Physical (Olivia Newton-John song): Difference between revisions

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{{short description|1981 single by Olivia Newton-John}}
{{short description|1981 single by Olivia Newton-John}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name = Physical
| name = Physical
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* [[Pop rock]]
* [[Pop rock]]
* [[post-disco]]<ref>{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" |website= [[Stereogum]] |date= May 22, 2020 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2085123/the-number-ones-olivia-newton-johns-physical/columns/the-number-ones/ |quote= “Physical” slides into a percolating, insistent post-disco groove...|accessdate= October 10, 2022}}</ref>}}
* [[post-disco]]<ref>{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" |website= [[Stereogum]] |date= May 22, 2020 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2085123/the-number-ones-olivia-newton-johns-physical/columns/the-number-ones/ |quote= “Physical” slides into a percolating, insistent post-disco groove...|accessdate= October 10, 2022}}</ref>}}
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=44}}
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=43}}
| label = {{flat list|
| label = {{flat list|
* [[Festival Records#Labels|Interfusion]] <small>([[Australia|AUS]])</small>
* [[Festival Records#Labels|Interfusion]] <small>([[Australia|AUS]])</small>
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}}
}}


"'''Physical'''" is a song by [[Anglo-Celtic Australians|British-Australian]] singer and actress [[Olivia Newton-John]] from her 1981 eleventh [[Album#Types of album|studio album]] of the [[Physical (Olivia Newton-John album)|same name]]. It was released as the album's [[lead single]] on 28 September 1981. The song was produced by Newton-John's longtime [[record producer]] [[John Farrar]], and written by [[Steve Kipner]] and Terry Shaddick, who had originally intended to offer it to [[Rod Stewart]].<ref>''[[Juke Magazine]]'', 13 March 1982.</ref> The song had also been offered to [[Tina Turner]] by her manager [[Roger Davies (manager)|Roger Davies]], but when Turner declined, Davies gave the song to Newton-John, another of his clients.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/kipner.htm|title=Steve Kipner Talks About His Great Songwriting Career|date=2 May 2014|website=Songwriteruniverse.com|access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref>
"'''Physical'''" is a song by [[Anglo-Celtic Australians|British-Australian]] singer [[Olivia Newton-John]] from her 1981 eleventh [[Album#Types of album|studio album]] of the [[Physical (Olivia Newton-John album)|same name]]. It was released as the [[lead single]] from ''Physical'' on 28 September 1981. The song was produced by Newton-John's longtime [[record producer]] [[John Farrar]], and written by [[Steve Kipner]] and Terry Shaddick, who had originally intended to offer it to [[Rod Stewart]].<ref>''[[Juke Magazine]]'', 13 March 1982.</ref> It had also been offered to [[Tina Turner]] by her manager [[Roger Davies (manager)|Roger Davies]], but when Turner declined, Davies gave the song to Newton-John, another of his clients.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/kipner.htm|title=Steve Kipner Talks About His Great Songwriting Career|date=2 May 2014|website=Songwriteruniverse.com|access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref>


"Physical" was an immediate smash hit, shipping two million copies in the United States, where it was [[Music recording certification|certified]] [[RIAA certification|Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) and spent [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981|10 weeks at number one]] on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. It ultimately became Newton-John's biggest [[Hit song|hit]] and cemented her legacy as a [[Popular music|pop]] [[superstar]], a journey that began when she [[Crossover music|crossed over]] from her earlier [[country pop]] roots. The song's suggestive [[lyrics]], which even caused it to be banned in some markets, helped change Newton-John's longstanding clean-cut image, replacing it with a sexy, assertive persona that was strengthened with follow-up hits such as "[[Make a Move on Me]]", "[[Twist of Fate (Olivia Newton-John song)|Twist of Fate]]" and "[[Soul Kiss (song)|Soul Kiss]]".
"Physical" was an immediate smash [[Hit song|hit]], shipping two million copies in the United States, where it was [[Music recording certification|certified]] [[RIAA certification|Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA), and spent [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981|10 weeks at number one]] on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. It ultimately became Newton-John's biggest hit and cemented her legacy as a [[Popular music|pop]] [[superstar]], a journey that began when she [[Crossover music|crossed over]] from her earlier [[country pop]] roots. The song's suggestive [[lyrics]], which even caused it to be banned in some markets, helped change Newton-John's longstanding clean-cut image, replacing it with a sexy, assertive persona that was strengthened with follow-up hits such as "[[Make a Move on Me]]", "[[Twist of Fate (Olivia Newton-John song)|Twist of Fate]]" and "[[Soul Kiss (song)|Soul Kiss]]".


