Halfway through shooting Grease, Newton-John's contractually-entitled vocal solo had yet to be written. Every thesaurus and every rhyming dictionary I had, just trying to really make it work properly". In June 2004, Farrar recalled writing the song: "'Hopelessly Devoted To You': I spent the longest period writing the lyrics of any song I've ever written. The song was not part of the original musical production (and was replaced with the 1950s standard " Since I Don't Have You" for the 1994 revival), but it was added to the score for the 2007 revival and was included in the 2016 Grease: Live performance, sung by Julianne Hough. In 2001, Swedish girl group Play covered the song on their debut album. Record World called it "a '50s-inspired love ballad with the production sound of the '70s." Lyrically, the song is about Olivia's character in the movie, Australian newcomer Sandy Olsson, singing about how she keeps loving John Travolta's character Danny Zuko, leader of a gang of greaser boys, despite him brushing her off in favor of his friends. The song received an Oscar nomination as Best Original Song, losing to " Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday at the 51st Academy Awards. Newton-John performed the song at the 21st Grammy Awards in 1979. On the country chart, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" peaked at number 20 and was her first top 20 country hit in two years. It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was released in Australia in August 1978 and peaked at number two. It was written and produced by John Farrar and originally performed by Newton-John in the film version of the musical Grease (1978). The Olivia Newton-John catalog runs deep, and Totally Hot is one of the more consistently entertaining albums in the collection." Hopelessly Devoted to You" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978). It's a dramatic reading that shows the other side of this recording. The cover of Eric Carmen's "Boats Against the Current" is a nice feather in his cap. John isn't performing a duet with Newton-John on this New Orleans adventure. The title track is funky and the big mistake on this disc is that Dr. The precision on the verse and chorus make for a beautiful album track, lyrics that flow perfectly on the singer's voice. That the prolific John Farrar didn't contribute more to these albums shows how careful they were about material, but "Never Enough" is stunning, and maybe Newton-John will take on the Marvin, Welch, & Farrar songbook sometime in the future. John Farrar actually pens three songs in a row on Totally Hot, including the title track, and with Newton-John's two contributions, the songstress and her producer compose half of this album. Jimmy Miller, producer of the original 1967 hit, would probably approve of the spirit - it is definitely more fun than the Blues Brothers' version which charted three years after this. The cover of Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'," on the other hand, is as close to a drunken party as one will get on a Newton-John album. "Borrowed Time" is more country-pop and is one of the more serious tracks on the album. The album contains a nice balance, something missing from 1985's Soul Kiss. "A Little More Love" went Top Three in December of 1978, with "Deeper Than the Night" hovering around the Top Ten in May of 1979. Along with the John Farrar smash "A Little More Love," those involved showed that Olivia Newton-John could move beyond the three huge hits from the film Grease which saturated the airwaves in 1978. Tom Snow's "Deeper Than the Night" was a nice musical departure for the singer, with its strong piano reflecting the melody. Her own "Talk to Me" is bouncy adult contemporary, but it is the two hit singles which, naturally, stand out. David Foster, Steve Lukather, and Tom Snow add their talents to the project, but it is Newton-John, with the guidance of John Farrar, who really shines here. As with the Let Me Be There release, her name is prominently splashed on the cover and the tan background suits her well, with the mysterious look with the kerchief on the inside cover as playful as the music. Is it Newton-John's voice or Michael Botticker's synthesizer at the end of the first track? A little jarring for her country audience, but she takes care of them on "Dancin' 'Round and 'Round," a wonderful country-pop tune and quick about face. "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" is a girl group all grown up. Total abandon is its trademark, the atmosphere lightened up a bit, and from top to bottom it is one of her most satisfying projects. Totally Hot is one of the most fun albums from Olivia Newton John.
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