Pop icon Olivia Newton-John — who died at the age of 73 on Monday (Aug. 8) — logged an incredible catalog of hits on Billboard’s charts. She claimed nearly 40 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 — including five No. 1s.
Newton-John’s all-time biggest hit on the Hot 100 is “Physical,” which spent a whopping 10 weeks at No. 1 on the tally in late 1981 and early 1982. It’s not only her biggest hit, but also the No. 1 hit of the entire 1980s decade — it tops Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Songs of the ’80s chart — and scored the most weeks atop the weekly Hot 100 of any song that decade.
The four-time Grammy Award winner made her Hot 100 debut with “If Not for You” in 1971 and was last on the list in 2010, when the Glee Cast took its cover of “Physical,” featuring Newton-John, to No. 89. In the 15-year span from January 1970 through December 1984, Newton-John notched 15 top 10-charting hits on the Hot 100 — the most of any female artist in that period.
The singer-actress also topped the Hot 100 with “You’re the One That I Want,” with John Travolta, from the blockbuster film Grease (in which Newton-John and Travolta starred), as well as “Magic” (from her film Xanadu), and “Have You Never Been Mellow” and “I Honestly Love You.” The latter three tracks also reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary chart — where she landed 10 chart-toppers between 1971 and 1980.
See below for a look at Newton-John’s top 20 biggest hits on the Hot 100, counting down to No. 1.
Olivia Newton-John’s top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hits chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100, through the Aug. 13, 2022, ranking. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.
