"Something Better to Do" is a song written by John Farrar and recorded by Olivia Newton-John. The song was released in September 1975 as the lead single from Newton-John's sixth studio album, Clearly Love. The narrator of the song muses that she's having a hard time adjusting to life without her departed lover; even the birds are wasting their songs singing to her, and until her beloved returns, "the birds will have to find something better to do."
| "Something Better to Do" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Olivia Newton-John | ||||
| from the album Clearly Love | ||||
| B-side | "He's My Rock" | |||
| Released | September 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Country, pop | |||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Farrar | |||
| Producer(s) | John Farrar | |||
| Olivia Newton-John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Record World said that the "Strong multi-tracked chorus contains the old Olivia charm."[1]
"Something Better to Do" was Newton-John's fifth number one on the Easy Listening chart, spending three weeks at the top, while peaking at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] In addition, the song went to number nineteen on the U.S. country chart.[3] The record's performance on the Hot 100 and Country charts seemed to signal the beginning of a downturn in Newton-John's popularity, as it broke her streak of five consecutive singles to make the top ten of both charts stretching back to "Let Me Be There" in early 1974; however, her popularity on easy listening-oriented radio stations continued unabated for a time.[citation needed]
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 60 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles[citation needed] | 26 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary [5] | 1 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] | 40 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 13 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 19 |
| US Cashbox[10] | 15 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 20 September 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 181.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 248.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 217. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John – Something Better to Do". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
