Were you into Olivia Newton-John "Physical"?

Of course not. ONJ was a talentless POS.

I'm a big fan of a lot of Olivia's 80s hits but Physical was never one of them. It was okay but got so overplayed. I did love Make A Move On Me from the album but generally I liked her stuff from Xanadu much better.

For some reason that song was very popular in the leather bars back then.

I loved the songs from Totally Hot ("Deeper Than The Night" and "A Little More Love") and Xanadu ("Magic" and "Xanadu"). When "Physical" was released, I was luke warm - didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. Even the video with the speedo-clad muscle men did nothing for me, and I was a horny 13-year-old at the time. But then I loved "Heart Attack" and "Make a Move On Me".

Always thought it was odd that the one song of hers that really exploded during that time was the one I was ambivalent about.

me and my little 8 year old friends used to gather around and do aerobics to that song. my mom bought me the cassette. i was such a little queen.

Twist of Fate was her best 80s hit. Followed by Magic, Tied Up, Heart Attack, Soul Kiss and Make a Move on Me. Unfortunately Physical always gets the airplay.

I owed the VHS compilation of videos made for the album. MARY!

i had the vhs tape too. i used to watch it over and over. loved it.

I was 10 when the song was a hit but hearing it as an adult, it's a very sexy song, lyrics and music. I imagine that when it first came out that it filled the dancefloors.

In the video, does anybody know who the falcon studios lookalike models were?

I received the album for Christmas (as well as the OCR for "Annie" -- Mom had very good intuition). I, too, preferred "Make a Move on Me" over "Physical"; also liked the album closer, "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)".

r10 - Hubby Matt Latanzi who appears in the "Landslide" video did strike a passing resemblance to 80's gay porn star Chris Thompson (who co-starred in Falcon's Spring Break)...

It's so funny to read all these responses. I, too, thought Physical was a dud of a song, probably her least interesting chart hit. Make a Move on Me was a far better song.

My favorite Olivia songs of the '80s:

1. Twist of Fate

2. Suddeny (with Cliff Richard)

3. Xanadu

4. Physical

5. Heart Attack

6. Make a Move On Me

7. Soul Kiss

8. Tied Up

9. Magic

I had the 45 for "Physical," and remember liking it (I was 7 at the time), but by that point I had already been well schooled on Livvy and preferred her tracks from "Totally Hot." Remember playing the "Make a Move on Me" 45 a lot and "Suddenly" her duet with Sir Cliff. In retrospect I don't love the song in the same way I still like "Little More Love," "Xanadu" and "Magic." It's amazing to think that I basically knew the entire catalogue of ONJ by heart by the time I was 10 years old and then she disappeared, and I never thought about her music again until about 2 years ago (at 39), thanks to another thread on here.

No one asked, R14, but thank you.

I went to her Physical concert.

I did too. She was at the old checker dome in St. Louis.

I hated "Physical" but liked most of the other songs so much that I bought the album when it was released on CD.

Hated it then, really hate it now. But at least I can escape it these days, unlike then. What an awful piece of music. (Loved a lot of her other stuff though).

Bitch kept us from having our first #1.

Oh, heck yeah! I was 14-15 when it was released, and I bought the album (still have it).... but it was sort of a guilty-pleasure/dirty little secret that I didn't admit to owning, as all the cool kids at school were listening to New Wave. (I loved New Wave, but I loved ONJ, too). My favorite song was "Landslide" -- I played it over and over and over again; thought I was going to wear out the vinyl.

In early '82, I made the tragic mistake of cutting my always-long, honey-blonde hair, like ONJ's new, cute "Physical" hairdo.....as so many girls/women did. (it was the Dorothy Hamill of early 80s). I had thick, wavy hair, that actually supported that type of layered, short cut....but my face definitely did not! I remember the first time I looked in the mirror, I thought, "Oh no! This was a horrible mistake!" I looked like a chubby boy with a bad haircut. Also, it was suddenly a lot darker, almost brown. I basically hated my hair for the remainder of high school, always trying to grow it back out, and periodically getting frustrated with the mid-length phase, and cutting it again, trying to get a better shape. For a several months, in late '84/early '85, my hair very much looked like John Taylor's from Duran Duran....which I liked......

