Physical (album) - Background and Development

Background and Development

"If these new songs were offered to me a couple of years ago, maybe I wouldn't have attempted them and similarly some of the songs I sang a couple of years ago I wouldn't be interested in doing now. It's a matter of taste and changing. I still know my limitations and wouldn't attempt songs I couldn't do.
I'm not deliberately going after any audience. I'm doing what I like to do. I would have done a country song on Physical if I found one I really liked"

—Newton-John talking about her music style change

In 1978, Newton-John starred the musical film Grease, which was a worldwide blockbuster, and had a best-selling soundtrack. Olivia's career was boosted. Previously, she was know for sing country pop and adult contemporary genres, after, her image changed for a more aggressive pop image. In the same year, she released the studio album Totally Hot, and later Xanadu soundtrack (1980), both with a more pop style than her past albums. Physical has recorded and released only in 1981, making the longest gap between two Newton-John studio albums at the time (through 1971–78, she recorded at least one studio album per year). Newton-John claimed that her career could be overexposed with many works released in a short period.

The album was produced to follow the image change which Newton-John had chosen to show, making a more sexualized and mature record. It also marks her first studio album without any country track, at the time was a total departure of this musical genre for Newton-John. The new music style had generated some criticism from the country community and Olivia's old fans. Newton-John commented about her transition in an article for Billboard: "You might lose a few fans but you gain others. You have to do what's comfortable. I've gotten the confidence to be more adventurous whereas in the past I didn't think it was the time".

The lead single "Physical" (originally "Let's Get Physical") was written by Steve Kipner (Olivia's long-time friend) and Terry Shaddick, and initially was planned to be sung for a "macho male rock figure like Rod Stewart", according to Kipner himself. But when Newton-John's then-manager Lee Kramer listen accidentally the demo, he immediately sent the song to Olivia, who initially didn't want to release the song because it was "too cheeky". It was the first track written by Kipner released for Newton-John, he later wrote more songs to her. The songs "Recovery" and "Falling" are originally featured on John Farrar's 1980 self-titled solo album, but later were remodeled for Physical. The album's eighth track, "Carried Away", was written by Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten for Barbra Streisand's Guilty album, but she refused the song and then was offered to Olivia, who accepted it. The song original demo sung by Gibb was released on the The Guilty Demos, released through iTunes in 2006.

Physical was the first album where Olivia included the environmentalism and animal rights themes. The album's tracks "Silvery Rain", which was written by The Shadows member Hank Marvin and released as single in 1971 by British singer Cliff Richard, and "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)", a Newton-John self-penned song, features these themes. Newton-John also wrote about ecologism on her albums such as The Rumour and Gaia: One Woman's Journey.

The photoshoot of Physical was shooted primarily in Honolulu, Hawaii by the famous American photographer Herb Ritts, in the first half of 1981. Olivia also filmed the music video of "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)" and some takes of Olivia Physical in that place. The photos consist on a mix of nature and sensuality, taking the meaning of "physical" to the two meanings present on the album content. The album cover is one of the most popular and iconic photos of Newton-John (and one of most popular works by Ritts). It's also been compared to the Madonna's True Blue album cover, which was shot by Ritts too.