==Background==
==Background==
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==Composition and recording==
==Composition and recording==
"Physical" is written in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[E minor]], with Newton-John's [[vocal range]] spanning from A3 to E5.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Terry|first1=Shaddick|last2=Alan|first2=Kipner, Stephen|last3=Olivia|first3=Newton-John|date=2009-06-22|title=Physical|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0075120|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Musicnotes.com}}</ref> It was [[Sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] in January 1981 in [[Los Angeles]]. The song's [[guitar solo]] was performed by [[Steve Lukather]], while [[Bass guitar|bass]] was played by [[David Hungate]], both best known as members of the American [[Band (rock and pop)|rock band]] [[Toto (band)|Toto]]. [[Carlos Vega]] played the [[Drum kit|drums]] and [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] on the recording.
"Physical" is written in the [[Key (music)|key]] of [[E minor]], with Newton-John's [[vocal range]] spanning from A3 to E5.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Terry|first1=Shaddick|last2=Alan|first2=Kipner, Stephen|last3=Olivia|first3=Newton-John|date=2009-06-22|title=Physical|url=https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0075120|access-date=2021-06-08|website=Musicnotes.com}}</ref> It was [[Sound recording and reproduction|recorded]] in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] in January 1981. The song's [[guitar solo]] was performed by [[Steve Lukather]], while [[David Hungate]] played the [[Bass guitar|bass]], both known as members of the American [[Band (rock and pop)|rock band]] [[Toto (band)|Toto]]. [[Carlos Vega]] played the [[Drum kit|drums]] and [[Percussion instrument|percussion]] on the recording.


==Reception==
==Reception==
"Physical" was described by [[Mark Ellen]] of ''[[Smash Hits]]'' as "one of the most successful career-revivers in living memory".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ellen|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Ellen|date=21 January 1982|title=Singles|magazine=Smash Hits|page=17}}</ref> It is the most successful single of Newton-John's career and became her fifth (and last) number-one hit on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. "Physical" stayed for 10 weeks on top of the Hot 100 chart, from 21 November [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981|1981]] through 23 January [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982|1982]], out of a total of 26 weeks on the chart. It was the largest permanence at the time, becoming the most successful single on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' in the 1980s.<ref name="amgalbum">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r14051/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic (((Physical > Charts & Awards)))|access-date=2012-04-16|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref name="bbsexiest">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/959428/the-50-sexiest-songs-of-all-time-page-5|title=Billboard – The 50 Sexiest Song of All Time|magazine=Billboard|date=10 February 2010|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> "Physical" was very controversial due to the implied sexual content, being innovative and somewhat provocative for the time.<ref name="bbsexiest"/><ref name="nydaily">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/olivia-newton-john-stop-physical-music-video-released-1981-article-1.168007|title=Olivia Newton-John tried to stop 'Physical' music video from being released in 1981 | location=New York|website=Nydailynews.com|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>
"Physical" was described by [[Mark Ellen]] of ''[[Smash Hits]]'' as "one of the most successful career-revivers in living memory".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ellen|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Ellen|date=21 January 1982|title=Singles|magazine=Smash Hits|page=17}}</ref> It is the most successful single of Newton-John's career and became her fifth (and last) number-one hit on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]. "Physical" stayed on top of the Hot 100 for 10 weeks, from 21 November [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981|1981]] through 23 January [[List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982|1982]], out of a total of 26 weeks. It was the largest permanence at the time, becoming the most successful single on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' in the 1980s.<ref name="amgalbum">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r14051/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}}|title=allmusic (((Physical > Charts & Awards)))|access-date=2012-04-16|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref name="bbsexiest">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/959428/the-50-sexiest-songs-of-all-time-page-5|title=Billboard – The 50 Sexiest Song of All Time|magazine=Billboard|date=10 February 2010|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> "Physical" was controversial due to the implied sexual content, being innovative and somewhat provocative for the time.<ref name="bbsexiest"/><ref name="nydaily">{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/olivia-newton-john-stop-physical-music-video-released-1981-article-1.168007|title=Olivia Newton-John tried to stop 'Physical' music video from being released in 1981 | location=New York|website=Nydailynews.com|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref>


