Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John
A '90s indie rocker channels her inner roller skater.
I grew up in the ‘70s ad ‘80s with a blend of music fostered by my parents, friends and the radio. That meant a pretty broad spectrum of pop music — from late ‘70s funk and disco (one day, I’ll write an homage to the little plastic box filled with 45s I have no idea how I acquired that was nearly all funk music), to top 40 (which morphed from Yacht Rock into new wave fairly quickly), to ‘60s soul and British Invasion stalwarts to full blown arena rock.
Much of this seeped into my pores rather slowly until my late teens when I literally wondered out loud, “How is it I know all the lyrics to ‘Elanor Rigby?’” or “why is it that I cannot stop listening to the 1967 disc of this Atlantic Rhythm and Blues boxed set?” That began the deeper dive into the music of my youth which continues unabated to this day.
Mixed into that was a batch of pristine ‘70s and ‘80s pop music by Olivia Newton-John. I wasn’t that into Grease if I’m being honest. I went through a ‘50s phase in the ‘80s like so many people thanks to Stray Cats and La Bamba, but it didn’t stick. Xanadu, on the other hand, with its incredible power pop soundtrack (half by ELO), formed an earworm that resides in my eustachian tube to this day.
So, when one of my favorite artists of the ‘90s, Juliana Hatfield, did an entire album in tribute to the now late Newton-John, I was, dare I say it, hopelessly devoted.
A Hatfield Primer
I was first introduced to Juliana Hatfield through her 1992 debut Hey, Babe, a very ‘90s mix of grunge and jangly guitar-driven alt pop. She had a tiny voice, but a powerful sound like that little girl signing “I wonder what’s inside your butthole” on YouTube - sweet, but not to be trifled with, like an invitation attached to a warning that sure, you’re welcome, but don’t fuck up.
It was her next two albums, 1993’s Become What You Are (recorded as The Juliana Hatfield Three, a trio with Hatfield on vocals and guitar) and 1995’s Only Everything, that permanently solidified my Hatfield fandom. Both were firmly entrenched in the Seattle-inspired rock of the time, but still with that voice cutting through the mix. Not like soaring, overly produced female popsters, this was garage rock from a badass grrrl who knew how to use her unique singing style to slice through the center of a wall of guitars she played with reckless abandon.
It also represented a bittersweet maturity that has become something of a signature with lyrics like “a heart that hurts, is a heart that works” and the absolute gem “wasted, ruined, tragic, cause it doesn’t have to be like this” from the opening track of Only Everything, “What a Life” - that line, the first of the song, followed her coughing directly into the mic.
Ultimately, it’s “My Sister” that is the song most (including myself) remember, a loving tribute to her older brother’s girlfriend who actually did take her to “an all-ages show/it was the Violent Femmes and the Del Fuegos/before they had a record out/before they went gold and started to go.” If you’ve never heard this, go, listen, NOW!
Finding Olivia
It’s a little ironic that someone so edgy and committed to a style so guitar centric (right up until today) would opt to do an entire album of saccharine pop and country hit songs by a woman with a pretty insane vocal range.
Ultimately, it was Hatfield’s fandom (and apparently a need to emerge from a somewhat darker period) that led her to record this delightful tribute to her childhood idol.
It’s hard to know what to expect from an artist when they dive into a really divergent form of music, but Hatfield pledged to approach the music seriously and she did while still making it her own.
First and foremost, did anyone realize how intense “Physical” could be? Sure, it was a little shocking at the time with Newton-John in her workout gear singing “there’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally.” But, Hatfield lights a fuse on a cheesy pop tune turning it into a driving rocker dripping in innuendo, certainly the most liberty taken with any of the songs on the record.
Then there’s the gentle, country-tinged “I Honestly Love You,” which Hatfield, complete with twitchy vocals and fuzzy guitars, deftly brings into her world. She somehow manages to treat these songs with the appropriate reverence while still being herself, taking songs that were often overly produced and sugar sweet, landing them squarely in a format that breathes new life into them.
Hopelessly Devoted
Thankfully, Hatfield stays away from songs from Grease - only “Hopelessly Devoted to You” makes the cut which she drives a stake right through the center of with blistering guitars echoing big chorus vocal melody.
My favorite is likely “Magic” from the Xanadu soundtrack. It’s always been a favorite and Hatfield just kills it with a very true-to-original treatment. She does do the title track from that movie as well, an ebullient sendoff of the layered ELO pop classic.
Honestly, it’s all great. There isn’t a dud in the bunch. It has become a desert island option for me because Hatfield does something few seem to be able to by infusing herself into a batch of truly great pop songs without obliterating the songs in the process. In fact, she elevates them, no small feat.
In the end, the choice to tribute her idol wasn’t ironic after all. It was magic.
Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John
Track Listing
I Honestly Love You
Suspended in Time
Have You Never Been Mellow
A Little More Love
Magic
Physical
Totally Hot
Don’t Stop Believin’ (no, not that one!)
Please Mr. Please
Hopelessly Devoted to You
Xanadu
Dancin’ ‘Round and ‘Round
Make a Move on Me
I Honestly Love You (Reprise)