Clearly Love

The album was certified gold in the US.{{cite certification|region=United States|title=Clearly Love|artist=Olivia Newton-John|type=album}} and both of the album's singles were country chart hits, with "Something Better to Do" reaching number 19 and "Let It Shine" (written by Nashville songwriter Linda Hargrove) reaching #5. Clearly Love also did well in Japan, reaching number 3 on the Oricon Albums Chart and selling 110,450 copies there.{{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|last=Okamoto|first=Satoshi|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|page=349}}

The 1940s retro sounding "Something Better to Do" and the country "Let it Shine" (backed with her version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother") were the two single releases. This song became popular on country music stations, hitting the top 10 on the Country chart. Both singles were number 1 Adult Contemporary chart hits in the United States, but performed comparatively poorly on the Billboard Hot 100 at numbers 13 and 30 respectively, the beginning of a decline at Newton-John's popularity at Top 40 radio in the US that would not be reversed until her starring role in the movie musical Grease in 1978.

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000193771|title=Clearly Love|last=Viglione|first=Joe|access-date=11 August 2024}}

}}

In their review, Billboard praised the album as "another set from one of the real superstars of pop, and one in which she opens up a bit more than on past efforts and tries a few more types of music. The usual Olivia breathy ballads are here, as well as some country flavored material...As a singer, Miss Newton-John continues to improve and the choice of more varied material is a wise one. As always, John Farrar has come up with excellent production. LP should suit pop fans, country fans and the Las Vegas club type audience she has been steadily building over the past year. Nothing radically different here, but enough to keep her from getting

caught in a rut."{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/70s/1975/Billboard%201975-10-04.pdf|magazine=Billboard|title=Top Album Picks|issue=4 October 1975 |page=64 |access-date=August 11, 2024}}

Cashbox stated "what makes Olivia Newton-John stand out above the glut of singers is the innocence she exudes. The very fiber of her vocal stance is of a starry-eyed wonder and it is this very magic that makes "Clearly Love" the joy it is. Olivia's excursions into the upbeat laidback are a controlled proposition that work by virtue of the ease of the overall presentation." {{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1975/CB-1975-10-04.pdf|magazine=Cash Box|title=Album Reviews|issue=4 October 1975 |page=28 |access-date=August 11, 2024}}

Allmusic were more mixed in their assessment of the album, noting "the choices for cover songs on this album are strange indeed" whilst also stating "the gems here are what sound like Olivia Newton-John bread-and-butter staples - "Slow Down Jackson," which is as bubbly and beautiful as "Have You Never Been Mellow"; "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying"; the stunning title track "Clearly Love"; along with, of course, the hits...Very pleasant, inoffensive, and able to put the listener in a good mood, Clearly Love is a nice addition to Newton-John's collection."{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/clearly-love-mw0000193771 | title=Clearly Love - Olivia Newton-John | Album | AllMusic | website=AllMusic }}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Something Better to Do

| writer1 = John Farrar

| length1 = 3:16

| title2 = Lovers

| writer2 = Mickey Newbury

| length2 = 2:40

| title3 = Slow Down Jackson

| writer3 = {{hlist|Michele Brourman|Karen Gottlieb}}

| length3 = 3:05

| title4 = He's My Rock

| writer4 = Sharon K. Dobbins

| length4 = 2:17

| title5 = Sail into Tomorrow

| writer5 = John Farrar

| length5 = 3:40

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title6 = Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying

| writer6 = Labi Siffre

| length6 = 3:00

| title7 = Clearly Love

| writer7 = {{hlist|Diane Berglund|Jim Phillips}}

| length7 = 2:19

| title8 = Let It Shine

| writer8 = Linda Hargrove

| length8 = 2:26

| title9 = Summertime Blues

| writer9 = {{hlist|Eddie Cochran|Jerry Capehart}}

| length9 = 2:11

| title10 = Just a Lot of Folk (The Marshmallow Song)

| writer10 = {{hlist|Diane Berglund|Jim Phillips}}

| length10 = 2:47

| title11 = He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

| writer11 = {{hlist|Bobby Scott|Bob Russell}}

| length11 = 3:54

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Japan 2010 SHM-CD bonus tracks

| title12 = Something Better to Do

| note12 = live in Osaka, Japan, December 1976

| length12 = 2:55

| title13 = Fairy Tale Hero

| note13 = previously unreleased

| length13 = 3:07

}}

• Olivia Newton-John – lead vocals
• Graham Todd – keyboards; arrangement on "Slow Down Jackson"
• Terry Britten – acoustic guitar
• John Farrar – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, backing vocals, arrangements
• B.J. Cole – steel guitar
• Keith Nelson – 5-string banjo
• Alan Tarney – bass
• Dave Olney – bass on "Summertime Blues"
• Mike Sammes – bass vocal on "Summertime Blues"
• Brian Bennett – drums
• Vicki Brown – backing vocals
• Pat Farrar – backing vocals
• Margo Newman – backing vocals
• Clare Torry – backing vocals
• John Fiddy – orchestration on "Slow Down Jackson"

• John Farrar – producer
• Tony Clark – engineer
• Allan Rouse – engineer
• Michael Stavroes – mixing
• Brian Ingoldsby – mastering
• George Osaki – art direction, design
• Charles William Bush – photography
• Larry Marmorstein – graphics

;Studios

• Recorded at Abbey Road Studios (London, UK).
• Mixed at AIR Studios (London, UK).
• Mastered at MCA Recording Studios (North Hollywood, California, USA).

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{{certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Clearly Love|artist=Olivia Newton-John|type=album|relyear=1975|region=Canada|award=Platinum|accessdate=19 August 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan (Oricon Charts)|nocert=yes|salesamount=110,450|salesref=}}

{{certification Table Entry|title=Clearly Love|artist=Olivia Newton-John|type=album|relyear=1975|region=United States|award=Gold|accessdate=2021-08-19}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Olivia Newton-John}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1975 albums

Category:Olivia Newton-John albums

Category:Albums produced by John Farrar

Category:MCA Records albums