美国国家公共电台 NPR--Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John has died at age 73

Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John has died at age 73

Transcript¹

Olivia Newton-John was one of the biggest pop stars in the 1970s and early 1980s. In the movie musical Grease, she starred as good girl Sandy Olson, who falls for a bad boy played by John Travolta.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

One of the biggest pop stars in the 1970s and early '80s, Olivia Newton-John, has died. She was 73 years old. When confirming her death, her husband, John Easterling, noted² her long struggle with breast cancer. NPR's Mandalit del Barco looks back at the life and career of the Australian singer, who is known for her sweet voice and her movie roles, especially in "Grease."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GREASE")

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN AND JOHN TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, singing) You're the one that I want. Ooh, ooh, ooh, honey, the one that I want.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE³: The soundtrack for "Grease" was wildly successful. Her duet with Travolta was a bestselling single.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GREASE")

NEWTON-JOHN AND TRAVOLTA: (As Sandy and Danny, singing) Oh, yes, indeed.

DEL BARCO: Olivia Newton-John was born in England in 1948 and grew up in Australia, where she started her career as a teenager. She was a regular on local radio and TV shows before winning a talent contest. She ended up recording⁴ country-pop songs in the U.S.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET ME BE THERE")

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN: (Singing) All I ask you is let me be there.

DEL BARCO: For "Let Me Be There," she won her first Grammy Award in 1973. The following year, she got two Grammys for "I Honestly Love You." Newton-John continued with mellow⁵ pop songs before getting her fourth Grammy in 1982 for the suggestive single "Let's Get Physical."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S GET PHYSICAL")

NEWTON-JOHN: (Singing) Let's get physical, physical. I want to get physical. Let's get into physical. Let me hear your body talk.

DEL BARCO: Newton-John told NPR over the phone in 2012 that the song made her uncomfortable.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED NPR BROADCAST)

NEWTON-JOHN: I thought it was a great song, but then had a panic attack and called my manager and said, you can't put this out. It's too over the top, and it's too risque. And he says it's too late. It's gone to radio. So then I said, well, you know what? I think we need to make it more about exercise.

DEL BARCO: So for her music video, she wore a sweatband, leotards and leg warmers. After other hits and other movies, she dropped out of the spotlight⁶ to raise her daughter and to devote herself to promoting environmentalism and breast cancer awareness⁷ after she was diagnosed with the disease. She faced several more bouts⁸ of cancer with alternative therapies, medical marijuana, humor and optimism.

Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GREASE")

NEWTON-JOHN: (As Sandy, singing) I'm hopelessly devoted⁹.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

6 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。