"Suddenly" is a duet performed by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard from the soundtrack Xanadu, and is the love theme from the 1980 film of the same name. It was written and produced by John Farrar.
"Suddenly" | ||||
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Picture sleeve of UK vinyl single | ||||
Single by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard | ||||
from the album Xanadu | ||||
B-side | "You Made Me Love You" | |||
Released | October 10, 1980 (UK)[1] | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Studio | Musicland, Munich, Germany | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 4:02 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | John Farrar | |||
Producer(s) | John Farrar | |||
Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
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Cliff Richard singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Suddenly" on YouTube |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Billboard | (unrated)[2] |
"Suddenly" reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in October 1980 and number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1981.[3] It finished the year as number 91 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1981. It was also a major Adult Contemporary hit, reaching number four.[4] The music video shows Newton-John and Richard in a penthouse singing the song to each other, taken from her ABC TV special "Hollywood Nights" that aired before the 52nd Academy Awards on April 14, 1980.
The single's B-side, "You Made Me Love You" (Olivia solo), was also featured in the film Xanadu but does not appear on the soundtrack album.
Personnel
edit- Olivia Newton-John – vocals
- Cliff Richard – vocals
- John Farrar – guitar and synthesizer
- David McDaniel – bass
- Ed Greene – drums
- Michael Boddicker – vocoder
- Jai Winding – electric piano
- Richard Hewson – orchestra conductor
- David J. Holman - Mixing and Engineering
Track listing and formats
edit7-inch vinyl single[5]
- "Suddenly" – 4:03
- "You Made Me Love You" (Olivia Newton-John) – 3:04
Charts
editWeekly charts
editChart (1980–81) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 37 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 60 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) | 14 |
Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 6 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] | 30 |
UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 15 |
US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 20 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] | 4 |
US Cash Box[13] | 19 |
Year-end chart (1981) | Rank |
---|---|
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[14] | 91 |
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[15] | 42 |
Cover versions
editThe song was covered by Filipino singers Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga on their debut studio album Love Duets (2009).
References
edit- ^ "Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard - Suddenly [Single/Album Version]". cliffrichardsongs.com.
- ^ "Review: Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard – Suddenly" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 85, no. 42. 18 October 1980. p. 69. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 30 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-1993. Record Research. p. 200.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard – Suddenly (Song)". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (doc). Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM Top Singles - Volume 34, No. 4, November 22, 1980" (PDF). Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Suddenly". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard – Suddenly". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cliff Richard Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 19, 1981". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ "Number One Awards – Billboard's 1981 Year-End Charts: Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 51. December 26, 1981. p. YE-9. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "CU.S Digital Song Sales: Week of August 20, 2022". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2022.