Physical (Olivia-Newton-John-Lied)

"Physical" is a 1981 song written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick and performed by Olivia Newton-John. Like her first number-one single "I Honestly Love You", it sold over two million copies, being certified platinum. It's their biggest hit in the United States who spent 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and their biggest hit on a global scale. The song of the most important released in the 80s.

Production and chart success

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 in the U.S., 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 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 Toto's guitarist Steve Lukather.

"Physical" was both preceded and followed in the #1 chart position by recordings of the duo Hall & Oates. "Private Eyes" yielded its top spot to "Physical" in November 1981, and "Physical" yielded to "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" the following January.

The single, slightly edgier than she had been known for in the past (such as her songs from Grease and her country-pop 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; 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, crossed over to the Billboard R&B chart peaking at #28 there, and spawned a music video.

In the United Kingdom the single was not nearly as massive a success as in America, but still became a big hit, reaching #7.

Music video

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The controversial music video that was released to promote the song 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 the singer rubs herself on the men.

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 video was featured on Pop-Up Video on VH1.

Legacy

The Billboard ranked the song at #6 on All Time Top 100 [1] and #1 on Top 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time.

The revamped bossa nova version of the song was released on the 2002 Olivia duet album (2) as a bonus track, this version replaces the original in latest tours of Newton-John. A Newton-John duet with Jane Lynch was displayed in the episode "Bad Reputation" of the television series Glee.

Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #39 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, stating that "An entire generation's leg-warmered, pastel spandex shame is laid bare in just under four minutes."

Cover versions

• Victor Willis of the Village People covered this in 1982 as a 12-inch single on Sutra Records.
• Ramsey Lewis covered this in 1983 on his album "Les Fleurs"
• 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.
• 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 for the soundtrack to the 2001 film Moulin Rouge! but it was ultimately not used. It is however, available on the Australian Tour Edition of Light Years.
• Synthpop group Queen of Japan recorded a cover of the song, which was available as a single in 2001.
• The song was performed by Marc Kudisch and Lisa Capps in the 2002 stage version of Earth Girls Are Easy.
• Kent James (aka Nick Name) released a cover in 2003.
• An electronic dance cover of the song was recorded by Cat5.
• Electropop band The Black Ghosts recorded a cover of the song.
• In 2007, Swedish clothing company WeSC released an album of new covers of "Physical" by 12 different artists, including Cat5, Doomington, Booty Cologne featuring ADL, The Black Ghosts, Lisa Loud & Kriss Darang featuring Hollie Cook, Timbuktu & Chords, Caged Baby, Pink Pioneers, The Glimmers, Blonde from Fargo, and Sara Lumholdt (a former member of Swedish pop group A*Teens now going under the stage name "Sara Love"). The album was titled 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.
• Actor Bill Murray gave an impromptu performance of the song during his guest appearance on the pilot episode of Late Night with David Letterman.
• 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.Vorlage:Clarifyme
• The Glimmers cover the song for the 2008 dance compilation album Poplife Presents: Poplife Sucks.
• Steve Carell and Amy Ryan sing a parody of the song on the October 9, 2008 episode of The Office, "Business Ethics (The Office)".
• Jane Lynch of Glee performed a cover of the song with Olivia Newton-John, who guest starred as herself in the May 4, 2010 episode, titled "Bad Reputation". The episode aired in Australia on May 20, 2010.

Two Lives Jews recorded humorous lyrics to "Physical" dealing with same sex.

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	1
Canadian Singles Chart	1
German Singles Chart	4
Irish Singles Chart	4
Japanese Singles Chart	17
New Zealand Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	29
UK Singles Chart	7

External links

• MTV Video stills

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