"Landslide" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John for her eleventh studio album, Physical (1981). Written and produced by John Farrar, the song was released in several countries as the third and final single in April 1982.
"Landslide" did not achieve the success of its predecessors, but peaked within the top 20 in Belgium and peaked at No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] It also peaked at No. 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 54 on the US Cash Box Top 100. [3][4]
Tempo and musical style
"Landslide" incorporates a blend of rock and disco elements with pronounced use of guitars, synthesizers and a 4/4 tempo at 131 beats per minute. There is a heavy use of Vocoder effects in the background and the percussion utilizes tympani rolls to great effect.
While there were no official remixes done at the time of its original release, there are three distinct versions of "Landslide". The album version at 4:21, the video version at 4:28 incorporates two bars of rhythm track intro, and the single edit at 3:50 which omits one repeat of the chorus at the end.
Music Video
The music video for "Landslide" was directed by Brian Grant and is set in a highly-stylized and futuristic setting with Olivia Newton-John in various outfits ranging from a space-age cat suit to a red leather jumpsuit. The video should also be noted for featuring her soon-to-be husband Matt Lattanzi (who she had met on the set of her film "Xanadu") and the female-fantasy driven theme. "Landslide" was included on the "Olivia Physical" video album released by MCA Home Video in 1981 on VHS videocassette and Laserdisc.[7]
The video album "Olivia Physical" won the Video of the Year award at the 25th Grammy Awards in 1983.[8]
