We have not been in the habit of playing many Olivia Newton-John records on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. But nor did the sad news of her passing prompt her first-ever TIRnRR airplay. Our intrepid stats man Fritz Van Leaven tells us that we've played Olivia on five previous occasions, commencing with a spin of "Summer Nights," her Grease duet with Vinnie Barbarino, waaaaay back in 2006. A spin of "You're The One That I Want" followed in 2008, the same year we played "If Not For You" for the first time. The latter song returned to the playlist in 2018, and again in 2021. In 2021, I wrote this about "If Not For You:"
"My introduction to Olivia Newton-John. Hi, Olivia. I'm Carl. You're cute. Olivia's version of Bashful Bob Dylan's 'If Not For You' was also my introduction to the song itself; I'd not heard Dylan's rendition, nor George Harrison's cover, when Olivia's own sweet sound first appeared on American AM radio in 1971.
"This was, of course, merely the start of Olivia's hit-makin' reign. I liked some of her subsequent radio smashes, and I was indifferent (or dismissive) of some others. The only ON-J product I ever owned was the Grease soundtrack and its attendant 'Summer Nights' 45. 'If Not For You' remains my favorite, and it remains my preferred version of the song. Apologies to Bob and George; ya never forget your first."
(I'm a tiny bit surprised--or really just disappointed--that we never got around to playing her hit "A Little More Love," but you'd be surprised how quickly a three-hour weekly slot fills itself t'burstin'. I regret we never did a deeper dive into her catalog, from 1966's "Till You Say You'll Be Mine" or her work with the Bubblegum Music Is The Naked Truth-approved group Toomorrow through subsequent LP cuts like her delicate reading of George Harrison's "What Is Life.")
If my chosen rockin' pop path ultimately diverged from much of the work of Olivia Newton-John--we dig what we dig--I retained an affection for her talent and an appreciation of her personality. Her talent was undeniable. And as for the pleasant and engaging vibe of her public persona, it's been said by folks who know these things that she was just as nice, just as amiable, away from the spotlight's glare.
I believe that. It sounds exactly like Olivia Newton-John.
As our peers in the pop world mourn the passing of one of their heroes, we feel the loss, too. This week, we opened the show with a spin of "If Not For You," as we bid tearful farewell to a giant of pop music. And, with all due respect to Bobby Zimmerman and the Quiet Beatle, I still think Olivia Newton-John's "If Not For You" is the definitive version of "If Not For You." That sound is immortal.
Even if we are not.
NEXT WEEK: THE 11th ANNUAL DANA'S FUNKY SOUL PIT! This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on a Sunday night in Syracuse this week.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/, and via the TuneIn Radio and Radio Garden apps as Westcott Radio.
You can read all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO).
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