Her poster was hung on my bedroom wall of my childhood home in the 1970s. Not the Farah Fawcett rose poster. Not the Allison Maher “Jaws” movie poster. Not the Lynda Carter Wonder Woman poster. Not even the Daisy Duke straw bale poster. No, this was a simple and wholesome close-up photo of Olivia Newton-John in all her natural beauty. I had to search a bit to find it, but here is the image.
I am fairly certain it came out of a Dynamite magazine or one of those publications aimed at kids. And if I dug deep in some old boxes of my childhood stuff, I might even find it. After all, who would throw something like that away?
If you don’t know by now, Olivia Newton-John passed away on Monday. The Australian-born singer and movie star of the 1970s died after her third diagnosis of breast cancer. She was 73.
Many of us were introduced to her with the twangy, country songs of her early career including “Let Me Be There” and “If You Love Me, Let Me Know.” We also saw her sentimental side with tunes like “I Honestly Love You” and “Have You Never Been Mellow.”
Her role as Sandra Dee in the movie “Grease” may have been what made her a household name. We sang along to that musical film with her songs “Hopelessly Devoted To You” and “You’re The One That I Want.” My teenage friends and I attended the movie “Xanadu” with the same enthusiasm, only to be disappointed with the film but again amazed with her music. I even had “Magic” on 45.
Then this Sweet Polly Purebred image changed with her album “Totally Hot,” of which I permanently “borrowed” the 8-track version from my brother, Brian. This new image continued with the awkward video to the song “Physical.”
Over time, the sweetness of this wonderful artist shined through again, and we learned to admire her for her courage to take on and overcome many personal challenges.
Aside from a reborn popularity of the movie “Grease” (which will likely happen again), a new generation has not been able to experience the talents of Olivia Newton-John. I would often call my daughter Samantha’s friend, Olivia, by the singer’s full name, and she had no clue what I was talking about. Unfortunately, that is becoming more and more common.
Meanwhile, I hope that Olivia Newton-John has found her peace, her place of final rest, her… Xanadu.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
