I'm waiting to see who's next.
First Judith Durham of The Seekers Fame.
Today, we woke to the news that Olivia Newton John had passed.
Like most children of the seventies, both of these women were a part of our lives from our conception.
Judith Durham and the Seekers were all over the radio when I was a kid. Of course I know the words to Georgie Girl, The Carnival is Over and Morningtown Ride. These songs all came out around the time I was born. Knowledge of these songs are cellular. It's unAustralian to not know Seekers songs.
Olivia Newton John was something else. She was the person who you sang along with when she was on the telly, your hairbrush was your microphone. She seemed like such a happy soul. Then she was in Grease - and you wanted to be Sandy (Okay, I wanted to be Frenchie or Rizzo because I've always been a brunette). And I never rated Xanadu - silly film.
But you have to give her credit for her staying power. Her catchy pop tunes were never pretentious - they were what they were. I remember singing The Banks of the Ohio driving home from Ambulance Cadets with the girl from next door. Physical came out when I was in my first year at high school, driving every young girl to want to wear lycra - and yeah, some things should still not be done.
Her songs are in our bones - if you're a child of the 70s. Is what it is.
Olivia Newton John became a national icon. She was always around the place. And we were okay with that. She always appeared to be nice and positive and just a good egg.
Her work and advocacy for Breast Cancer wellness and research has aided thousands of people. She was incredible.
And now she's gone. She faught a bloody good battle. May she now rest in joy. Nobody has a bad word to say with her (although the New York Times obituary is pretty snarky - that's about the worst of it.) She had a good life. She did good deeds. She's universally loved.
And we're going to hear a lot of her songs for the next few weeks. And like The Seekers songs, I can cope with that. They had her on Coles Radio today when I popped in at lunch time.
However, my question now is who is next? Celebrity deaths come in threes - always. I'm still recovering from 2016 when David Bowie and Alan Rickman died within days of eachother.
Judith Durham and Olivia Newton John's passings are sad. They remind us of a more innocent time when we danced in front of the telly with our hairbrush microphones, wishing we too could be on Countdown.
Anyway, Grease is on the telly tonight. Quelle surprise. May as well get out my hairbrush and sing along....
"Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee.."
But here is the song that's been going around in my head today. Bless her. Not her best known song, but one I really like.
1 comment:
Rizzo kept it real. ♥️ It’s sad Olivia is gone; she did so much for healing from cancer and advocacy. I had several phone conversations with Judith for a book and she was genuinely lovely.
Post a Comment