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===1971–1974: Early success=== [[File:If Not for You - Cash Box ad 1971.jpg|thumb|upright|left|''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'' advertisement, 15 May 1971]] In 1971, Newton-John released her first solo album, ''[[If Not for You (album)|If Not for You]]'' (US No. 158 Pop). In the UK, the album was released as ''Olivia Newton-John''. The [[If Not for You|title track]], written by [[Bob Dylan]], was her first international hit (US No. 25 Pop, No. 1 [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]/"AC").<ref name="ONJ.com_bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.olivianewton-john.com/bio.html|title=Olivia Newton-John Biography|publisher=Olivianewton-john.com|access-date=13 August 2010|archive-date=27 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127153227/http://olivianewton-john.com/bio.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her follow-up single, "[[Banks of the Ohio]]", was a top 10 hit in the UK and Australia, but only peaked at number 94 in the United States. She was voted Best British Female Vocalist two years in a row by the magazine ''[[Record Mirror]]''. She made frequent appearances on [[Cliff Richard]]'s weekly show ''It's Cliff Richard''<ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&q=%22olivia+newton%22&pg=PT499|title=The Billboard book of number 1 hits|access-date=13 August 2010|isbn=9780823076772|last1=Bronson|first1=Fred|year=2003|publisher=Billboard Books }}</ref> and starred with him in the telefilm ''The Case''. Newton-John's 1972 single "[[What Is Life]]" (No. 34 AC) made minimal impact in the United States. As a result, her second studio album ''[[Olivia (Olivia Newton-John album)|Olivia]]'' was never formally issued in the United States. The subsequent single "[[Take Me Home, Country Roads]]" similarly saw little success. Her fortune changed with the release of "[[Let Me Be There]]" in 1973. The song reached the American top 10 on the Pop (No. 6), Country (No. 7),<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eKicir5sZr4C&pg=PA461|title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits|isbn=9780823082919|access-date=13 August 2010|last1=Whitburn|first1=Joel|year=2006|publisher=Billboard Books }}</ref> and AC (No. 3) charts and earned her a [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]] for Best Country Female<ref name="google1" /> and an Academy of Country Music award for Most Promising Female Vocalist.<ref name="ONJ.com_bio" /> Her third studio album ''[[Let Me Be There (album)|Let Me Be There]]'' was released in November 1973, retitled ''Music Makes My Day'' in Britain. The US and Canadian versions featured an alternate track list that mixed new cuts with selections from ''Olivia'' and also recycled six songs from ''If Not for You'', which was going out of print. [[File:Dionne Warwick, Don Kirschner, Helen Reddy Olivia Newton-John 1974.JPG|thumb|upright|From left to right: [[Dionne Warwick]], [[Don Kirshner]], [[Helen Reddy]], and Newton-John in 1974]] In 1974, Newton-John represented the United Kingdom in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 1974|Eurovision Song Contest]] with the song "[[Long Live Love (Olivia Newton-John song)|Long Live Love]]". The song was chosen for Newton-John by the British public out of six possible entries (Newton-John later admitted that she disliked the song).<ref>O'Connor, John Kennedy. ''The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History''. Carlton Books, UK. 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-84442-994-3}}</ref> Newton-John finished fourth at the contest, held in [[Brighton]], behind the Swedish winning entry, "[[Waterloo (ABBA song)|Waterloo]]" by [[ABBA]]. All six Eurovision contest song candidates—"Have Love, Will Travel", "Lovin' You Ain't Easy", "Long Live Love", "Someday", "Angel Eyes" and "Hands Across the Sea"—were recorded by Newton-John and included on her ''[[Long Live Love (album)|Long Live Love]]'' album, her first for the [[EMI Records]] label.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.radioswissjazz.ch/en/music-database/musician/61208199ab67891d8c421c0fa124e2758978f/biography |title=Olivia Newton-John |website=Radio Swiss Jazz|access-date=2 March 2020}}</ref> The ''Long Live Love'' album was released in the US and Canada as ''[[If You Love Me, Let Me Know]]''. All the Eurovision entries were dropped for different and more country-flavoured tunes intended to capitalise on the success of "Let Me Be There"; the North American offering used selections from ''Long Live Love'', ''Olivia'' and ''Music Makes My Day'', and only the title cut was new. The album reached No. 1 on both the pop (one week)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/notablemomentsof0000warn|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/notablemomentsof0000warn/page/191 191]|title=Notable Moments of Women in Music|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|access-date=13 August 2010|isbn=9781423429517|last1=Warner|first1=Jay|year=2008}}</ref> and country (eight weeks) albums charts.