Studio Album · No. 11
Physical Songwriting Credits by Olivia Newton-John
Produced by John Farrar
Holds writing credit on 1 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 1 / 10 documented
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Olivia Newton-John carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Physical is an outside-written album carried by one voice. Olivia Newton-John wrote only the closing 'The Promise (The Dolphin Song)'; every other track came from professional songwriters, with producer John Farrar penning or co-penning half the record and the rest supplied by writers such as Steve Kipner, Terry Shaddick, Tom Snow, Terry Britten, Sue Shifrin, Hank Marvin, and the Bee Gees pair of Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten. Farrar produced all ten tracks, giving the album a single production hand even as the writing credits scatter across many names. The chart-topping title track, the defining song of her career, is a Kipner-Shaddick composition she did not write.
Physical is a studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released on October 13, 1981, and the biggest-selling studio record of her career. It was produced in full by her longtime collaborator John Farrar and pushed her image toward a bolder, more sensual pop sound. The title track, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick and produced by Farrar, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks and became the number-one single of the decade on that chart. Almost every song came from outside writers, including Farrar himself, Tom Snow, Terry Britten, Barry Gibb, and Albhy Galuten, with Newton-John writing only the closing track 'The Promise (The Dolphin Song).' The album spun off the top-five hit 'Make a Move on Me' and the ballad 'Landslide,' and it earned multi-platinum certification in several countries.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Landslide
#52
|
John Farrar | John Farrar | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 2 |
Stranger's Touch
|
John FarrarSteve Kipner | John FarrarSteve Kipner | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 3 |
Make a Move on Me
#5
|
John FarrarTom Snow | John FarrarTom Snow | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 4 |
Falling
|
John Farrar | John Farrar | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 5 |
Love Make Me Strong
|
Terry BrittenSue Shifrin | Terry BrittenSue Shifrin | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 6 |
Physical
#1
|
Steve KipnerTerry Shaddick | Steve KipnerTerry Shaddick | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 7 |
Silvery Rain
|
Hank Marvin | Hank Marvin | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 8 |
Carried Away
|
Barry GibbAlbhy Galuten | Barry GibbAlbhy Galuten | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 9 |
Recovery
|
John FarrarTom Snow | John FarrarTom Snow | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |
| 10 |
The Promise (The Dolphin Song)
|
Olivia Newton-John | Olivia Newton-John | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John (Lead Vocals) |