Favorite BIG #1 HITS Through the Years: 1978 Pop

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This was forty years ago??????? Wow. Forty years ago I went to my first rock concert (the Eagles, Steve Miller, and Eddie Money...ten bucks). Forty years ago I started the entrance process to join the Navy. And forty years ago, this was a number one song. Here's one that probably "everybody" knows. 1978 (Pop): You're the One That I Want - Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta Purely a coincidence that earlier today I mentioned that the Scientology channel was launching, and now I'm featuring one of Scientology's biggest adherents. Back in '75 or so, when Welcome Back, Kotter was a hit, John Travolta went from a cast member to teen idol overnight (thanks to those teen magazines like Tiger Beat). And, as seemed to be the case back then, anyone who was a teen idol could release a single of armpit fart noises and have a hit (see: David Soul's syrupy "Don't Give Up on Us"). That's what Travolta did in 1976, with a song called "Let Her In." I'm warning you now: DO NOT GO LOOK THIS SONG UP. You cannot un-hear it. (You went and did it anyway, didn't you? I warned you!) Lacking any real vocal talent, but able to draw out the wazoo at the box office, Travolta was cast in the film adaptation of the play Grease. To make up for what he lacked, Olivia Newton-John was placed opposite of his role. It worked. Nobody noticed Travolta's relatively weak voice on this terrific, get-up-and-dance tune with a strong nostalgic feel (well, consider the source of the song). And here it is, 40 years later, and this is still a terrific song. You're the One That I Want Written by John Farrar Recorded by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta From Grease, 1978 #1 for one week You'd better shape up: