In 1978 John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John starred in Grease, a big-screen adaptation of the 1972 Broadway musical of the same name. Its success elicited offers to reunite them in another film; Travolta read the screenplay for Two of a Kind and persuaded Newton-John to star in it with him. The film was profitable despite the criticism it received.[1]
Commercial performance
In the United States, the album debuted on Billboard magazine's Top LPs & Tape chart in the issue dated 3 December 1983 and spent 20 weeks there, during which time it peaked at number 26.[2] It also reached number 6 on their US Rock Albums chart,[3] number 29 in Japan,[4] number 30 in Canada[5] and number 33 in Australia.[6] On 16 January 1984 it received Platinum certification by the RIAA.[7]
Singles
Newton-John's "Twist of Fate" was the first release from the album. In the US and Canada, it was the A-side of the 7-inch single and distributed to Top 40 radio stations; "Take a Chance", her duet with Travolta, was the B-side and was distributed to adult contemporary stations.[8] "Twist of Fate" peaked at number 5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 in the US[9] and the RPM list of the top 50 pop singles in Canada.[10] It also reached number 4 in Australia[6] and number 5 in South Africa[11] and charted in several other countries.[a] "Take a Chance" performed well on the Adult Contemporary charts, reaching number 1 in Canada[17] and number 3 in the US.[18] It was released in the UK in February 1984 and in Australia that May.[8]
Four other songs from the soundtrack also charted. "Ask the Lonely" by Journey was originally intended for their 1983 album Frontiers but was pulled because of time constraints.[19] It debuted on Billboard's Top Tracks chart for rock songs in the 3 December 1983 issue and peaked at number 3 during its 12 weeks there.[20] "It's Gonna Be Special" by Patti Austin made its first appearance in Billboard in the 4 February 1984 issue on its Hot Black Singles chart, where it peaked at number 15 during a 14-week run.[21] It also peaked at number 5 on its dance chart[22] and number 82 on the Hot 100.[23] Also in February, Newton-John's "(Livin' in) Desperate Times" was released in the US, where it reached number 31 on the Hot 100, and Australia, where it peaked at number 81.[8] "Night Music" by David Foster reached number 22 during a run on the Adult Contemporary chart in Canada that began in March 1984.[24]
In their review, the editors of Billboard wrote, "Most of the material is sprightly and sassy, reflecting the direction in which Newton-John has been steadily moving in recent years."[26]Cashbox felt that the album[27]
represents more a collection of singles than an actual soundtrack... The record does, however, have a unified sound since David Foster produced most of the tracks. The songs fit into the AOR/Adult Contemporary league although many of the tracks, especially the Newton-John songs, have a rougher, more upbeat feel for the dance-oriented market.
Allmusic gave the album a mixed review, stating that[28]
the soundtrack to Two of a Kind is devoted to forced mainstream pop and soft rock, none of which is as memorable as the hits from Newton-John's Physical. Her three hits from the soundtrack - "Twist of Fate," "Take a Chance," "Livin' in Desperate Times" - are not bad, but they're surrounded by filler from Patti Austin, Steve Kipner, Boz Scaggs, Chicago and David Foster; only Journey's "Ask the Lonely" offers enjoyably trashy mainstream pop. As a result, the soundtrack falls flat, functioning only as a reasonably entertaining pop artifact from the early '80s.
"Introductions by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John"
Notes
↑ "Twist of Fate" also reached number 20 in Switzerland,[12] number 22 in New Zealand,[13] number 33 in Belgium,[14] number 42 in the Netherlands[15] and number 57 in the UK.[16]
References
↑ "Two of a Kind". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 30 November 2024.
↑ Frontiers: 40th Anniversary Vinyl Edition (Liner notes). Journey (band). Legacy. 2023. 19658805801.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
↑ Two of a Kind: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Liner notes). Olivia Newton-John/various artists. MCA. 1998. MCAD-11738.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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