XANADU

After her acting debut in the incredibly successful film adaption of the Broadway musical "Grease", Olivia Newton-John became an in-demand commodity in cinema. The Australian singer was the Taylor Swift of her day, having transitioned from popular country crooner to a major pop performer and now had become a freshly anointed movie star. Newton-John had her choice of projects and decided to accept a role in another musical, "Xanadu" which was loosely based on the 1947 Rita Hayworth musical comedy, "Down To Earth". Michael Beck, hot off of his role in "The Warriors", and screen legend, Gene Kelly filled out the rest of the cast in this movie about a mythological muse who helps a frustrated artist and a former big-band clarinetist open a roller disco.

It was not a good sign when Universal Studios cancelled the press screening for "Xanadu" before it was released in 1980 and the film would ultimately become a notable critical and commercial flop. This would effectively bring an end to Newton-John's burgeoning movie career, cool down Beck's rise as a film star and would sadly be Kelly's final appearance on screen. And "Xanadu" (along with another screen musical that came out that year, the completely unwatchable, "Can't Stop The Music" which starred the Village People) would become the inspiration for the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards (or as they would later be known as the Razzies) which are given for "failure in cinematic achievements".

But there would be one bright spot and that was the soundtrack for the movie. Part of the record featured ONJ with songs written by her long-time producer, John Farrar with the British art-rock group, Electric Light Orchestra filling out the rest of the album. With the release of Newton-John's singles, "Magic" (which went to number one in the US for four weeks), "Suddenly" (a duet with Cliff Richard) and Electric Light Orchestra's "I'm Alive", "All Over The World" and the title track (which ONJ and ELO teamed-up), these popular songs helped the soundtrack become a best-selling sensation, with millions of copies sold across the globe.

Now I would never say that "Xanadu" was actually a good film but I did find moments of  blissful joy in some of it's silly musical numbers and appealing cast. And many others eventually did as well with "Xanadu" over time becoming a crowd-pleasing, cult classic. This lead to "Xanadu" inspiring a stage musical in 2007 that was a fun parody of the movie, earning Tony Award nominations for Best Musical and Book. Enjoy some highlight clips from "Xanadu" which perfectly displays how these numbers work better as a music video and far less than a part of an entire movie: