PHYSICAL A 40 ANS

Le 28 septembre 1981, Olivia Newton-John, sortait son 45t PHYSICAL aux USA !

Steve Kipner realized that writing for other artists promised greater commercial potential. “When you write songs, you write songs about being in relationships and being in love and all that,” he says. “Terry Shaddick and I thought, Let’s just write a song about the physical side of love. I didn’t think it would be called ‘Physical’. We were going to write a song about sex, basically. I did the demo on a little four-track Teac. I had a little drum machine that I borrowed that had two pre-sets, ‘Rock 1’ and ‘Rock 2’, ‘Bossa Nova 1’ and ‘Bossa Nova 2’. I used ‘Rock 1′. I think it’s exactly the same one that Hall & Oates used on “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)’.”

After cutting the vocal, Kipner played “Physical” for his friend and manager Roger Davies. “Roger worked for Lee Kramer, who was Olivia’s manager and boyfriend at the time,” he says. “I went to play the demo for Roger because he was my best mate, not thinking it was for Olivia. 

Lee Kramer also managed Mr. Universe. I think Lee heard the song through the walls. He didn’t necessarily think that ‘Physical’ was a hit song, but he thought that if Olivia recorded it then he could also put Mr. Universe on the album cover with Olivia ! She came into the office that afternoon and I guess that’s when they played the demo for her.” Ultimately, Mr. Universe was scarcely needed at all.

Even in demo form, “Physical” was an undeniable hit. “Stevie’s always been tuned into what’s happening,” says Farrar. “Before I had anything to do with it, it sounded like a hit record. I stuck close to that. There’s a distorted guitar that’s pulsing in there. I had this old Roland drum machine, and we used that to gate an electric guitar and get that pulse.”

Farrar enlisted a stellar cast of musicians including Toto bassist David Hungate, Carlos Vega (drums), Lenny Castro (percussion), Bill Cuomo (Prophet), and Gary Herbig (horns) to embellish the song’s crisp, streamlined groove. Hungate’s bandmate Steve Lukather laid down a searing guitar solo. Holman recalls, “I think John was fooling around with a solo and he said, ‘Nah, I should really bring in Steve’ … and that’s Steve Lukather. I was talking to Steve weeks before about something, and he was all excited about this new guitar that had the Floyd Rose Bridge. I don’t remember what kind of guitar it was — might have been a Fender Strat — but the Bridge was what was unique.

“I always had amps set up in the room ready to record. I had a Princeton amp, which I still have, sitting there with a microphone on it right next to the couch where John was working. I remember it was a really hot day. Steve came flying in. He goes, ‘I finally got this guitar. Check this out man!’ He plugs it in. ‘I’m not even going to tune the guitar.’ I rolled the tape and hit record. He played the guitar solo and that was the guitar solo for ‘Physical’. That was it. I could see him stretching the notes but I remember thinking, Damn, it’s pretty amazing that the guitar’s still in tune. It’s a testament to the talent of the people involved that a guy could walk in off the street, plug in a guitar, and play that guitar solo without ever having heard the song. It just came from the spirit of his talent.”

In just five syllables — “let’s get physical” — Olivia Newton-John captured the tune’s contagious appeal. The steamier aspects of the verses, considerably tame by 21st century standards, took the singer from “totally hot” to a more “horizontal” kind of heat. “I couldn’t imagine Olivia would sing those lyrics, but I’m obviously glad she did,” Farrar chuckles. “It was a great song, a very catchy song, but Olivia’s image was always very girl-next-door. Even during the final playback, she looked at me and said, ‘Do you think I can get away with this?'” [laughs] Regardless of the content, Newton-John’s performance evidenced strength, exuberance, and a playful strand of sensuality … all the elements of a blockbuster waiting to explode.

Making Her Move: Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’ Phenomenon Revisited | PopMatters

 

Olivia Newton-John looks back on the making of "Physical" 

Olivia Newton-John looks back on the making of her 1981 music video, "Physical," 40 years later. 

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: So I remember, I recorded the song. I was really anxious about it, because I thought I'd gone too far, and then tried to get them to stop it. It was too late. It was out there in the public, and I thought, well, you know what ? I need to do a video, and I need to do it about an exercise. That'll take away the, you know, what they're thinking it's about. 

"Physical" video was shot by Brian Grant, who's an amazing English director, who did most of my videos. And then I did the first video album, the first time that all the songs were shot. So we did that, and then the director just took it in another direction as well. And it was hilarious. I thought was so funny, and I was banned. So at least, I can say, in my lifetime, me with the squeaky clean image that I had was banned.