Music
Five of the Best: John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John
Two of Australia’s best-loved and most successful singers, John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John, are teaming up for what will be an incredible performance at the Tempus Two Winery in the Hunter Valley.
The Two Strong Hearts tour will feature solo sets from Farnham and Newton-John as well as a series of duets. The pair will be joined on stage by the Farnham Band as well as a 60-piece orchestra, which will make for an impressive night of hits. To celebrate the announcement, Ticketmaster has compiled lists of Farnham and Newton-John’s top five songs. Narrowing down the hits was a tough ask, but we think we have produced a pretty impressive list of hit songs. We hope you enjoy it!
John Farnham
5. Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)
This is the song that put 18-year old John Farnham on the map. Sadie was released in November 1967 and made John Farnham a teen pop idol. The novelty song was a huge hit and remains one of Farnham’s best-loved songs to date. Amazingly, despite the fact it was released as a novelty song, Sadie was the highest selling single by an Australian artist in the 1960s and sold more than 180,000 copies in Australia. Sadie was also released in New Zealand, Germany and Denmark and is a classic John Farnham hit – one that set in motion the beginning of a remarkable career that is still going strong almost 50 years later.
4. Everytime You Cry
John Farnham teamed up with Australian boy band, Human Nature, for Everytime You Cry, which gave Farnham a hit single in 1997. The song was the lead single on Farnham’s album Anthology 1 and it is a credit to him that he could produce a hit song, which was also nominated for an ARIA Award, 30 years after Sadie. The song is a fun and upbeat pop/love song with Farnham on lead vocals, supported by the four members of Human Nature. While Everytime You Cry may not be one of Farnham’s best-known songs, we think it perfectly demonstrates the longevity and long-term appeal of the singer.
3. Burn For You
Burn For You is a classic love song that featured on John Farnham’s hugely successful 1990 album, Chain Reaction. The song was very successful, reaching No. 5 on the Australian music charts and followed other hit songs from the same album, including Chain Reaction and That’s Freedom. Farnham has said publicly the song is written for the people he loves – notably his wife of more than 40 years, Jill, and their two sons. It is a very beautiful and touching love song and one of Farnham most popular tracks.
2. Two Strong Hearts
Two Strong Hearts is one of John Farnham’s most-loved hits – it is also the name of his tour with Olivia Newton-John, which is testament to its popularity and widespread appeal. The single was the second off the hugely successful Age of Reason album, which debuted in 1988 and spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Australian music charts. The first single, also called Age of Reason, was also a major hit, but we think the upbeat pop song, Two Strong Hearts, is perfect for this list. We hope you agree.
1. You’re the Voice
While putting a list of John Farnham’s top five songs together was a major challenge, selecting the number one song was very easy. Farnham’s best song is without a doubt this classic belter, which is a must-play at every Aussie party! You’re the Voice was the debut single from Farnham’s most-successful and best-known album, Whispering Jack, which at the time was the highest-selling album for any Australian artist. The album also featured hit singles Pressure Down, A Touch of Paradise and Reasons. Released in 1986, You’re the Voice was a major success reaching number one in many countries (including Australia) and winning the 1987 ARIA Award for ‘Song of the Year’. The song features a Scottish bagpipe solo, which was Farnham’s idea, and also has a famous film clip that featured Aussie shock jock Derryn Hinch. You’re the Voice is an iconic Australian song and a very deserving number one of the list for John Farnham’s best songs.
Olivia Newton-John
5. Xanadu
Xanadu is the title song from the 1980 romantic musical fantasy film that starred Olivia Newton-John in the lead role. The song was a compilation between Newton-John on lead vocals with Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) providing additional vocals and the instrumental. The single reached number one in many countries and it was the first song beginning with the letter ‘X’ to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The disco, pop song is a catchy ditty and one of ONJ’s best-known songs. Xanadu the film also featured Gene Kelly and is an all-singing, all-dancing and all-roller skating spectacular, just like the film clip – see below if you don’t believe us!
4. Hopelessly Devoted To You
Who doesn’t love a good old love ballad? And even better, a powerful love ballad from the hit movie, Grease. Olivia Newton-John belts out the very touching Hopelessly Devoted To You as the sweet, shy Sandra D in the popular film. While it is best-known from Grease, the song is also one of ONJ’s most-successful; it charted well around the world and even reached number one on the Canadian and Irish singles charts. The song was written by John Farrar and was nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’. Here’s a fun fact; contractually, Newton-John had to be given a vocal solo in Grease and Hopefully Devoted To You was written and filmed after the rest of Grease had been completed. Any Grease devotee would agree, it is hard to imagine the film without Sandy’s sweet song for Danny – check it out below.
3. I Honestly Love You
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t attended a wedding where the bride and groom performed their first dance to this Olivia Newton-John classic. I Honestly Love You was Newton-John’s first hit in the USA and Canada and made the Australian sweetheart a household name overseas. It was released in 1974 on the album If You Love Me, Let Me Know. The song was written by Jeff Barry and Australian composer Peter Allen and it won ONJ two Grammy Awards. And if you listen really carefully, a snippet of the song can be heard on Chief Brody’s radio in the 1975 film Jaws.
2. Physical
It is hard to know if Physical is more famous as a great Olivia Newton-John song, or as a really great Olivia Newton-John film clip. The song was released in 1981 on Newton-John’s studio album of the same name. The song was written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick and was originally intended to be offered to Rod Stewart, before it was given to ONJ. The song was hugely and immediately successful, hitting number one in the USA where it stayed for 10 weeks. The song was a break-out moment for ONJ, who until then had produced sweet pop-ballads such as I Honestly Love You and Hopelessly Devoted To You. The very sexy Physical was even banned on some radio stations due to the suggestive lyrics. The film clip won the 1983 Grammy Award for ‘Video of the Year’ – click below to see why.
1. You’re the One That I Want
It is hard to go past You’re The One That I Want for the number one spot on Olivia Newton-John’s top five songs. The duet with John Travolta appeared at the end of the film Grease and is one of the highest-selling singles of all time. The hit song reached number one around the world and as of 2013 was still the fifth highest-selling single of all time in the UK. The song is a quintessential and memorable moment in Grease, when shy, girl-next-door Sandra D steps out as a sexy, rebellious woman to win back Danny. The song will go down in movie and music folklore and the Danny and Sandy outfits are always a favourite for dress up parties. Click below to see Danny and Sandy beliting out our number one Olivia Newton-John song in the film Grease. Enjoy!
Click here to purchase tickets for John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John’s Two Strong Hearts concert at Tempus Two Winery on Saturday April 18, 2015.
