For those who want a brief reminder of the film directed through Robert Greenwald: a troubled artist named Sonny (played through Michael Beck) randomly meets Kira (Newton-John), a charming stranger on skates who happens to be a muse of Greek mythology Array At the same time, Sonny meets Danny McGuire, a businessman who was once a musician in the big band era of the 1940s , and the two register in a deserted area in a nightclub called “Xanadu”. Kira and Sonny expand a romance that is threatened when their father Zeus forbids Kira from returning to Earth. Finally, love triumphs in the grand opening of the nightclub between songs, dances and curls.
Although in fact not perfect, Xanadu has a kind of charm and his saving grace is glorious music; Kenny Ortega’s shocking choreography; Innovative special effects; and deliciously agile functionality through Gene Kelly in what would be his last photo. “The music is wonderful, I have to say,” Newton-John once told me about the legacy of the film in 2019. “I think Xanadu’s music is fabulous. And the dance was also wonderful because Kenny Ortega was the choreographer. I had street dancers.” and things in the film 30 or 40 years before his time, because he’s become popular in the last 10 years and had dancers doing those things back then.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the soundtrack album, here’s an observation track across the track:
“Magic”
This sublime, unsoul-unsoul pop-rock became Newton-John’s third solo star on August 2, 1980, before his definitive hit “Physical”. In recent years, Newton-John has directed the song on his shows. “I will have to confess that ‘Magic’ is still one of my favorite songs of all time, and I love the way words apply to my life. Thank you, John Farrar,” the singer wrote in her 2018 memoir Don’t Stop Believin. ‘.
“Suddenly” (with Cliff Richard)
One of the film’s dream ballads that highlights Kira’s romance between Kira and Sonny, “Suddenly,” a great duo between Newton-John and Cliff Richard, has reached number 20 on Billboard. “I think” Suddenly”is my favorite duet I sing,” Newton-John said in the notes on his 2001 album, Magic. “Cliff, one of my mentors who made me participate in his television exhibition in England when I was little. He’s a glorious artist and singer and I’m so lucky he agreed to sing with me.
‘Dancin’ (with tubes)
Without a doubt, ‘Dancin’ is arguably the least traditional song on the soundtrack. Mixing two opposing musical styles, the first part of the song is arranged as a number of the Andrews Sisters of the 1940s big band sung by Newton-John; he then followed up with a trendy New Wave rocker played by San Francisco band The Tubes, who also gave the impression on the film. It is used in a scene to contrast Sonny and Danny’s visions of what will be their nightclub. “John is a talented producer. We had a great time doing the track. I really enjoyed it. We were thanked for the concert by Kenny Ortega, who was the choreographer of The Tubes and the film,” Tubes singer Fee Waybill recently told me. revel in the film.
“Suspended on time”
Another ballad through Newton-John, the melancholy pop of the county “Suspended” in Time appears in the scene in which Sonny is banished through Zeus to bring Kira back to Earth.
“Every time you’re away from me” (with Gene Kelly)
This duo of Newton-John and Kelly is a return to a vintage song from the big band era; the chemistry between the two performers was undeniable in both this song and the film. “He turned out to be a lovely, warm, gentle, and very disciplined boy,” Newton-John recalls later from his paintings with the legend of the screen. “Gene choreographed the dance to make me feel like I’d been tapping all my life.”
“I’m Alive”: Written through ELO leader Jeff Lynne, this dramatic and exuberant rocker is presented at the beginning of the film when the Muses, adding Kira, come to life through their performances on a street mural. “I’m Alive” became a hit for ELO when it peaked at number 16 on Billboard.
“Nice stay”
Perhaps the most productive, if underestimated, track at the time of the album, “The Fall” is reproduced in the scene in which Sonny “bumps” into the wall and against Kira’s global to see it and bring her back.
“Don’t die”
One of ELO’s exceptional ballads along “Telephone Line”, “Midnight Blue” and “One Summer Dream”, this track is memorably related to the short animated series of the film he oversaw through former Disney host Don Bluth.
“Around the World”
The song continued ELO’s chart of hits when it peaked at number 13; The lush, wellness track is included in the series when Danny buys new yarns from an elegant clothing store. It’s a thrill to see Kelly strutting around with her sublime things surrounded by New Wave-style dancers. “All Over the World” later gave the impression of being the 2005 ELO compilation of the same name; more recently, Lynne re-released the song for her ELO shows.
“Xanadu” (Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra)
The track with the old name that was released through Newton-john and ELO brought the film to a triumphant conclusion and reached number 8 on Billboard. Newton-John not only performed the song live, but Lynne re-recorded “Xanadu” for the 2000 Flashback retrospective. “A song I wrote for the film of the same name, sung brilliantly through Olivia Newton-John,” he wrote in the game notes. “I enjoyed the song and looked for another attempt.”
I’ve been writing about popular music since I bought my first copy of Rolling Stone magazine about 30 years ago, when I was a teenager. Since then, I’ve covered
I’ve been writing about popular music since I bought my first copy of Rolling Stone magazine about 30 years ago, when I was a teenager. Since then, I have covered popular music for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Pitchfork, Time Out New York, Paste, The Quietus and many other media. In fact, I like to talk to artists and find stories, their music and their craft. I was born and raised in New York, and that’s where you can put me watching an exhibition any night.