Olivia Newton-John was worried about letting people hear her body talk.
Olivia Newton-John was worried about letting people hear her body talk.
The singer, who won countless hearts as Sandy in “Grease” and charmed many more as music’s wholesome girl next door, was hesitant to be bad. But with a little encouragement from one of her closest confidantes, she channeled the animal in her with the song “Physical.”
John Mason, who represented the late singer for 50 years, has written a new memoir, “Crazy Lucky.” It explores what it takes to defend the famous during career-defining moments. He still represents Newton-John’s estate and her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi. Mason previously worked with Roy Orbison, Reba McEntire, Shakira and Quincy Jones, among others.
Mason wrote in his book that when Newton-John first read the lyrics, she exclaimed, “John, I simply cannot do it. I can’t sing the lyrics… Please!”
But for Mason, the song was “edgy” – and exactly what the star needed to reinvent herself.
“Olivia Newton-John always had what she called a ‘goody-two-shoes’ persona,” Mason told Fox News Digital.
“She always had a young, girlish energy. When she did ‘Grease,’ the surprise to me was that she came out and did ‘You’re the One That I Want’ in that black tight outfit. Randal Kleiser, the director, certainly helped Olivia to get out of the image of Sandy… And then she became the ‘Bad Sandy.’ But in her mind… She was still the same girl who had recorded ‘I Honestly Love You.’”
According to Mason’s book, “Physical” was first presented to Tina Turner. She turned it down because the lyrics were “a bit too sexy.” It was Turner who suggested giving the song to Newton-John because “who would expect Olivia Newton-John to sing those words?”
But Newton-John wasn’t having it.
“John, the lyrics have me singing ‘There’s nothin’ left to talk about unless it’s horizontally!’” Mason recalled the star telling him.
