Tag Archives: Olivia Newton-John

20 Album Challenge, Artists, General, Music

20 Album Challenge – Day 5

February 10, 2020 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

The 20 Day Album challenge continues. My pick on Sunday, February 9, is by one of my first crushes, Olivia Newton-John, with her album Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2

This was actually an album my Mom bought, but I listened to it all the time. Not only did I think that Olivia was beautiful and talented, but I loved every single song on this album. It included songs from the Grease and Xanadu soundtracks, the Totally Hot and Physical albums, as well as two original tracks – “Heart Attack” and “Tied Up”.

This album is not on Spotify, however I did create a playlist with all of the songs from this album. Unfortunately, Olivia’s version of “Tied Up” is not on Spotify. However, the song was written by the legendary guitarist and songwriter, Lee Ritenour. So, I included his version of the song in the playlist.

And if you’d like to get this album on Amazon, you can click on the album cover below:

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 10/3/19

October 3, 2019 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

It’s not really work
It’s just the power to charm
I’m still standing in the wind
But I never wave bye-bye

Last Song: “Heart Attack” by Olivia Newton-John from the album Physical (1982)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

My mouth is dry
My legs are weak
I’m thinkin’ this ’cause I can’t speak

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, click on the album cover below:

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 7/10/18

July 10, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

And you can best believe, I got ya back
You never have to feel no pain
‘Cause I’d dedicate my life to you
You’ll never look for love again

Last Song: “Magic” by Olivia Newton-John from the Xanadu Soundtrack (1980)

Come take my hand
You should know me
I’ve always been in your mind

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 4/11/18

April 11, 2018 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

Tossing and turning another sleepless night
The rain crashes against my window pane
Jumped into my car–didn’t drive too far
That moment I knew I would never be the same

Last Song: “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John from the album Physical (1981)

I’ve been patient, I’ve been good
Tried to keep my hands on the table

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below

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1982, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – November 27, 1982: Songs 10-1

December 1, 2017 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Welcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown!!! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. We are down to our top 10 songs. We have some true classic songs coming up, so let’s get to it. Let’s Return to the week ending November 27, 1982, and wrap up this week’s countdown.

10. “Muscles” by Diana Ross

This song earned Diana Ross her twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Oh BTW, this was written and produced by someone you may or may not heard of – Michael Jackson.

9. “The Girl is Mine” by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney

Speaking of Michael Jackson, this was the first single released from his up and coming album, Thriller. At least he got the worst song out of the way! It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for all that yapping at the end.

8. “Steppin’ Out” by Joe Jackson

Love this song by Joe Jackson! It peaked at #4, and was Jackson’s highest charting hit in the U.S. This song received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year in 1983 but lost to “Rosanna” by Toto, which is fine by me.

7. “Maneater” by Daryl Hall and John Oates

This song, from Hall & Oates’ eleventh studio album, H2O, was a smash hit, hitting #1 and staying there for four straight weeks. This was a staple on MTV.

6. “Mickey” by Toni Basil

This iconic ’80s tune was Toni Basil’s only hit. But, boy was it ever a hit, reaching the top of the charts. The legendary Cheerleader video is considered the very first choreographed dance video.

5. “Heartlight” by Neil Diamond

Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with this song. My mom is the biggest Neil Diamond fan, so this was my life. I do like his early stuff a lot. But, I didn’t care much for his easy listening music. This song was written by Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager and her then-husband Burt Bacharach. They were inspired by the blockbuster movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which Diamond, Bayer Sager and Bacharach had all seen together.

4. “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

This classic duet is from the film, An Officer and a Gentleman (which I have yet to see). The movie’s producer, Don Simpson, demanded “Up Where We Belong” be cut from An Officer and a Gentleman, saying, “The song is no good. It isn’t a hit.” (Sounds like a Trump tweet. Oh shit, here come the comments and emails!). It’s a good thing Simpson was a movie producer, and not a music producer. The song was a #1 hit in the US for three weeks, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also won the BAFTA Film Awards for Best Original Song in 1984. Cocker and Warnes also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1983.

3. “Heart Attack” by Olivia Newton-John

This is one of those new songs that was placed on a Greatest Hits album. And this song definitely belongs there! I love this ONJ song! It was the first single released off of Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

2. “Gloria” by Laura Branigan

I have always loved Laura Branigan’s voice, and I had a huge crush on her. I was devastated when she died in 2004 from a brain aneurysm. This was Branigan’s signature song. It peaked right here at #2, and remained her for three weeks.

1. “Truly” by Lionel Richie

“Hello” seems to get all the love out of Lionel Richie’s ballads. But, this one is my favorite. This was also Richie’s debut solo single. It was the first single released off of his self-titled debut album. The song won a Grammy Award for Richie in the category Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Not a shabby start for a solo career.

That wraps up this week’s countdown. I hope you enjoyed it. Did you have any favorite songs this week? Are there any that you got sick of hearing? I’d love to hear from you. Until next time, Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

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Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 5/22/17

May 22, 2017 Paul Stroessner Leave a comment

Can you name the artist and song:

I am the son
and the heir
of a shyness that is criminally vulgar

Last Song: “Suddenly” by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard from the album Xanadu (1980)

Great job @Imscarletvelvet!!!

Suddenly the wheels are in motion
And I, I’m ready to sail any ocean

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1982, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – September 25, 1982: Songs 40-31

September 26, 2016 Paul Stroessner 7 Comments

Hey Everybody, it’s been a while. I’ve been wanting to do a new Top 40 countdown, which is a popular feature on this site. The wait is finally over! This week, we’ll Return to the week ending September 25, 1982. At this time in 1982, I had just begun my dreaded Junior high school days – 7th grade. The one thing that got me through those rough times was the totally awesome music. So let’s get to it, and Return to the week ending September 25, 1982. Today we will be covering songs 40-31. If you are new to this series, I post 10 songs a day until we get to the top of the charts. If you want to listen to the song/watch the video, just click on the song title. And away we go!

40. “Let It Be Me” by Willie Nelson

The 83 year old music legend’s very first public appearance took place shortly after his 5th birthday where he recited a poem. He was so nervous before hand, that he picked his nose until it bled, earning him the name “Booger Red.”
This song, the second single from Willie’s Always On My Mind album, and is a cover of an Everly Brothers 1960 song.

39. “Heart Attack” by Olivia Newton-John

This song was released off of Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2. My mom owned the album, but I think I listened to it more than anybody else. While my mom watched the television shows she liked, such as Dynasty, I would sit at the stereo with headphones listening to this album, while I stared lovingly at Olivia on the album cover:

Oh, and the music was pretty damn good too.

38. “Oh Julie” by Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow’s heyday was in the ’70s. The best contribution Manilow made in the ’80s was that he was mentioned in one of the most popular quotes of the decade, delivered by Bender in The Breakfast Club: “Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?”

37. “Holdin’ On” by Tané Cain

I had never heard of this song before, and like it a lot. Tané Cain sounds like a cross between Laura Branigan and Pat Benatar. If her last name sounds familiar, it’s for a good reason. She was married to Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, who also happened to co-write and co-produce the songs on Tané’s self titled debut album, from which this song came. It was her only top 40 hit.

36. “You Don’t Want Me Anymore” by Steel Breeze

This is another pleasant surprise for me. I had never heard of this band or song. It is a good pop-rock song.

35. “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac

This Stevie Nicks song was a huge hit off of Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage album. It was intended to be included on Stevie’s solo album, Bella Donna. However, when her best friend Robin Anderson died of leukemia, the song took on a new significance and Nicks held it over for Fleetwood Mac.