I Cant Help It - 1980 - Olivia teamed up with Andy Gibb for this Top 20 single.
18. Something Better To Do - 1975 - from her "Clearly Love" album.
19. Sam - 1977 - from the "Dont Stop Believing" album.
20. Soul Kiss - 1985 - Olivias last Top 20 hit to date.
Olivia had some success acting by starring in the films "Grease" in 1978, "Xanadu" in 1980 and "Two Of A Kind" in 1983. Since then, she has appeared in several television movies, specials and series, including a guest cameo spot on the television series, "Glee" in 2010.
In 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer and as a survivor she has become an advocate for breast cancer research, as well as other health issues and animal rights.
She married actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984 and they have a daughter, Chloe. Olivia and Matt divorced in 1995. She married again in 2008.
In 1984, Olivia began her own chain of clothing boutiques called, Koala Blue.
