For someone who has not released a major hit is, say, nearly 30 years, Olivia sure does seem to still have some major pull, doesn’t she??

This story from Yahoo! News:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Move aside Madonna and watch out Barry White. The winner of the sexiest song of all time is — Olivia Newton-John with “Physical,” according to music publication Billboard.

Billboard has come up with a list of the 50 most popular songs about sex in time for Valentine’s Day with each song given points according to its performance on the Billboard hot 100 chart from August 1958 until January this year.

“Physical,” released by Newton-John in 1981, topped the list after spending 10 weeks as No. 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And while it certainly speaks to sex with lyrics such as “There’s nothin’ left to talk about, unless it’s horizontally,” the song became known as well-known as a track for aerobics classes in line with the singer’s exercise-themed video.

Second in the list came Rod Stewart’s 1976 song “Tonight’s the Night,” followed by Boyz II Men’s 1994 ballad “I’ll Make Love To You.”

“Some songs are steamy slow-jams, some are hi-octane arena-rockers, but what they all have in common (and what got them on this list) is that the subject matter of each song is directly related to sex, in some way,” Billboard said in a statement.

Other highlights include Rod Stewart, who made the top 10 twice with “Tonight’s the Night” and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” and Marvin Gaye hit No. 5 with the classic “Let’s Get It On.”

Following is a list of the top 10 of the top 50 sexiest songs:

1. “Physical” – Olivia Newton-John

2. “Tonight’s The Night” – Rod Stewart

3. “I’ll Make Love To You” – Boyz II Men

4. “Too Close” – Next

5. “Let’s Get It On” – Marvin Gaye

6. “Hot Stuff” – Donna Summer

7. “Do That To Me One More Time” – Captain and Tennille

8. “Like A Virgin” – Madonna

9. “Kiss You All Over” – Exile

10. “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” – Rod Stewart

————————————————————————————————————————

Keep in mind that this was NOT a popular opinion poll, but centered on points based on the songs’ ultimate success on Billboard’s record charts.

Considering that “Physical” stayed on top of the charts for 10 straight weeks from November 1981 to late January 1982 in much part due to its suggestive lyrics and ground breaking fitness-themed video…and to Olivia at that time being just plain HOT, probably not surprising that it topped the list.

Some, such as Lambert Strother over at Corrente, have deemed this to be the equivalent of the ultimate sign of the Apocalypse.

Me…I consider it to be just plain scoreboard. And proof that old school sexy can sometimes still rule.

Oh….and BTW??? Olivia still doesn’t look too bad these days, either.  Even though she has kinda repudiated her most successful song. Props, madam….some of us still remember.

Still…for those of you who need a reminder:

Olivia Newton-John: Video for “Physical” (Physical, 1981, Geffen Records/MCA), via YouTube/Vimo)