Studio Album · No. 9
Making a Good Thing Better Songwriting Credits by Olivia Newton-John
Produced by John Farrar · Engineered by Tom Bush, Bill Schnee, Armin Steiner, Linda Tyler
Holds writing credit on 1 of 11 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 1 / 11 documented
Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Olivia Newton-John carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Making a Good Thing Better is an interpreter's album, not a writer's. Olivia Newton-John wrote only one of its eleven songs, 'Don't Ask a Friend,' and left the rest to outside writers gathered by producer John Farrar, who supplied 'Coolin' Down' himself. The credits read like a survey of late-1970s songwriting: June Carter and Merle Kilgore's country standard 'Ring of Fire,' Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina,' Jack Tempchin's 'Slow Dancing,' and Randy Edelman's 'If Love Is Real.' On 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' the split is clean, Rice writing the words and Lloyd Webber the music, while the rest of the album pairs each song with its named composers. The record fits the pattern of her pre-Grease catalog, a strong voice applied to material sourced from others rather than a songwriter's statement.
Making a Good Thing Better is the ninth studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1977 on MCA Records and produced by her longtime collaborator John Farrar. Like most of her 1970s records, it is built almost entirely from outside songwriters, with Newton-John interpreting material drawn from country, pop, and soft rock. The song selection is wide, from a cover of Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' to the Evita show tune 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina' and Jack Tempchin's 'Slow Dancing.' Farrar contributed the track 'Coolin' Down,' and Newton-John wrote a single song herself, 'Don't Ask a Friend.' The title track was the lead single and reached number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album itself charted in the US top forty and earned a Gold certification in Canada.
Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Making a Good Thing Better
#87
|
Pete Wingfield | Pete Wingfield | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Slow Dancing
|
Jack Tempchin | Jack Tempchin | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Ring of Fire
|
June CarterMerle Kilgore | June CarterMerle Kilgore | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
Coolin' Down
|
John Farrar | John Farrar | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Don't Cry for Me Argentina
|
Tim Rice | Andrew Lloyd Webber | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
Sad Songs
|
Billy AlessiBobby Alessi | Billy AlessiBobby Alessi | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
You Won't See Me Cry
|
John FalsiaStephen Sinclair | John FalsiaStephen Sinclair | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 8 |
So Easy to Begin
|
Jules Shear | Jules Shear | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
I Think I'll Say Goodbye
|
Marshall ChapmanJim Rushing | Marshall ChapmanJim Rushing | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
Don't Ask a Friend
|
Olivia Newton-John | Olivia Newton-John | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 11 |
If Love Is Real
|
Randy Edelman | Randy Edelman | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |