Where does Olivia Newton John belong in the Pop Hierarchy?

Many people may see her as a 70s phenomenon, but let's look at the numbers:

* 100, 000, 000 albums world wide sold

* 4 platinum albums

* 11 certified Gold albums

* 10 top 10 hits

She's also enjoyed cinematic successes with Grease, a mainstream success, and Xanadu, a pop culture cult classic.

What is your take on her rightful place in the hilatory of pop music?

I she her as the female version to Hall & Oates. A hugely sucessful artist that was big in the late 70's to the early 80's and didn't do disco and made many well crafted pop songs

A cutie

I Love Olivia and back-in-the-day @ The Boys & Girls Club I played Danny. We were the First Black Danny/Sandy leads there.

Olivia is an Icon and she's Royalty in Australia but not so much here in the States.

Patti LaBelle is Royalty here in the States but not so much in Australia.

Aretha Franklin is the Queen in Every Country that has Electricity.(This one is a good line, right?..LOL)

kevinpnb said:

In spite of how she was marketed, or marketed herself, I think she deserves to be ranked among the great female vocalists of the century...certainly among the pop vocalists at least

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with this. One of the purest voices in music. She is underrated as far as I'm concerned. I just LOVE HER

She's aDORABLE! I remember when she first came out! She was Pop/Easy Listening then Country! Then she pulled a Sheena Easton in 1980 and got the whole country gettin' "Physical." That was, of course, after she had already proven how "Totally HOT" she was. She's really sexy and cute and has a sweet voice and an even sweeter delivery. Where does she beLONG?..Hard to say for a legend of her stature, but if she was out here today, I'd say perhaps doin' what Cyndi Lauper did a few years ago with her "Bring Ya 2 the Brink" CD or maybe even a return to her Country roots.

I have no clue where she should be ranked.
However, i've always enjoyed these two tunes.



...Magic & Suddenly (w/Cliff Richard)


Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

I have no clue where she should be ranked.
However, i've always enjoyed these two tunes.



...Magic & Suddenly (w/Cliff Richard)


Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

At 4 years old Magic was one of my favorite songs, and that one part I still dont know what she says.

Cuddles said:

At 4 years old Magic was one of my favorite songs, and that one part I still dont know what she says.

Which part?

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

theAudience said:

Cuddles said:

At 4 years old Magic was one of my favorite songs, and that one part I still dont know what she says.

Which part?

Music for adventurous listeners

tA

Tribal Records

the part right before /destiny/

SoulAlive said:

Ill forget and just make up something that it sounds like next time i hear it

She has 15 top ten hits, not 10.

theAudience said:

I have no clue where she should be ranked.
However, i've always enjoyed these two tunes.

One of my all-time favorite songs!

[Edited 3/11/13 16:06pm]

I like a few of her early,pre-Grease singles,such as this one...

"Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975)

this is one of her best 80s singles....a very sexy song!

"Make A Move On Me" (1982)

In 1978,she was riding high after the huge success of 'Grease'.This was the first single from her Totally Hot album and it was a smash....

"A Little More Love" (1978)

SoulAlive said:

this is one of her best 80s singles....a very sexy song!

"Make A Move On Me" (1982)

I think this song is AMAZING

and who can ever forget this scene from Grease,where a heartbroken Sandy goes outside and sings this really sad song? She was the best thing about this movie,imo.

"Hopelessly Devoted To You" (1978)

She bad.

No one's thrown this one up yet?

Always liked that song "Twist of Fate".

kevinpnb said:

In spite of how she was marketed, or marketed herself, I think she deserves to be ranked among the great female vocalists of the century...certainly among the pop vocalists at least. She had...and still has...an incredible instrument, and with it she made a slew of songs very distinctly hers. Olivia never proved herself as a songwriter, nor did she seem to have a direct influence on arrangements, like Streisand. Olivia seemed to get stuck musically within a defined image (which, granted, did shift from the early 70s to the mid 80s). "Physical" the album is still a not-so-guilty pleasure for me, as is "Gaia" from the mid 90s. (Well, maybe that one's a little more guilt-ridden..haha) A recent new-age album she released through Hallmark (!) called "Grace and Gratitude" is one of the strongest artistic statements she's ever done, and the songs and her vocals are really strong. I feel so gay after this post.

Yes, I think she has an absolutely fantastic voice and still sounds great today.

I actually think Gaia has some very good tracks on it and perhaps does prove she could have been a decent songwriter (as all tracks were written by her and she co-produced), if she'd wanted. If I recall, Gaia was more than well received by most critics, too, and seems like an early foreshadowing of "Grace And Gratitude" - also excellent.

I especially love Olivia's singles from the 80's.

1. Magic - from the Xanadu movie soundtrack 1980

2. Xanadu - from the Xanadu movie soundtrack 1980

3. Suddenly - (duet w/ Cliff Richard) from the Xanadu movie soundtrack 1980

4. Physical - from the album Physical 1981

5. Make A Move On Me - from the album Physical 1982

6. Heart Attack - from the album Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 1982

7. Tied Up - from the album Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 1983

8. Twist of Fate - from the Two of a Kind movie soundtrack 1983

9. Livin' In Desperate Times - from the Two of a Kind movie soundtrack 1984

10. Soul Kiss - from the album Soul Kiss 1985

11. Toughen Up - from the album Soul Kiss 1986

12. The Rumour - from the album The Rumour 1988

13. Can't We Talk It Over In Bed - from the album The Rumour 1988

14. Reach Out For Me - from the album Warm & Tender 1989

Cuddles said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said: