Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)
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| "Physical" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||
| From the album Physical | ||
| Single Released | September 1981 | |
| Recorded | Summer 1981 | |
| Song Length | 3:45 | |
| Record label | MCA | |
| Chart positions | #1 (USA) #1 (Australia) #7 (UK) | |
| Olivia Newton-John single chronology | ||
| "Xanadu" 1980 | "Physical" 1981 | "Make a Move On Me" 1982 |
"Physical" is a 1981-82 song performed by Olivia Newton-John. Recorded in mid-1981, it first rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in America in November 1981 and stayed there for ten weeks, until 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, and it was also the most successful song on the Hot 100 during the entire decade of the 1980s.
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 Great Britain, despite the fact that the song was censored and even banned by some radio stations, particularly Adult Contemporary stations: despite 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 video featured a lusty Olivia, dressed in a tight leotard, working out in a gym with several muscular young men who, despite her best efforts, continue to ignore her. 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 men who had been 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).
Like her first number-one single, "Physical" sold over two million copies, being certified platinum.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor covered this song as a B-side for her single "I Won't Change You".
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