Olivia Newton-John Single by Single Thread

I could never figure out why some countries get 45's pressed and others don't, apparently I Need Love was issued on a 45 in Australia, Germany and the UK (there's one on e bay right now for $110.00 yikes), Australia even got the Club Mix as the b side....while I Want To Be Wanted was issued on 45 in the Philippines. I Want To Be Wanted wasn't even selected as a single. So what are the likely reasons for this?

 

Probably 7" singles were still issued in countries slower to take to CD. I was still buying some stuff on 7" even in the early 90s if the 7" mix wasn't on the CD single.

 

Does anyone know if this the same DayBeat remixer who remixed Broken Wings on the Hotel Sessions? I still don't like it...So many mixes of this song and none of them make me like it anymore.

 

I wonder if Olivia still has that couch as its the one she posed on for the gatefold shot for the 1977 Greatest Hits LP 15 years prior...

 

Back To Basics... A missed opportunity from several angles...

First up... Wrong single choices.... I Need Love was nothing more than album filler. My local Top 40 station featured it in their "Pump It Or Dump It" segment for songs they were considering playlisting. They would play the song then halfway thru take live calls to see what listeners thought. I was one of maybe three pump its. It was heartbreaking to hear people say dump it over and over but I get where they are coming from. It was out of step for the times plus preachy Olivia never gets the fans excited the way pure pop Livvy does. Not Gonna Be The One would've been the better choice but even that would've at best been a top ten AC hit only. She had aged out with radios key demographics so anything short of a "Believe" would've been passed over automatically in America.

I do like Deeper Than A River but that felt more like a paper hit in Billboard than an actual one. None of my local AC radio stations ever played it.

The album cover was another poor choice. Blah bland colors and Olivia looked much older than she was in reality on it. Thankfully it eventually went Gold but it should've been brighter with a happier cover shot.

Everyone talks about this tour being a comeback but I feel like the only thing we missed out on is the four new cuts being performed live. Since I Need Love bombed, I'm willing to bet it would've never been played since Olivia doesn't seem to like it or being forced back into a tight black dress to perform it.

 

Back To Basics, or at least the four new songs, was to me a missed opportunity. A hits album was a safe bet but like or loathe them, I thought all four new tracks were the strongest material she'd recorded, title track on The Rumour excepted, since 1983. If they'd found six more songs of a similar quality, it would have made for a real corker of an album.

I only really heard I Honestly Love You when I got this album, and I have to say, I can't fathom how it's such a career defining record. Controversy on a Sunday!

The variety on the album in terms of material though did showcase what a wonderful singer she is, able to have a bash at anything.

Agree about the awful cover. I know she was rebellious against sexy Olivia, but you can be sexy and elegant. She looked like she was off for some bush tucker on this one!

 

I bought it from her and it's in my man cave.

 

Well, to be fair, you're from the UK where the song didn't do well in the first place so maybe it's just a US thing. On the other hand, I've never liked it. I was totally mystified when she redid it. I thought she'd shake it up or something and then I heard it, eh.

 

The next single was not released in the U.S. but feel it deserves a mention.
Olivia's father died of cancer on the same day she was diagnosed with breast cancer on July 3rd 1992, her next album Gaia, One Woman's Journey, would be written by her.

This single was released in Australia and reached #35 on top 40, it was also released in other parts of the world.

1994
No Matter What You Do (Australian Release)
CD Single

 

I'm not a fan of Gaia. I know it's highly regarded by Olivia fans and I'm glad she did the album. Whatever helped her deal with this difficult time of her life is great. Still, I find No Matter What You Do to be a fantastic song and should have been a big, big hit. I loved it so much I had to search out the France single with the remixes. I also have the Germany single which has an single edit of the song. I love the sleeve for the Australia one the best. Just a happy photo.

 

Pics or it didn't happen...

 

Perhaps our Australian resident, Chris_Sydney could let us know how much of an impact this single made in Australia with the release of this album.

 

No Matter What You Do was a pleasant romp. Haven't heard the remixes so can't comment on those but they had a strong foundation to work with.

The Gaia artwork though. Yeesh. Can't have done it any favours and it makes you think the music on it will be terrible, which it really wasn't. It's actually a very pleasant album.

 

I remember having a hard time ordering this CD from the local record store, they never heard of the title and it seemed like forever when it did come in. There are only a handful of tracks that I really like, the album cover not the best but I guess she liked it.

 

The title track is far too long. It's generally the skipper on there along with Pegasus.

 

The next single was also not released in the U.S. but feel it also deserves a mention.
Heathcliff was a musical stage production written by Cliff Richard, the music was composed by John Farrar. I bought the DVD, the CD Live set, the CD single Misunderstood Man, and the CD single Part 2.
Olivia was not in the musical or the live CD set but she did appear on the CD Songs From Heathcliff.

2 CD Singles were released from the Songs From Heathcliff

1995
1. Had To Be
2. Had To Be (live)
3. Interview With John Cavanagh (BBC Radio Scotland)




Part 2
1. Had To Be (album version)
2. Had To Be (Instrumental)
3. Don't Move Away

 

Billboard Promo Single Ad For Had To Be Dec 02, 1995

 

Here is the video for Had To Be...I love this song!!

 

I have the album but not the single. It had some postcards with it if I remember correctly which are probably worth picking it up for. I think it made the UK top 40. #35 or something.

 

I tried to find a vinyl release back then. I was curious if it would change the impact of the cover. Never found one for obvious reasons.

 

For some reason I blew off the CD singles for Had To Be. Normally I didn't say no to anything Olivia related. I had them in my hand at a record convection at the time and then put them back. I don't think I liked Cliff Richards at the time and was satisfied just buying the CD album. I haven't played it since. In hindsight I wished I did bought them. I'm sure my Livvy funds went to something else by her.

 

They're probably still easy to find online for a good price, unlike some of her other 90s CD singles. I really wanted to hear Yvonne Turners remixes of Deeper Than A River, since I'm familiar with her work with a friend of mine, which she did a good job on, but I can't find it and it seems to go for crazy cash when it does appear. Then the I Need Love US CDs, the only ones worth having, are also stupidly pricey.

 

I was surprised No Matter What You Do wasn't released as a single in the UK. She did a load of promo for Gaia, performing the song on 2 chatshows and I also saw the video shown on TV. I'm sure if it had got a release the singel would've charted but it did help the album chart here. Agreed on the cover art, it was not appealing at all

 

So before we get to her next studio album, there is one more duet...

1997
Falling
CD Single also issued in the US on a 45 rpm
Raybon Bros. (a duet with Olivia Newton-John)



Billboard Falling Duet Single Review Nov 08, 1997

 

Official video for this single