"Physical" has received positive reviews from [[Music journalism|music critic]]s since release, with some of them calling it "good-naturedly sexy" and "an eighties gem".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/physical-mw0000650563|title=''Physical'' - Olivia Newton-John|work=[[AllMusic]]|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="peoplemagazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20080844,00.html|title=People Picks and Pans Review — ''Physical''|website=People.com|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' attributed its success to a "big pounding [[Beat (music)|beat]] and the lusty idea of Olivia getting physical".<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=October 3, 1981|page=1|accessdate=2023-03-01|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-10-03.pdf}}</ref> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] from [[AllMusic]], in a retrospective review written decades after the [[Physical (Olivia Newton-John album)|album]]'s release, gave it four and a half out of five stars, writing that "{{'}}Physical' became such a monster hit – not just a hit, but a [[Popular culture|pop-culture]] phenomenon that was impossible to escape – that it became difficult to view its accompanying album as anything other than a conduit for the single. The thing was, ''Physical'' was a damn good record, in many ways one of Olivia Newton-John's very best."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/physical-mw0000650563|title=Physical - Olivia Newton-John - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|work=AllMusic}}</ref>
"Physical" has received positive reviews from [[Music journalism|music critic]]s since release, with some of them calling it "good-naturedly sexy" and "an eighties gem".<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/physical-mw0000650563|title=''Physical'' - Olivia Newton-John|work=[[AllMusic]]|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="peoplemagazine">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20080844,00.html|title=People Picks and Pans Review — ''Physical''|website=People.com|access-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' magazine attributed its success to a "big pounding [[Beat (music)|beat]] and the lusty idea of Olivia getting physical".<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=October 3, 1981|page=1|accessdate=2023-03-01|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-10-03.pdf}}</ref> [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] from [[AllMusic]], in a retrospective review written decades after the [[Physical (Olivia Newton-John album)|album]]'s release, gave it 4½ out of five stars, writing that "{{'}}Physical' became such a monster hit – not just a hit, but a [[Popular culture|pop-culture]] phenomenon that was impossible to escape – that it became difficult to view its accompanying album as anything other than a conduit for the single. The thing was, ''Physical'' was a damn good record, in many ways one of Olivia Newton-John's very best."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/physical-mw0000650563|title=Physical - Olivia Newton-John - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|work=AllMusic}}</ref>


"Physical" won a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Video of the Year|Video of the Year]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=1982 Grammy Winners |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/25th-annual-grammy-awards |access-date=2022-09-29 |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref> and the [[Billboard Music Awards|''Billboard'' Award for Top Pop Single]].<ref name="RockontheNet">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-n/olivianewtonjohn.htm|title=Olivia Newton-John award and achievements|website=Rock on the Net|access-date=25 August 2012}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2022}}
"Physical" won the [[Billboard Music Awards|''Billboard'' Music Award for Top Pop Single]] and received a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance]] at the [[24th Annual Grammy Awards]].<ref name="RockontheNet">{{cite web|url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/artists-n/olivianewtonjohn.htm|title=Olivia Newton-John award and achievements|website=Rock on the Net|access-date=25 August 2012}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2022}}


