“They call it reinventing yourself,” said Newton-John in a 2021 interview. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose. It just was the song that I was attracted to and the album. But I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to record it.”

Though it was a big hit for Newton-John, the song, and video—one scene even alluding to two men getting “physical” with one another—were considered too raunchy in 1981 and the song was even banned from radio in some markets at the time, including Utah.

At first, the singer and songwriter didn’t find the meaning of the song salacious. “I don’t think I was really aware of how raunchy it was when I was recording it until afterward, and that’s when I freaked out,” said Newton-John. “But looking back now I go, ‘That was great.’ It got attention. And also, compared to what I’m listening to on the radio now, it’s more like a lullaby.”

Once recorded, Newton-John called her manager Roger Davies, who also went on to manage Tina Turner and P!nk, and told him she had “gone too far” and that the song was “too raunchy.”

I been patient, I been good
Tried to keep my hands on the table
It’s gettin’ hard, this holdin’ back
You know what I mean
I’m sure you’ll understand my point of view
We know each other mentally
You gotta know that you’re bringin’ out
The animal in me

In 2021, Newton-John celebrated the 40th anniversary of the song and the album with a deluxe edition of Physical. To commemorate the anniversary of the album and hit, the singer launched a TikTok “Physical” challenge, in partnership with Crunch Fitness, for the record number of people doing the “Physical” video leg lift, to help raise awareness and funding for cancer treatment research and draw attention to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.

“Of course it was one of the biggest songs I ever had,” said Newton-John of her iconic pop hit. “So, sometimes you’ve got to let go of the fear and just go with it.”