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DailyBoom Your Old School Music Authority

Friday, October 7, 2022

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Olivia Newton John - 'Physical'


"I'm sayin' all the things that I know you'll like
Making good conversation I gotta handle you just right, you know what I mean
I took you to an intimate restaurant, then to a suggestive movie
There's nothing left to talk about 'less it's horizontally."


Olivia Newton John was the perennial girl next door in the '70s. Her string of soft rock hits gave no advance notice of what was to come from her in the '80s. "Physical" was originally intended for Rod Stewart, who in 1981 was the king of raunch. Somehow, Olivia ended up recording the song and before she could pull it (something she actually tried to do), "Physical" took off. It skyrocketed up the charts and sat at number one on Billboard's Hot 100 for ten weeks. The video really raised eyebrows as the singer worked overtime in the gym trying to whip a bunch of men into shape. She gave up just as their transformation into hot, muscular dudes occurred. Of course, there was a catch, they all appeared to be gay, except for one.

The video is pretty iconic but I always appreciated Olivia's live (okay lip-synched) performances in workout gear. The only thing that makes this clip better is the Solid Gold dancers! Check it out below!