R12 I believe Falcon Studios porn actor Chris Thompson may in fact be Matt Lattanzi's brother. I recall seeing him in a made for TV film as Chris Lattanzi where he had a bit part as a reporter, and when I checked the credits at the end, I saw the name Chris Lattanzi. In addition to strikingly similar looks, they also have the same body type.

As with Madonna and Janbot, I have not spent one cent on anything by ONJ.

'The Rumour' was a favorite 80s Olivia tune .....but she was well in decline by then ....

The 'Physical' video was cute ......the song, over overplayed

Thanks, r23. Well, I did some searching via Google and it turns out that Matt Lattanzi does have brothers, including a younger one who is named Chris. That would be crazy if he was also Chris Thompson! I found pictures of Matt and what appears to be his new wife, along with pictures of his family - including an OLDER brother - but no Chris. Olivia is in a couple of the recent pics so they must still be friendly.

Did you ever read the book written by the hookers (well, the one I knew was just an actress, not a hooker) called "You'll Never Have Sex in This Town Again" (I think). Where the one girl talks about her weekend of bliss with Latanzi from her acting class but how she has to get out fast before Olivia gets home? And then, big surprise, he drops out of said acting class and never returns, ha. Look for a used copy, it's good fun trash. I bet ONJ put up with a lot of stuff like that while paying the bills.

R7 I bought Olivia Newton-John Video Gold 1 & 2 just a few years ago. OLD MARY!

Hell yeah! I thought that the "physical" video was practically porn and that the film "Xanadu" was a masterpiece

i used to love watching that video as a kid. i used to love those men in speedos.

I was in the 6th grade when the song came out, and I thought it fucking sucked. I love Olivia Newton-John though. I agree with [r29] Xanadu was a masterpiece.

i fuckin loved physical. it was extremely popular. i was in the 4th grade and my ass loved it.

What kind of settlement did Lattanzi get from Olivia that basically for 20 years he's been living in a tent or something ..........he may have remarried by now, not sure.

Not a tent, a teepee! Even funnier.

Still one for the Great Ass Hall of Fame though.

AMEN!

[quote]Bitch kept us from having our first #1.

—Foreigner-kept out of #1 for 10 weeks while we were held at #2

Well, to be fair, only the first 9 weeks were by Olivia. The tenth week at #2 was behind Daryl Hall & John Oates' "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)".

I'm not ashamed to admit that I was into "Physical", and I'm not alone, because that song was HUGE! I also liked "Make a Move on Me", too!

I guess it doesn't cost much to live in a teepee ...........internet projects Matt's net worth as $ 1 million.

He can stay dressed like this and save on money .....

I much prefer this TV special...

I hated that song and the video was cheap and stupid.

Olivia is a Goddess that can do no wrong...even when she is terribly wrong.

Ugh, it was everywhere, always on the radio and of course every aerobics class of which I attended plenty. The song itself was mediocre, but it was so uncomfortable to hear a non-sexy person try to sing in a super sexy manner. ONJ was pretty yes, sexy no! Like watching your kid sister trying to seduce a total stranger. Blurgh.

The whole PHYSICAL album is one of my favorites, but like most others here, the title track is probably my least favorite.

I spent a good 20 minutes on the Internets trying to puzzle out what my favorite ONJ was based on a snippet of misremembered lyrics and the image of some big-hair, glammed-up singer prancing around in some early 80s video.

Well, I finally figured it out...and it's actually "Strut" by SHEENA EASTON!

Well, OP, now that "Physical" is stuck in my head, memories are not the only thing that will be coming to slap you in the face.

That music clip. Groan.

Back in 1982 I remember the fat guys in the video looked grotesquely obese, today they look very normal.

Lets' get cynical, cynical, cynical,

it was #1 at this time of year in 1981. i remember being in the 4th grade and loving all of the attention olivia was getting.

The best part is when Olivia's voice gets raspy on "Let's get animal..."

I loved the song and the video, mainly because she seemed so hot. I was about 13 and always crushing on girls instead of guys.

Memories.... I was 9 years old when Physical came out. I couldn't get enough of the album. "Landslide", "Strangers Touch", "Make A Move On Me", etc.

