1981 Olivia Newton-John – Physical (US: #1 UK: #7)
“Physical” is a song by Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John for her twelfth studio album Physical. It was released in September 1981, by MCA Records as the lead single from the project. The song was written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, who originally intended to offer it to British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, while production was handled by John Farrar.
The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John’s biggest American hit. The song reached number 7 on the UK chart in November. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and won the Billboard Award for Top Pop Single.
Recorded in early 1981, it first rose to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in America in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 weeks, until near the end of January 1982. In terms of chart placement, it was the most popular single of her career in the U.S., as well as her final number-one (to date). Billboard ranked it as the number one pop single of 1982 (since the chart year for 1982 actually began in November 1981), and it was also the most successful song on the Hot 100 during the 1980’s in terms of the number of weeks spent at number one. The guitar solo was performed by Steve Lukather.
Album

Physical is the ninth full length studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Olivia Newton-John, released on 13 October 1981 by MCA Records. The album was produced and partly written by her long-time producer John Farrar. Recorded and mixed at David J. Holman’s studio in Hollywood, California. Physical continues the pop style in which Newton-John moved towards […]
Musicians
Bass | David Hungate |
Drums | Carlos Vega |
Guitar (solo) | Steve Lukather |
Guitar | John Farrar |
Keyboards | Bill Cuomo |
Sax | Gary Herbig |
Vocals | Olivia Newton-John |
Produced By
John Farrar
Songwiters
Steve Kipner
Terry Shaddick
Charts
US:#1
UK:#7
December 7, 2015 @ 17:46
unfair … jetzt läuft das wieder tagelang in Dauerschleife bei mir 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 18:00
Guitly pleasure Tim 😛
December 7, 2015 @ 18:01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr0tHxuwcP8 … also great 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 18:05
Cool..Mike Landau @2:56 doing the solo 😀
December 7, 2015 @ 18:07
it doen´s need always Steve himself 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:19
Anybody know the guitarist doing the second solo? Killer!
December 7, 2015 @ 21:20
Buzz Feiten 😉
December 7, 2015 @ 21:21
not me….sorry… 🙁 … but you´r right… also “killer-solo”
December 7, 2015 @ 21:23
Jan Lücker Jan…. you know everything…. right?… incredble 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:24
Thanks, Jan. I didn’t recognise him!
December 7, 2015 @ 21:36
Tim Jessen I have a database running with a lot of records and I know where to find my resources. It was an easy find: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_Tour
December 7, 2015 @ 21:40
so maybe you also can find a video “earth wind & fire” album “faces” Song “you went away” …. one of my ALLtime favorite solos/ works Steven ever does 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:42
Jan Lücker Steven….. Steve i ment 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:44
Tim Jessen http://www.sessiondays.com/2014/06/1980-earth-wind-fire-faces/
December 7, 2015 @ 21:46
For quite some years it bugged me that there weren’t proper discographies of the session players and since the “sessiondays” are dead I started my website, in honor of those incredible players.
December 7, 2015 @ 21:51
you´r good…. 🙂 …. you´r damn good …. but i can´t play the viseo… anyway… got it on my mac and since (i don´t know when ) in my ears… what do you think about Carlos Santana solo on “awakaning” (part II) Narada Michael Walden ? 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaE4a8kqpao one the most amazing solos i know from Carlos 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 21:58
I know YouTube is still based on Flash and that doesn’t go very well with Mac. That is my experience. They are working to move the video HTML5, which is much better. Listening to Awakening right now… (y)
December 7, 2015 @ 22:05
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FW052LgfE Corrado Rustici…. “oh my God” 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 22:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FW052LgfE Corrado Rustici …. “oh my God” 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 22:07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11FW052LgfE
December 7, 2015 @ 22:09
We can talk about music for hours I guess 😀
December 7, 2015 @ 22:09
Great tunes!
December 7, 2015 @ 22:12
think so too 🙂 …. didn´t know that my “dance of life” turned up 3times …. “sorry for that” 🙂
December 7, 2015 @ 19:10
Steve lukather on solo! Carlos vega drums and David hungate on bass! Sexy tune sung by a very sexy lady!
December 7, 2015 @ 19:14
Can’t deny that…
December 7, 2015 @ 21:33
Had no idea he played the solo. I know he’s played thousands of sessions. What are some songs that stick out that he has played on that maybe most people don’t realize?
December 7, 2015 @ 21:38
I guess…check my website. There are more singles to come and maybe there are more surprises for you.
December 8, 2015 @ 02:04
Lukather again! Nice song, nice Ma’am…nice times…I miss the 80’s. Everything was just, better than now…