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Totally Hot
Totally hot.jpg
Studio album by 
Released21 November 1978
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
  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).

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 in 1978. She was offered the lead role of Sandy after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party at Helen Reddy's home. The movie became the biggest box-office hit of 1978, 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, yielded three Top 5 singles for Newton-John, and became one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time.

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
Stereo Review(favorable)

The album received favourable reviews from music critics. Joe Viglione from AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars and 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".

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. The album was a top 10 success in Australia, Canada 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 FarrarTrevor SpencerAlan Tarney) – 4:13
  3. "Totally Hot" (John Farrar) – 3:14
  4. "Boats Against the Current" (Eric Carmen) – 4:00
  5. "Gimme Some Lovin'" (Spencer DavisMuff WinwoodSteve Winwood) – 4:15