I had been pondering a post about songstress Olivia Newton-John for a couple days, when in one of those “synchronicity” moments I read about her death from cancer at age 73.
I never cared much for her music — that breathy Oz soprano does nothing for me — and I’ll always remember Alun Jones’s stinging first line of a review of the syrupy “I Honestly Love You” in Melody Maker: “…and I honestly think Olivia Newton-John is a cabbage.”
And I would agree, except for the lovely Magic and the astonishing Xanadu which, despite the nauseating 80’s disco feel, actually shows that the girl had a decent voice — the concluding ascendo to the final top note is absolutely breathtaking.
The reason for me thinking about her, incidentally, is that Magic was my weekend earworm.
R.I.P., Sheila.
Had long forgotten how syrupy the early 80’s disco was and that I actually lived through it while “chasing la femme” on at least 3 continents. RIP indeed, it was entertaining and easy on the eyes if not the ears.