02 June 2008
It's Always the Sweet Ones You Have to Worry About
771. OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, "Banks of the Ohio"
Produced by John Farrar & Bruce Welch; Traditional
Universal 55304 1971 Billboard: # 94
Look at her: she looks so sweet and wholesome, doesn't she? No no no, look closer. Look at the eyes. Cold-blooded killer? Mmmm . . . . could be.
Personally, I've never bought the transformation at the end of the film version of Grease--it just feels too much to me like hoop-earring dressup (even if she does nail one line: "Tell me about it, stud")--but this early ONJ single scares the hell out of me.
This is an old, old song. Most earlier versions of it feature reedy country voices or hushed respectful tones. In my opinion, the aggressive cheerfulness of this version somehow makes it a thousand times more frightening. Ladadadada sing the women, bom-bom sing the men, and suddenly sweet Olivia is plunging a knife in this guy's chest. I buy the knifeplunging, but the contrition of the next verse sounds a little forced. Oh no, she may kill again. Gulp.
I don't think either Newton-John or Farrar, her longtime producer, have a transgressive bone in either of their bodies, so that probably means they were doing this in total seriousness and I have to classify it as camp. I don't care. If Olivia Newton-John ever comes over to my house for dinner, I'm locking up all the sharp objects.
Labels:
1971,
banks of the ohio,
country,
folk,
murder ballads,
olivia newton-john
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