Wikipedia

If You Love Me, Let Me Know

If You Love Me, Let Me Know is the third North American album by singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 28 May 1974. Other than the title track, 3 songs were from her previous two international albums, Olivia (1972), Music Makes My Day (1973) and 6 were released just 1 month later on her international album, Long Live Love (1974). It was her first album to top the Billboard 200.

If You Love Me, Let Me Know
Compilation album by
Olivia Newton-John
Released28 May 1974
Recorded1974
StudioAbbey Road Studios and CSS, London
GenreCountry pop[1]
Length31:08
LabelEMI / MCA (US)
ProducerJohn Farrar, Bruce Welch
Olivia Newton-John North American chronology
Let Me Be There
(1973) 		If You Love Me, Let Me Know
(1974) 		Have You Never Been Mellow
(1975)
Singles from If You Love Me, Let Me Know
  1. "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)"
    Released: April 2, 1974
  2. "I Honestly Love You"
    Released: August 6, 1974

Two hit singles were released from the album, the title song and "I Honestly Love You", the latter of which became Newton-John's first number-one US single, and her signature song as well. Furthermore, the song earned Olivia her 2nd and 3rd Grammy Awards on March 1, 1975 at the 17th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

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Six of the tracks on the album are from her European and Australian release, Long Live Love, two are tracks from Olivia and one from Music Makes My Day. The title song has the distinction of not have been released on any of Olivia's international studio albums, although it did show up on her first international hits collection, "First Impressions", and was slapped onto the end of her next studio album, "Have You Never Been Mellow", when that was released in Australia in early 1975.

Reception

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It was the first of two Newton-John albums to top the Billboard 200 pop albums chart,[2] the second being Have You Never Been Mellow the following year. Two hit singles were culled from the LP in the US: the title song (No. 5) and "I Honestly Love You", which became Newton-John's first number-one single in the US after listener requests for the song prompted MCA to release it as a single, much to Newton-John's delight after she originally pleaded with the label to release it as such.[2] Both songs reached the top 10 of the US Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country charts,[2] affirming Newton-John's status as the top female country-crossover star of the day and continuing the chart hot streak begun with the Grammy-winning "Let Me Be There" the previous year.

The title track ranks as Newton-John's highest-charting single on the country charts, reaching No. 2,[2] although she would have more top 10 hits.

The album was certified Gold in the US.[3]

The album was nominated for the Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year in 1974 and was the first album by a non-American artist to be nominated.[4]

Reviews

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]

Billboard noted "though she has scored heavily in recent months as a singer of country flavored tune, Olivia Newton-John began her career as a pop and folk singer and this LP is her best showcase yet of her all around abilities. The country material is here, but so are folky tunes, soft rock cuts and straight ballads. While the artist does not have the most powerful voice in the world, she makes superb use of the range she does have and the production of John Farrar and Bruce Welch help."[6]

AllMusic editor Joe Viglione wrote in his retrospective review that "If You Love Me Let Me Know works on many levels, and is a strong chapter in Olivia's catalog....The album is beautifully produced by John Farrar with his friend Bruce Welch of Marvin, Welch & Farrar fame helping out with the production on two of the tracks, Gerry Rafferty's "Mary Skeffington" and Olivia Newton-John's sole composition, the acoustic "Changes." The singer is a very good songwriter, and why she didn't put more songs together, or cover some of the wonderful material her mentor was releasing elsewhere, is something to speculate.[7]

Track listing

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Side one

  1. "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" (John Rostill) (1974)
  2. "Mary Skeffington" (Gerry Rafferty) from Olivia (1972)
  3. "Country Girl" (Alan Hawkshaw, Peter Gosling) from Long Live Love (1974)
  4. "I Honestly Love You" (Peter Allen, Jeff Barry) from Long Live Love (1974)
  5. "Free the People" (Barbara Keith) from Long Live Love (1974)

Side two

  1. "The River's Too Wide" (Bob Morrison) from Long Live Love (1974)
  2. "Home Ain't Home Anymore" (John Farrar, Peter Robinson) from Long Live Love (1974)
  3. "God Only Knows" (Brian Wilson, Tony Asher) from Long Live Love (1974)
  4. "Changes" (Olivia Newton-John) from Olivia (1972)
  5. "You Ain't Got the Right" (Dennis Locorriere, Ray Sawyer, Ron Haffkine, Jay David) from Music Makes My Day (1973)

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Harcourt, Nic (2005). "Nice Girls". Music Lust. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. p. 150.
  2. ^ a b c d "If You Love Me, Let Me Know – Olivia Newton-John | Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. ^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – If You Love Me, Let Me Know". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ^ "CMA Awards Past Winners & Nominees".
  5. ^ AllMusic review
  6. ^ "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. No. 25 May 1974. p. 65. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  7. ^ "If You Love Me, Let Me Know - Olivia Newton-John". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "Olivia Newton-John, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Olivia Newton-John, CLP". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Cash Box Top Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Cash Box Country Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1975". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – If You Love Me, Let me Know". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  15. ^ "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – If You Love Me, Let Me Know". Recording Industry Association of America.
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