Herb Ritts photos from the album cover shoot.

the album covers were cool!

the best part of the video was when she rubbed up against the (mostly) hot gay guys.

physical tv commercial

The 'Physical' VHS and 'Halloween' (1978) were the first two videos I bought when I got my first VCR at age 16 in May 1982.

I love the entire album but "Landslide", "Silvery Rain", "Recovery" and "Stranger's Touch" are my favorites. The detective in "Stranger's Touch" is really hot, and, yes, Matt is sizzling in "Landslide"!

My dad, who was a trucker and knew all about the world back then (he thought), said that Olivia's mismatched earrings in the "Make A Move On Me" and "Magic" videos were a Lesbian signal to other lesbians. "Only dykes wear those!"

[Quote] In early '82, I made the tragic mistake of cutting my always-long, honey-blonde hair, like ONJ's new, cute "Physical" hairdo....

R22, In Fall 1982 when 'Olivia's Greatest Hits Volume 2' came out, I was a 17 year old gay boy and cut my hair like the album cover (and the "Heart Attack" video).

I was the first kid in school to have the "long down the back of the neck" hairstyle that would one day be called a mullet.

short hair on attractive women, especially in the early 80s, was very popular. See Olivia and Sheena Easton for great examples.

Has anyone seen the ONJ miniseries?

I loved the video montage during the opening of the “Physical” tour that started with the “I Honestly Love You.” piano.

"Tied Up" is one of my ONJ favorites. I am surprised it gets so much love here. It wasn't a hit, barely scraping the Top 40. I'm glad it wasn't just me.

R60 Yes

I like Stevie Nicks ‘ versions of Tied Up more!

I remember watching Casey Kasem's special "Ladies of the 80s" TV show in '84 or '85, counting down the biggest female artists of the decade.

ONJ and Sheena were the #1 and #2 artists. Madonna made the list but was not yet at their level.

LOL, r57 and r58!

when i was a little boy, i wanted to be Olivia Newton-John so bad. I would dance around with my microphone singing Xanadu and Physical. I even wore a headband to school in the 3rd grade like Physical. My teacher told me to "get that thing off of your head". She was a bitch.

It's a bit sad that Olivia doesn't get much recognition for the whole video album concept of Physical. I also caught a recent interview of hers and was shocked to see her looking so ill and ravaged. Made me sad for the rest of the day. She really was a beauty all those years ago.

"It's a bit sad that Olivia doesn't get much recognition for the whole video album concept of Physical."

Because hers was not the first.

no but hers was probably the first made commercially popular in the home video market.

I thought the song Physical was ok but I don't understand why it was number 1 for 10 fucking weeks. I listened to Casey Kasem a lot back then and it was week after week forever!

Wasn't "Physical" really controversial when it came out? I think even some radio stations cut out the last bit of the song when she says "let's get animal".

it was a shock to hear such a known, commercially popular, singer, known to be tame with her lyrics and image be so forthright about sex. I think that is why (initially) the song was banned at some radio stations in the US.

Here is the video to "Stranger's Touch" from Physical. I wanted to suck off the man in the video so bad.

I liked “Falling”, “Stranger’s Touch” and “Landslide”.

“Physical” was okay but overplayed to the point that I grew to loathe it. Plus, if I had to choose, I would pick the copycat follow-up “Heart Attack” over “Physical”.

My favorites were “Make A Move On Me” and “Recovery”.

Hated the fucking Dolphin song. Sorry Olivia- I know you wrote it!

I like "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)" because it's so heartfelt and such an honest plea for taking care of dolphins. The music itself is beautiful.

R76 did dolphins need our help back then for some reason? Oh, because they were filling the world’s tuna cans, right?

The thing about ONJ was that she was so pretty, and throughout the 70s had this sweet virginal image. She would sing pretty songs of love in her pretty voice.

"Grease" allowed her the chance to move to a slutty image: when she appeared in the tight leather pants and skanked out perm saying "Tell me about it, stud" she would never be able to be taken seriously again as a virgin. And men went wild for that because she was considered so beautiful, and she decided to take advantage of it by doing the "Physical" album which was very smart for the short term: here was this beautiful woman showing she was not the virgin she had pretended to be but very sexy and sexual. No wonder "Physical" the single was such a big hit.