==Chart performance==
==Chart performance==
In the United States, "Physical" rose to number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 weeks (the most of any single in the 1980s<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|publisher=Billboard Publications, Inc.|year=1996|isbn=0-8230-7632-6|edition=6th|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780823076321/page/810 810]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780823076321/page/810}}</ref>), remaining until the second half of January 1982. It reached number two on the ''[[Radio & Records]]'' CHR/Pop Airplay chart on 27 November 1981, staying there for two weeks and remaining on the chart for 14 weeks.<ref name="uta.edu">{{cite web|url=http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/Songruns/N/OlivieNewtonJohn/physical.htm|title=Physical|website=wweb.uta.edu|access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref> In terms of chart placement, "Physical" was Newton-John's most successful single in the US and her last single to top the Hot 100. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine ranked it as the number-one single of 1982 (since the chart year for 1982 actually began in November 1981). In Canada, "Physical" was number one for five weeks beginning 19 December 1981, was on the Top 50 charts for 26 weeks and was her sixth number-one hit.{{fact|date=August 2022}}
In the United States, "Physical" rose to number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 weeks (the most of any single in the 1980s),<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|publisher=Billboard Publications, Inc.|year=1996|isbn=0-8230-7632-6|edition=6th|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780823076321/page/810 810]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780823076321/page/810}}</ref> remaining until the second half of January 1982. It peaked at number 22 on the [[Dance Club Songs|Disco Top 80]] chart and number 28 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Soul Singles]] chart.{{fact|date=August 2022}} In terms of chart placement, "Physical" was Newton-John's most successful single in the US and her last single to top the Hot 100. It also peaked at number two on the ''[[Radio & Records]]'' CHR/Pop Airplay chart on 27 November 1981, staying there for two weeks and remaining on the chart for 14 weeks.<ref name="uta.edu">{{cite web|url=http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/Songruns/N/OlivieNewtonJohn/physical.htm|title=Physical|website=wweb.uta.edu|access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref> In Canada, "Physical" was number one for five weeks beginning 19 December 1981, remained for 26 weeks in the Top 50 and became her sixth number-one hit.{{fact|date=August 2022}}


"Physical" was both preceded and followed in the number-one chart position by recordings by [[Hall & Oates]]: "[[Private Eyes (song)|Private Eyes]]" was dethroned by "Physical" in November 1981 and "Physical" was supplanted by "[[I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)]]" the following January. "Physical" held [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]'s "[[Waiting for a Girl Like You]]" at number two on the Hot 100 for nine weeks and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" then held Foreigner at number two for a tenth and final consecutive week. "Physical" remained in the top-ten for a total of 15 weeks, thus making it the longest run of 1981, as well as tying it for the longest run of the decade among number-one singles. "Physical" also peaked at number 22 on the [[Dance Club Songs|Disco Top 80]] chart and number 28 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Soul Singles]] chart.{{fact|date=August 2022}}
"Physical" was both preceded and followed in the number-one chart position by recordings by [[Hall & Oates]]: "[[Private Eyes (song)|Private Eyes]]" was dethroned by "Physical" in November 1981 and "Physical" was supplanted by "[[I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)]]" the following January. "Physical" held [[Foreigner (band)|Foreigner]]'s "[[Waiting for a Girl Like You]]" at number two on the Hot 100 for nine weeks and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" then held Foreigner at number two for a tenth and final consecutive week. "Physical" remained in the top-ten for a total of 15 weeks, thus making it the longest run of 1981, as well as tying it for the longest run of the decade among number-one singles. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine ranked "Physical" as the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1984|most popular single of 1982]] (since the chart year for 1982 actually began in November 1981).


"Physical" achieved great success around the world, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI).<ref name=BPI/> However, "Physical" was censored and even banned by some radio stations as a result of its sexually suggestive content, such as the line "There's nothing left to talk about, unless it's horizontally"{{fact|date=August 2022}}. Also, the line "Let me hear your body talk" caused some radio stations to ban the song.
"Physical" also achieved great success around the world, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Silver by the [[British Phonographic Industry]] (BPI).<ref name=BPI/> However, "Physical" was censored and even banned by some radio stations as a result of its sexually suggestive content, such as the line "There's nothing left to talk about, unless it's horizontally"{{fact|date=August 2022}}. Also, the line "Let me hear your body talk" caused some radio stations to ban the song.


