Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick wrote “Physical” with a male vocalist in mind, originally envisioning someone like Rod Stewart (who hit #1 a couple years earlier with “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”) in mind.

They first offered the song to Tina Turner, who at the time had no solo career hits yet (three years before “What’s Love Got To Do With It” went to #1). But she “Tina Turned” it down – recommending Olivia Newton-John sing it instead. ONJ accepted the offer, later explaining to People Magazine, “I just wasn’t in the mood for tender ballads. I wanted peppy stuff because that’s how I’m feeling”.

To mask the sexual nature of the lyrics, it was associated with the early ‘80s fitness craze happening at the time. But many DJs still considered it controversial due to its overtly suggestive lyrics. The song was banned in Utah. And the South African Broadcasting Corporation even refused to air the song until the line “There’s nothing left to talk about unless it’s horizontally” was taken out.

However, the controversy didn’t stop “Physical” from becoming a massive hit. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1981 and stayed there for 10 straight weeks – famously keeping Foreigner’s “Waiting For A Girl Like You” out of the top spot for nine of them, and joining Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” in the runner-up position for ‘most weeks at #1’ behind Elvis Presley’s 11-week juggernaut “Don’t Be Cruel / Hound Dog” double A-side single.

“Physical” was certified Gold in less than two months, then Platinum a month later. Billboard declared it the biggest song of 1982, and later ranked it the biggest song of the entire decade.

It was also a huge hit outside the US, topping the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and Switzerland, and reaching the top 20 in ten more countries.