The problem was she had nowhere to go from there, and she was by this time preoccupied with having a baby. "The Rumor" was supposed to be her big comeback (it's actually a great song), but just before it was released she learned she had breast cancer and couldn't go touring or publicize it. And by the time she was healthy again, she seemed dated. She never had the comeback she deserved.

Wathing her videos about like "A Stranger's Touch" makes me think the Eighties must have been the best time ever to be beautiful if you were trying to get work in Hollywood and couldn't act. You didn't have to act at all to get roles in videos: you didn;t even have to open your mouth. You just had to pretty and pout to get a great role in a video.

Matt Lattanzi couldn't act at all but he had a gorgeous body (especially for the time!) and a beautiful face.

Matt as lots of guys have, has lost that gorgeous head of hair.

And then Madonna came and took her career.

No, wasnt into Olivia Newton John at all

I was into this back then, came out the same year

They're practically the same thing, r82.

I suppose I was a bit older than those of you of my generation. I would never let anyone else dance along with her hits: her I was such a dick.

I had been sent to a restaurant in Miami to work when the single came out. I had a devastating crush on the sweet young Pinoy guy who was assigned to me. I hated the job, and quit it and probably started a Hepatitus B epidemic, and flew home drunk. They re-hired me immediately. Apparently being a polite boy who "passed" as Pinoy was my ticket to stardom, (Please, if I posted anything offensive, I apologize). My friends here in Ohio got over their Florida envy once I turned yellow with jaundice. Peeing Coca-Cola is still an effective party trick.

You little slimy cunts make me feel old, I was a junior in HS when it came out.

I was born a few years after “Physical,” but my girl Katya showed me Olivia had waaaay better songs than that in the 80s.

[quote]I had been sent to a restaurant in Miami to work when the single came out. I had a devastating crush on the sweet young Pinoy guy who was assigned to me. I hated the job, and quit it and probably started a Hepatitus B epidemic, and flew home drunk. They re-hired me immediately. Apparently being a polite boy who "passed" as Pinoy was my ticket to stardom, (Please, if I posted anything offensive, I apologize). My friends here in Ohio got over their Florida envy once I turned yellow with jaundice. Peeing Coca-Cola is still an effective party trick.

I have absolutely no idea what any of this means.

R88, even though I was supposed to supervise the cashier staff, I was sent to the kitchen to make salads. It turned out later that I had common hepatitis (I found out back in Ohio). I learned once I developed jaundice (a standard symptom of hepatitis). Even though I'm quite European in my origins, I was always assumed to be Pinoy (Filipino) which is why I was hired to work in a Asian-themed restaurant. I apologize for the confusion.

I’m sorry you got jaundice.

But did you like The Dolphin Song?

Olivia was a singles artist mostly. Almost all her non singles were awful.

the guys in the video even back then were "duds".. only one of them was even handsome, that being the dark blond/light brown hair guy...the rest? blech!... surely olivia and company could have found some outrageous handsome and built guys to perform in that video! early chippendales anyone?... or some early 80's ACTUAL bodybuilders!...

matt lattanzi (my tutor) was so so pretty... too bad he didn't age too well and lost that healthy shiny head of hair.. i believe guys who have that texture of hair are the ones that usually lose it as they age... those with thick coarse hair are more likely to keep theirs?.....

I have such fond memories of dancing to "Physical" at a disco in Philadelphia.

That is all.

The last vinyl I bought was The Rumour 12” by Olivia. It had a club mix, dub mix & Instrumental. I played that to death & probably haven’t heard it since the 80’s. But Physical was fine. Saw the tour in Philly. Off to youtube to watch the rumour spread.

Cuz truth is just a thing of - it’s just the thing of - truth is just the thing of the past.

The end with the guys holding hands as they left was very controversial back in the day. They would even cut away from that part when they played the video sometimes. The song was even banned in some parts of the country.

The video was debuted on The Merv Griffin show as a salute to Olivia. Karen Carpenter got a real kick out of the gay subtext.

No.

But I like Goldfrapp's angle.