Physical
Olivia Newton-John
I have enjoyed this album for years…had it on vinyl, in fact. I don’t remember which track it was that first got me interested in it but I do recall the time some prime-time TV network aired the video album for its U.S. debut and the early-teenage me saw that startling and unexpected video for “Physical”…and I said to myself “god DAMN!” when I saw those hot musclemen heading off to the showers arm in arm. Having confessed that terrible tidbit, I’ll bring things up to the present by noting that I actually get a big kick out of the title track even today…it’s so tongue-in-cheek and teasing that it’s hard not to smirk all the way through it, plus which it’s catchy as all hell. But really for me the album’s standout track is the restless “Recovery,” with its very odd chord patterns and chorus harmonies delivered by a calm and almost galloping beat and reinforcing the troubled reflection of the lyrics. The opening track, “Landslide,” brings back unfortunate memories of 1980 and Reagan’s election, but it’s a fine counterpart to the title song and makes for excellent strut material. I like “Silvery Rain” most of the time, but on occasion it’s just too topically “important” to listen to without rolling my eyes. Really only “Love Make Me Strong” and that godawful closing track mar this album, although I guess “Falling” can either work for you or make you retch at its cloying sweetness (ditto “Carried Away”).
Comments © 2005 Mark Ellis Walker, except as noted, and no claim is made to the images and quoted lyrics.