==Music video==
==Music video==
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===Reception===
===Reception===
The ''[[Olivia Physical]]'' video collection, which contained "Physical", won a [[Grammy Award for Video of the Year]] in [[25th Annual Grammy Awards|1983]].<ref name="grammy">{{cite web | url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/25th-annual-grammy-awards#category-181 | title=25th Annual Grammy Awards (1982) | access-date= 24 August 2019}}</ref> The music video for "Physical" was featured on [[VH1]]'s ''[[Pop-Up Video]]'' and was the first video to air on ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]].''{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}
The ''[[Olivia Physical]]'' video collection, which contained "Physical", won a [[Grammy Award for Video of the Year]] at the [[25th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 1983.<ref name="grammy">{{cite web | url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/25th-annual-grammy-awards#category-181 | title=25th Annual Grammy Awards (1982) | access-date= 24 August 2019}}</ref> The music video for "Physical" was featured on [[VH1]]'s ''[[Pop-Up Video]]'' and was the first video to air on ''[[Beavis and Butt-head]].''{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}


==Legacy and other versions==
==Legacy and other versions==
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! scope="row"| US ''[[Cash Box (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' [[Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles|Top 100]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19811121.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 21, 1981 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref>
! scope="row"| US ''[[Cash Box (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' [[Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles|Top 100]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19811121.html |title=Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 21, 1981 |work=[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] |access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref>
| 1
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| US CHR/Pop Airplay (''[[Radio & Records]]'')<ref name="uta.edu">{{cite web|url=http://wweb.uta.edu/faculty/gghunt/charts/Songruns/N/OlivieNewtonJohn/physical.htm|title=Physical|website=wweb.uta.edu|access-date=8 January 2018}}</ref>
| 2
|-
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|4|songid=783|artist=Olivia Newton-John|song=Physical|rowheader=true|access-date=7 February 2021}}
{{single chart|West Germany|4|songid=783|artist=Olivia Newton-John|song=Physical|rowheader=true|access-date=7 February 2021}}
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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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Revision as of 07:00, 26 July 2023

"Physical"
Single by Olivia Newton-John
from the album Physical
B-side"The Promise (The Dolphin Song)"
Released28 September 1981 (1981-09-28)
RecordedJanuary 1981 (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology
"Suddenly"
(1980) 		"Physical"
(1981) 		"Make a Move on Me"
(1982)
Music videos
"Physical" on YouTube

"Physical" is a song by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John from her 1981 eleventh studio album of the same name. It was released as the lead single from Physical on 28 September 1981. The song was produced by Newton-John's longtime record producer John Farrar, and written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, who had originally intended to offer it to Rod Stewart.[2] It had also been offered to Tina Turner by her manager Roger Davies, but when Turner declined, Davies gave the song to Newton-John, another of his clients.[3]

"Physical" was an immediate smash hit, shipping two million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It ultimately became Newton-John's biggest hit and cemented her legacy as a pop superstar, a journey that began when she crossed over from her earlier country pop roots. The song's suggestive lyrics, which even caused it to be banned in some markets, helped change Newton-John's longstanding clean-cut image, replacing it with a sexy, assertive persona that was strengthened with follow-up hits such as "Make a Move on Me", "Twist of Fate" and "Soul Kiss".

Background

"Physical" (originally "Let's Get Physical") was written by Terry Shaddick and Newton-John's longtime friend Steve Kipner, and initially was intended for a "macho male rock figure like Rod Stewart", according to Kipner. When Newton-John's then manager Lee Kramer accidentally heard the demo, he immediately sent it to her, but initially she did not want to release the song, because it was "too cheeky".[4] It was the first of several Newton-John releases written by Kipner.[citation needed]

Composition and recording

"Physical" is written in the key of E minor, with Newton-John's vocal range spanning from A3 to E5.[5] It was recorded in Los Angeles, California in January 1981. The song's guitar solo was performed by Steve Lukather, while David Hungate played the bass, both known as members of the American rock band Toto. Carlos Vega played the drums and percussion on the recording.

Reception

"Physical" was described by Mark Ellen of Smash Hits as "one of the most successful career-revivers in living memory".[6] It is the most successful single of Newton-John's career and became her fifth (and last) number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Physical" stayed on top of the Hot 100 for 10 weeks, from 21 November 1981 through 23 January 1982, out of a total of 26 weeks. It was the largest permanence at the time, becoming the most successful single on Billboard in the 1980s.[7][8] "Physical" was controversial due to the implied sexual content, being innovative and somewhat provocative for the time.[8][9]

