PHYSICAL by Olivia Newton-John | RETROFITNESSPH OFFICIAL | Bennie Almonte

"Physical" is a song by British-born Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her twelfth studio album Physical. It was released in September 1981 by MCA Records as the lead single from the album. The song was written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, who had originally intended to offer it to British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, and produced by John Farrar. The song had also been offered to Tina Turner by her manager Roger Davies, but when Turner declined, Davies gave the song to Newton-John, another of his clients. The song was an immediate success, shipping two million copies in the United States, where it was certified Platinum and spent 10 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Physical" ultimately became Newton-John's biggest American hit and cemented her legacy as a pop superstar, a journey that began when she crossed over from her earlier country-pop roots. The song's suggestive lyrics, which even caused it to be banned in some markets, helped change Newton-John's longstanding clean-cut image, replacing it with a sexy, assertive persona that was strengthened with follow-up hits such as "Make A Move On Me", "Twist of Fate" and "Soul Kiss". The song's guitar solo was performed by Steve Lukather. The song reached #7 on the UK chart in November, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and won the Billboard Award for Top Pop Single

Added 9 Apr 2026