Olivia Newton-John, our “hopelessly devoted” Aussie Ally
As our Community celebrates 50 years of progress and achievements, we can count among them a legion of “straight allies” who proudly stand with us in our fight for equality and justice. But it was not long ago when they were very few and far between, when doing so meant risking their careers. But one of our greatest allies has been with us, inspired us, and entertained us since her career began, the iconic Olivia Newton-John.
Not only has the Australian pop star sold more than 100 million albums, Livvy was one of the very first Aussie stars to call for marriage equality, and she’s performed at numerous Pride events in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and Sydney.
“With respect to marriage equality, I believe that no-one has the right to judge and deny couples who love each other the ability to make a marriage commitment. Love is love.” – Olivia Newton-John
With a career that spans five decades, the youthful 70-year-old is going strong today with a full slate of projects that include her New York Times best-selling memoir, now available on audiobook, Don’t Stop Believin’ and her quintessential, greatest hits collection, Hopelessly Devoted: The Hits.
She continues to raise funds for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre while also performing sold-out live concerts. Today we celebrate our Aussie ally, for spreading the rainbow of equality around the world.
First up, what could be gayer than the musical finale of her now-cult favorite film, Xanadu? Roller-skating, dancers, and special effects plus her gorgeous vocals took the song to #1 when the film was released.
Olivia has been associated with “I Honestly Love You” since early in her career. It’s her go-to song for closing her concerts, and for good reason. Not only is it a well-written song, but the lyrics are totes poignant. What many folks don’t know is the song was penned by fellow Aussie, Peter Allen. Now, knowing that the song was written by a gay man, take a listen to these lyrics. It might reveal a whole different life of the song for you.
How could we not love the woman who gave us gym guys getting all sweaty back in 1981? She knew what the gays liked! If you haven’t seen in a while, make sure you get to the final seconds of the video. By the way, did you know Olivia won her 4th Grammy Award for ‘Physical’s’ music video?
Olivia Newton-John has given us generations of pride like few other performers, and we are grateful for her continued love and support of our Community around the world. She continues to inspire us as she did in this recent podcast interview.
Podcast: Interview with international superstar Olivia Newton-John
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