Electric Light Orchestra

Xanadu (1980)

 

 Olivia Newton-John:
  1. Magic
  2. Suddenly
  3. Dancin' Round and Round
  4. Suspended in Time
  5. Whenever You're Away From Me
  
 Electric Light Orchestra:
  6. I'm Alive
  7. The Fall
  8. Don't Walk Away
  9. All Over the World
  10.Xanadu
  
  
  

This one’s a bit of a curveball. A soundtrack split down the middle — half Olivia Newton-John, half ELO — attached to a film that’s remembered more for its glittery absurdity than for anything that actually happened onscreen. To call Xanadu a critical misfire is being polite. Roller disco, Greek muses, and Michael Beck from The Warriors don’t exactly add up to timeless cinema. But the music? The music was another story entirely.

Let’s focus on the ELO half, which is what matters here. Jeff Lynne had just come off Discovery, and while he may not have had a burning passion for roller-skating fantasy musicals, he still knew how to write a hit. In fact, most of the ELO contributions here feel like they could’ve come from a proper studio album — because odds are, they weren’t written for the movie. More likely, Lynne handed over a handful of polished tracks and let the producers work out how to shoehorn them into the plot.

And make no mistake — these songs are good.

I’m Alive kicks off with all the usual ELO signatures: bright strings, stacked harmonies, and a rhythm that somehow manages to feel urgent and light at the same time. All Over the World was another radio staple — a borderline novelty track that somehow still works, thanks to Lynne’s ear for arrangement. Don’t Walk Away is a beautifully melancholic ballad that might be the most underrated thing on the entire record, while The Fall adds a touch of atmosphere and drama that feels lifted from one of their better album deep cuts.

And then there’s the title track, Xanadu — a strange beast in that it became the band’s first No. 1 single in the UK, despite Jeff Lynne handing over the lead vocal to Olivia Newton-John. It’s still unmistakably ELO in the writing and production, and it manages to be both catchy and weirdly enduring, even if it sounds like it was designed to play over a roller rink fog machine.

Curiously, none of these tracks tend to show up on later ELO compilations — possibly due to licensing, or maybe because Lynne prefers to pretend the whole thing never happened. That’s a shame. Whatever the circumstances, these songs deserve a better legacy than being footnotes to a kitschy box-office flop.

As for the Olivia Newton-John half — well, it is what it is. If you’re a fan of her late-'70s/early-'80s pop crossover material, there’s nothing here to complain about. She sings with charm and confidence, and the material is serviceable, if a bit light on substance.

But the real story is ELO. Xanadu marks the last time the band would truly sound like “classic” ELO — all sweeping arrangements, layered vocals, and that unmistakable fusion of strings and rock. From here, things would get colder, slicker, and a little less magical.

So yes, the movie may have been a mess. But the music? Surprisingly strong. If you can separate the songs from the spandex and fog machines, there’s a lot here worth holding on to.

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