Olivia Newton John Tours UK for First Time in 35 Years

The 'Grease' star talks about career choices and taking risks.

Published

3 months ago

Categories

Entertainment

Topics

Celebrity, Movies

People

John Travolta, Olivia Newton John

Places

United Kingdom

Transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: For a singer associated with the wholesome character of Sandy from the movie "Grease", Olivia Newton-John has taken her fair share of risks during more than 40 years in music. The Australian, touring her native Britain for the first time in 35 years, admits to being terrified at some of the choices she made in a career boasting four Grammy awards and a lead role in the biggest musical movie hit in U.S. history. One such challenge was the 1981 release of "Physical", a song which some radio stations in the United States banned for raunchy lyrics like: "There's nothing left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally." The next gamble came with "Grease", the film adaptation of the Broadway musical which would turn her into a household name. Her character's transformation from clean-cut "Sandy 1" to spandex-clad "Sandy 2" out to snare John Travolta's Danny was one that she took into real life, ditching the safety of soft pop and country for an edgier image and sound. Newton-John, now based on the west coast of the United States along with her family including daughter Chloe, said she would continue to record new music but may cut back on touring.