"Physical" has received positive reviews from music critics since release, with some of them calling it "good-naturedly sexy" and "an eighties gem".[10][11] Record World magazine attributed its success to a "big pounding beat and the lusty idea of Olivia getting physical".[12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic, in a retrospective review written decades after the album's release, gave it 4½ out of five stars, writing that "'Physical' became such a monster hit – not just a hit, but a pop-culture phenomenon that was impossible to escape – that it became difficult to view its accompanying album as anything other than a conduit for the single. The thing was, Physical was a damn good record, in many ways one of Olivia Newton-John's very best."[13]

"Physical" won the Billboard Music Award for Top Pop Single and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.[14][failed verification]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Physical" rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 weeks (the most of any single in the 1980s),[15] remaining until the second half of January 1982. It peaked at number 22 on the Disco Top 80 chart and number 28 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.[citation needed] In terms of chart placement, "Physical" was Newton-John's most successful single in the US and her last single to top the Hot 100. It also peaked at number two on the Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay chart on 27 November 1981, staying there for two weeks and remaining on the chart for 14 weeks.[16] In Canada, "Physical" was number one for five weeks beginning 19 December 1981, remained for 26 weeks in the Top 50 and became her sixth number-one hit.[citation needed]

"Physical" was both preceded and followed in the number-one chart position by recordings by Hall & Oates: "Private Eyes" was dethroned by "Physical" in November 1981 and "Physical" was supplanted by "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" the following January. "Physical" held Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You" at number two on the Hot 100 for nine weeks and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" then held Foreigner at number two for a tenth and final consecutive week. "Physical" remained in the top-ten for a total of 15 weeks, thus making it the longest run of 1981, as well as tying it for the longest run of the decade among number-one singles. Billboard magazine ranked "Physical" as the most popular single of 1982 (since the chart year for 1982 actually began in November 1981).

"Physical" also achieved great success around the world, reaching number seven in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).[17] However, "Physical" was censored and even banned by some radio stations as a result of its sexually suggestive content, such as the line "There's nothing left to talk about, unless it's horizontally"[citation needed]. Also, the line "Let me hear your body talk" caused some radio stations to ban the song.

Music video

Synopsis

The controversial music video that was released to promote "Physical" featured Newton-John in a gym with well-built men in the last half. Some of the scenes have sexual subtext, such as the shower scene or when Newton-John rubs herself on the men.

The accompanying music video for "Physical", directed by Brian Grant, features Newton-John in a tight leotard trying to make several overweight men lose weight. The men fail comically and she leaves the room to take a shower. When the men work out on their own, they suddenly transform into muscular, attractive men. A stylistic shot shows one muscular man glancing at his overweight self in a mirror. Newton-John is shocked when she returns and starts to flirt with them. Two of the men secretly go out, holding hands, implying they are gay. This surprises Newton-John, as does the sight of two more of the men leaving with their arms around each other. Finally, she finds that the last of the overweight men is straight and they go off to play tennis together.

Reception

The Olivia Physical video collection, which contained "Physical", won a Grammy Award for Video of the Year at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards in 1983.[18] The music video for "Physical" was featured on VH1's Pop-Up Video and was the first video to air on Beavis and Butt-head.[citation needed]

Legacy and other versions

Billboard magazine ranked "Physical" number six on its "All Time Top 100" list,[19] number one on its "Top 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time" list[20] and number one on its "Top 100 Songs of the 1980s" list.[21]

In 2002, a revamped bossa nova version of the song was included as a bonus track on Newton-John's eighteenth studio album, (2) and this version replaced the original in her tours. Newton-John's duet with Jane Lynch was included in the episode "Bad Reputation" of the television series Glee.[citation needed] This version reached number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in May 2010.[citation needed]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Physical album's liner notes.[22]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[62] Platinum 100,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[63] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Japan — 200,000[64]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[65] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[66] Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

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  2. ^ Juke Magazine, 13 March 1982.
  3. ^ "Steve Kipner Talks About His Great Songwriting Career". Songwriteruniverse.com. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  4. ^ A. Baker, Glenn (30 January 1982). "Kipners' Friendly Rivalry Breeds Million Sellers". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 4. New York. ISSN 0006-2510.
  5. ^ Terry, Shaddick; Alan, Kipner, Stephen; Olivia, Newton-John (22 June 2009). "Physical". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 8 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Ellen, Mark (21 January 1982). "Singles". Smash Hits. p. 17.
  7. ^ "allmusic (((Physical > Charts & Awards)))". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
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External links

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