Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)

Infobox Single
Name = Physical


Artist = Olivia Newton-John
from Album = Physical
B-side =
Released = September 1981
Format =
Recorded = January 1981
Genre =
Length = 3:45
Label = MCA
Writer =
Producer = John Farrar
Certification = Platinum (RIAA)
Last single = "Xanadu" (1980)
This single = "Physical" (1981)
Next single = "Make a Move on Me" (1982)

"Physical" is a 1981 song written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick and performed by Olivia Newton-John. Recorded in early 1981, it first rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in America in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 weeks, until near the end of January 1982. In terms of chart placement, it was the most popular single of her career, as well as her final number-one (to date). Billboard ranked it as the number one pop single of 1982 (since the chart year for 1982 actually began in November of 1981), and it was also the most successful song on the Hot 100 during the entire decade of the 1980s. The famous guitar solo is performed by Steve "Toto" Lukather.

The single, slightly edgier than she had been known for in the past (such as her songs from "Grease" and her ballad "I Honestly Love You"), proved to be immensely popular both in America and in the United Kingdom, despite the fact that the song was censored and even banned by some radio stations, particularly Adult Contemporary stations; in spite of Newton-John's status as the reigning queen of soft-rock music at the time, "Physical" peaked at only number twenty-nine on the AC chart (its follow-up, the slightly softer-edged "Make a Move on Me," found more acceptance at AC radio and went to number six AC as well as number five pop.) The song was a big dance hit and spawned a music video. The revamped acoustic version of the song was released on the 2002 Olivia duet album "(2)" as a bonus track.

The song ranks at #6 on "Billboard's All Time Top 100." [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/specials/hot100/charts/top100-titles-10.shtml]

Music video

The video featured a lusty Olivia, dressed in a tight leotard, working out in a gym with several overweight men, who eventually transform into attractive muscular young men. The gym setting may have been partly an attempt to divert attention from the overt sexual connotations of the term "physical". This was further emphasised by the twist comedy ending of the video, when the transformed men who are now oblivious to Newton-John's advances are ultimately revealed to be gay (this was also a source of controversy; MTV frequently cut the ending when it aired the video, and the sometimes sensuous nature of the video also led to it being banned outright by some broadcasters in Canada and the United Kingdom). The video won a Grammy Award for Video Of The Year in 1983. The song was banned in South Africa for its suggestive lyrics.

Like her first number-one single, "Physical" sold over two million copies, being certified platinum.

The video was featured on "Pop-Up Video" on VH1.

Cover versions

* Industrial metal band Revolting Cocks covered this song for their 1990 album "Beers, Steers, and Queers".
* "Physical" was 're-worked' by the British electronic music duo Goldfrapp on the re-release of the single "Utopia" from their debut album "Felt Mountain".
* The Original Position made a cover featuring Nick Name.
* Sophie Ellis-Bextor covered the song as a hidden track for her album "Shoot From The Hip".
* Kylie Minogue recorded a cover of the song during the making of her album "Light Years" but it did not make the cut for the album. It is, however, available as a b-side to the album.
* Synthpop group Queen of Japan recorded a cover of the song, which was available as a single in 2001.
* An electronic dance cover of the song was recorded by Cat5.
* Electropop band The Black Ghosts recorded a cover of the song.
* Sara Lumholdt (a former member of Swedish pop group A*Teens now going under the stage name "Sara Love") released a cover of the song under the title "Let's Get Physical" as a promotional CD single for clothing company WeSC, on the album "Let's Get Physical with WeSC".
* Dr. Demento assistant SuLu recorded "(I Gotta Get A) Physical" as a commentary about a typical doctor's office.
* The workout theme of Newton-John's "Physical" video clip was appropriated by "Sesame Street" in a segment called "Let's All Exercise" (featuring Grover and Prairie Dawn among other Muppets). "Let's All Exercise" is not an actual "cover" of "Physical" as such but could more accurately be called an interpolation.

External links

* [http://www.onlyolivia.com/visual/physicaltv/index.html MTV Video stills]
* [http://www.partymusicwiki.com/index.php/Physical_-_Olivia_Newton-John Physical Lyrics]