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} ''If You Love Me, Let Me Know''{{'s}} [[If You Love Me (Let Me Know)|title track]] was its first single and reached No. 5 Pop, No. 2 Country<ref name="books.google.com" /> (her highest-peaking song on the chart) and No. 2 AC. The next single, "[[I Honestly Love You]]", became Newton-John's signature song. Written and composed by [[Jeff Barry]] and [[Peter Allen (musician)|Peter Allen]],<ref name="google1" /> the ballad became her first Pop number-one (staying there for two weeks), second AC number-one (for three weeks) and third top-10 Country (No. 6) hit and earned Newton-John two more [[Grammy Awards|Grammys]] for Record of the Year<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iAzZZI-jQv4C&q=%22olivia+newton%22&pg=PA4|title=At the Grammys!: Behind the Scenes at Music's Biggest Night|access-date=13 August 2010|isbn=9781423430735|last1=Ehrlich|first1=Ken|year=2007|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation }}</ref> and Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female. In her 2018 autobiography, ''Don't Stop Believin','' Newton-John describes "I Honestly Love You" as a song which is "so simple, with a meaning that was deeper than the ocean".<ref name=":2" /> In 1974, she received the (BCMA) British Country Music Association Award for "Female Vocalist of the Year" in London, England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scontent.fymq2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/298279762_1469442160151054_2785928511334936734_n.jpg?ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=-pFFyav7qBoAX9xP1k8&_nc_ht=scontent.fymq2-1.fna&oh=00_AT9OtR5YVgcvjNKTnByH7D3FKGnQlutX4r5DAsCk1p7mxg&oe=631B6FB3|title=George Hamilton IV Presenting Olivia Newton-John the (BCMA) British Country Music Association Award|access-date=5 September 2022|archive-date=5 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905171603/https://scontent.fymq2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/298279762_1469442160151054_2785928511334936734_n.jpg?ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=-pFFyav7qBoAX9xP1k8&_nc_ht=scontent.fymq2-1.fna&oh=00_AT9OtR5YVgcvjNKTnByH7D3FKGnQlutX4r5DAsCk1p7mxg&oe=631B6FB3|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:Aankomst zangeres Olivia Newton John op Schiphol Olivia Newton John in de persk, Bestanddeelnr 930-0132 (cropped).jpg|thumb|219x219px|Newton-John in 1978]] In the United States, Newton-John's success in [[country music]] sparked a debate among purists, who took issue with a foreigner singing country-flavoured pop music being classed with native Nashville artists.<ref name="autogenerated2" /> In addition to her Grammy for "Let Me Be There", in 1974 Newton-John was also named the [[Country Music Association]] Female Vocalist of the Year, a designation which made her the first British singer to have won the award;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://calendar.songfacts.com/october/14/18888|title=Olivia Newton-John Conquers Country – October 14, 1974|website=calendar.songfacts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cmaawards.com/past-winners-and-nominees/|title=CMA Awards Past Winners & Nominees|website=CMA Awards 2022 | Wednesday, 9 Nov at 8/7c on ABC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.infoplease.com/awards/music/country-music-association-awards|title=Country Music Association Awards|website=www.infoplease.com}}</ref> and the title also meant she defeated more established Nashville-based nominees [[Loretta Lynn]], [[Dolly Parton]] and [[Tanya Tucker]], as well as Canadian artist [[Anne Murray]].<ref name="google1"/> This protest by country music participants led to the formation of the short-lived Association of Country Entertainers (ACE).<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Williams|first=Bill|title=50 Country Dissidents Organize New Assn., See Threat to CMA|magazine=Billboard|pages=3, 48|date=23 November 1973|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQkEAAAAMBAJ&q=ace+olivia+cma&pg=PT61|access-date=1 February 2011}}</ref> Newton-John was eventually supported by the country music community. [[Stella Parton]], Dolly's sister, recorded "[[Ode to Olivia]]" and Newton-John recorded her 1976 album, ''[[Don't Stop Believin' (Olivia Newton-John album)|Don't Stop Believin'<nowiki/>]]'', in [[Nashville, Tennessee]].<ref name="google1"/>
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