Landslide (Olivia Newton-John song)

Last updated

"Landslide"
Landslidesingleolivia.jpg
Single by Olivia Newton-John
from the album Physical
B-side "Recovery"
ReleasedJanuary 1982
Recorded1981
Studio Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles [1]
Genre Dance-rock
Length4:21 (album version)
3:50 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s) John Farrar
Producer(s) John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology
"Make a Move on Me"
(1982)		"Landslide"
(1982)		"Heart Attack"
(1982)
Music video
"Landslide" on YouTube

"Landslide" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her eleventh studio album, Physical (1981). Written and produced by John Farrar, the song was released in Europe as the second single from the album in January 1982 and in the US and Canada as the third and final single in April 1982.

Contents

"Landslide" did not achieve the success of its predecessor, but peaked within the top 20 in Belgium and peaked at No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. [2] It also peaked at No. 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 54 on the US Cash Box Top 100. [3] [4]

Tempo and musical style

"Landslide" incorporates a blend of rock and New Wave elements with pronounced use of guitars, synthesizers and a 4/4 tempo at 131 beats per minute. There is a heavy use of Vocoder effects in the background and the percussion utilizes timpani rolls to great effect.

Track listing and formats

  1. "Landslide (Single Edit)" (Farrar) - 3:50
  2. "Recovery (LP Version)" (Farrar, Tom Snow) - 4:20
  1. "Landslide" (Farrar) – 4:27
  2. "Recovery" (Farrar, Tom Snow) – 4:18

Versions

While there were no official remixes done at the time of its original release, there are three distinct versions of "Landslide". The album version at 4:21, the video version at 4:28 incorporates two bars of rhythm track intro, and the single edit at 3:50 which omits one repeat of the chorus at the end.

Music Video

The music video for "Landslide" was directed by Brian Grant and is set in a highly-stylized and futuristic setting with Olivia Newton-John in various outfits ranging from a space-age cat suit to a red leather jumpsuit. The video should also be noted for featuring her soon-to-be husband Matt Lattanzi (who she had met on the set of her film "Xanadu") and the female-fantasy driven theme. "Landslide" was included on the "Olivia Physical" video album released by MCA Home Video in 1981 on VHS videocassette and Laserdisc. [7] The video album "Olivia Physical" won the Video of the Year award at the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983. [8]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [9] 18
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [10] 39
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [2] 18
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] 52
US Cash Box Top Singles [12] 54
Ireland (IRMA) [13] 25
Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg) [14] 13

References

  1. ↑ Physical (Liner notes). Olivia Newton-John. MCA Records. 1981. B004AH7W1O.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 "The Official Charts Company - UK chart details". Official Charts .
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955-2010. Record Research.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits: 1952-1996. Record Research.
  5. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John-Landslide". discogs.com. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John Singles from 1981-1984". Onlyolivia.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Olivia-Physical". Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  8. ↑ O'Neil 1999 , p. 355.
  9. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John – Landslide" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John – Landslide" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "Cash Box" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. 24 July 1982. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  13. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Little More Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  14. ↑ "Radio Luxembourg Singles". umdmusic.com. Retrieved 9 June 2025.

Bibliography


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.