Totally Hot

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Totally Hot
Studio album by
Released21 November 1978 (1978-11-21)
RecordedJune–July 1978
Studio
  • Cherokee, Hollywood
  • Hollywood Sound, Hollywood
  • Group IV, Hollywood
Genre
Length39:19
LabelMCA
ProducerJohn Farrar
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Grease
(1978)
Totally Hot
(1978)
Xanadu
(1980)
Singles from Totally Hot
  1. "A Little More Love"
    Released: 27 October 1978[1]
  2. "Deeper Than the Night"
    Released: April 1979
  3. "Totally Hot" / "Dancin' 'Round and 'Round""
    Released: 1979

Totally Hot is the tenth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 21 November 1978. Commercially, it became her first top-ten album on the Billboard 200 chart since Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Dressed on the album cover all in leather, Newton-John's transformation was seen to mirror her character Sandy's transformation in Grease. At the time, Totally Hot was her most successful album, and became her first album to receive a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[2]

Background and production

1978 was a big year for Newton-John, when her career soared after she starred in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease. She was offered the lead role of Sandy after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party at Helen Reddy's home.[3] The movie became the biggest box-office hit of 1978,[4] and the soundtrack album which the former two songs were written and composed by her long-time music producer, John Farrar, specifically for the film,[5] yielded three Top 5 singles for Newton-John,[6] and became one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time.[7]

Newton-John's transformation in Grease from goody-goody "Sandy 1" to spandex-clad "Sandy 2" emboldened Newton-John to do the same with her music career. In November 1978, she released Totally Hot.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Stereo Review(favourable)[9]

The album received favourable reviews from music critics. Joe Viglione from AllMusic wrote that the album "is one of the most fun albums from Olivia Newton John". He also said that "[the album] is one of her most satisfying projects" and "one of the more consistently entertaining albums in the collection".[8]

Commercial performance

The album reached No. 30 in the UK (where it was also released as a limited edition picture disc) and it was certified Gold.[10] The album was a top 10 success in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Japan. The album was re-released in Japan during 2010 featuring two bonus tracks: an extended version of "Totally Hot" and "Love Is Alive" from her 1981 live album, Love Performance.

Although the album de-emphasised Newton-John's country sound, it still reached No. 4 on the Billboard Country Albums chart.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" (Joe Falsia, Stephen Sinclair) – 5:51
  2. "Dancin' 'Round and 'Round" (Adam Mitchell) – 4:02
  3. "Talk to Me" (Olivia Newton-John) – 3:31
  4. "Deeper Than the Night" (Tom Snow, Johnny Vastano) – 3:39
  5. "Borrowed Time" (Olivia Newton-John) – 3:38

Side two

  1. "A Little More Love" (John Farrar) – 3:29
  2. "Never Enough" (John Farrar, Pat Farrar, Trevor Spencer, Alan Tarney) – 4:13
  3. "Totally Hot" (John Farrar) – 3:14
  4. "Boats Against the Current" (Eric Carmen) – 4:00
  5. "Gimme Some Lovin'" (Spencer Davis, Muff Winwood, Steve Winwood) – 4:15

2010 Japanese SHM-CD bonus tracks

  1. "Love Is Alive" (Live in Osaka, Japan, December 1976) – 3:04
  2. "Totally Hot" (extended version) – 5:20

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Production

  • John Farrar – producer
  • David J. Holman – engineer, mixing
  • Michael Carnavale – second engineer
  • Terry Becker – second engineer
  • Betsy Banghart – second engineer
  • Bart Johnson – second engineer
  • Ron Garrett – second engineer
  • George Tutko – second engineer
  • Bob Mockler – second engineer
  • Allen Zentz – mastering

Studios

Design

  • Ria Lewerke – art direction, design
  • Claude Mougin – photography
  • Fleur Thiemeyer – costume design

Business

  • MCA Recordsrecord label, US copyright owner (1978)
  • EMI Records – record label, UK copyright owner (1978)
  • Interfusion Records – record label, Australian copyright owner (1978)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Totally Hot
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Platinum 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[26] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Olivia Newton-John - A Little More Love / Borrowed Time". 45cat. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  2. ^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. ^ Windeler, Robert (31 July 1978). "Ohh Sandy! – Olivia Newton-John". People. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  4. ^ "IMDb Top Box Office". IMDb.
  5. ^ "'Grease' at 40: Olivia Newton-John, Frankie Valli & John Farrar Reflect on the Blockbuster Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Grease (Musical) Songs". StageAgent. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  7. ^ "The 15 best-selling movie soundtracks of all time". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  8. ^ a b AllMusic review: Totally Hot Allmusic.com. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  9. ^ Olivia Newton John: Totally Hot. Stereo Review. March 1979.
  10. ^ "British album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Type Totally Hot in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book Ltd. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974.
  12. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0124a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  14. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Olivia Newton-John". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 183. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Charts.nz – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  18. ^ "Olivia Newton-John | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 50. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Cash Box Country Top 75 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 33. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  23. ^ "1979 Year-End Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1979". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Music Canada.
  26. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 14 April 2019. Enter Totally Hot in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  27. ^ "British album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Totally Hot in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  28. ^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Totally Hot". Recording Industry Association of America.