Ep. 40 - Honestly Loving Olivia Newton-John

After Olivia Newton-John died, her broad reach was evident. Tributes poured in from all corners of the entertainment world. Even at the music festival for the late Taylor Hawkins in September, organized by his friend and Foo Fighters bandmate, Dave Grohl, there Livvy was, her smiling face on the drum kit.  is impossible to imagine pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s without Olivia Newton-John. That all changed, of course, when Olivia took a page from the fictional character that she brought to life, Sandy Olsson, in “Grease.” With the twist of a red pump on a cigarette butt and a growl of “Tell me about it, Stud,” she threw off her countryish-pop/soft rock persona. She burst into the 80s as a woman not afraid to sing about sex and to have some fun while she did it. From the ethereal roller disco muse in “Xanadu” to the sexy aerobics instructor in the ubiquitous “Physical,” Olivia shaped the early 80s just as she did throughout the 70s. Can you imagine either decade without her? Nope. Me, either.

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