Soul Kiss

For the Chara album, see Soul Kiss (Chara album).

Soul Kiss is the twelfth studio album by English-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 25 October 1985 by Mercury Records in Europe, by Festival Records in Australia, and by MCA Records in the United States. It reached No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 29 on the United States Billboard 200. The album was produced by long-time associate John Farrar, who also co-wrote four tracks; the cover art features photography of Newton-John by Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts.

Soul Kiss
Studio album by Olivia Newton-John
Released	25 October 1985
Studio	Moonee Ponds (Malibu, California) Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop synth-pop
Length	39:39
Label	Mercury
Producer	John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Two of a Kind (1983) Soul Kiss (1985) The Rumour (1988)
Singles from Soul Kiss
"Soul Kiss" Released: 25 September 1985 "Toughen Up" Released: 25 January 1986

Singles

The album's title track was released as a single and reached No. 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts,^[1] as well as No. 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart.^[2] It is Newton-John's most recent US top 40 pop single and her second-to-last in Canada. The single reached No. 100 in the UK Singles Chart.^[3] It was also remixed into a 12-inch single mix, which featured a new Carib-influenced percussion overdub.

The follow-up single, "Toughen Up" (written for Tina Turner but rejected by her), failed to chart, except for a top 70 placement in Australia.^[2] A remix by Jellybean Benitez was released as a 12-inch single in 1986.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]

AllMusic editor Joe Viglione found that Soul Kiss "seems a bit contrived" and called "the album, as a whole, [...] one of the weaker links in Olivia's remarkable chain."^[4]

Commercial performance

Although the album was not as commercially successful as her previous efforts, it peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 in the United States,^[1] and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[5] It charted at No. 5 in Japan; and peaked at No. 11 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.^[2]

Track listing

All tracks produced by John Farrar.

Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Toughen Up"	Graham Lyle Terry Britten	3:51
2.	"Soul Kiss"	Mark Goldenberg	4:32
3.	"Queen of the Publication"	John Farrar Steve Kipner Tom Snow	3:55
4.	"Emotional Tangle"	Farrar Billy Thorpe	4:05
5.	"Culture Shock"	Kipner Paul Bliss	3:52
6.	"Moth to a Flame"	Kipner Bliss	3:46
7.	"Overnight Observation"	Farrar Snow	4:27
8.	"You Were Great, How Was I?" (duet with Carl Wilson)	Farrar Snow	3:46
9.	"Driving Music"	Kipner Tommy Emmanuel	3:41
10.	"The Right Moment"	Gerry Rafferty	3:44

European/Japanese edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Electric"	Tom Keane Michael Landau Paul Gordon	3:49
11.	"The Right Moment"	Rafferty	3:44

Japan 2010 SHM-CD bonus track(s)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Electric"	Keane Landau Gordon	3:49
11.	"Soul Kiss" (Extended 12" remix version)	Goldenberg	7:01

Personnel

Musicians

• Olivia Newton-John – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 9), vocoder (10)
• Marcus Ryle – synthesizers (1, 3–6, 8–10)
• Greg Phillinganes – synthesizers (2)
• Mark Goldenberg – synthesizers (2)
• Billy Thorpe – synthesizers (4)
• Steve Kipner – synthesizers (5)
• Tom Snow – synthesizers (7, 8)
• John Farrar – guitars (1–3, 6, 7, 9), backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11), Synclavier (2–4, 6, 7, 9), vocoder (4, 9), mandolin (11)
• Lee Ritenour – guitars (1, 3, 4, 6–9)
• Larry Carlton – guitars (2)
• Steve Lukather – guitars (3)
• Michael Landau – guitars (10)
• Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar (1)
• Nathan East – bass guitar (4)
• Carlos Vega – drums (1, 3, 4, 6–10)
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums (2)
• Geoffrey Hales – electronic drums (7)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 4)
• Michael Fisher – percussion (2), typewriter effects (3)
• Jeremy Lubbock – strings arrangements (4, 11), keyboards (11)
• Gerard Vinci – concertmaster (4, 11)
• Tom Scott – lyricon (7), saxophone (8, 10)
• Gary Herbig – saxophone (10)
• Joel Peskin – saxophone (10)
• Larry Williams – saxophone (10)
• Ara Tokatlián – pan flute (11)
• Katey Sagal – backing vocals (2)
• Christopher Cross – backing vocals (8)
• Carl Wilson – lead and backing vocals (8)

Technical

• Producer – John Farrar
• Recorded and mixed by Allen Sides
• Recording and mix assistant – Tim Wilson
• Additional recording – Larry Brown and Rik Pekkonen
• Recorded at Moonee Ponds Studio (Malibu, California) and Ocean Way Recording (Los Angeles, California).
• Mixed at Moonee Ponds Studio
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).

Artwork

• Art direction and design – Norman Moore
• Photography – Helmut Newton and Herb Ritts

Charts

Chart performance for Soul Kiss

Chart (1985–1986)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[2]	11
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[6]	36
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[7]	36
European Albums (Eurotipsheet)^[8]	46
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[9]	54
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[10]	5
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[11]	43
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)^[12]	46
UK Albums (OCC)^[13]	66
US Billboard 200^[14]	29
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums^[15]	47

Certifications

Certifications for Soul Kiss

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[16]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[17]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Video

Soul Kiss
Video by Olivia Newton-John
Released	1985
Recorded	1985
Genre	Music video
Length	20 minutes
Label	MCA Home Video
Director	David Mallet
Producer	Jacqui Byford
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Twist of Fate (1983) Soul Kiss (1985) Olivia Down Under (1989)

Soul Kiss is a compilation of music videos from the album Soul Kiss, featuring the singer Olivia Newton-John.

Matt Lattanzi, her husband at the time, appeared in the "Soul Kiss" video.

Contents

• "Soul Kiss"
• "Culture Shock"
• "Emotional Tangle"
• "Toughen Up"
• "The Right Moment"

References

1. "Soul Kiss – Olivia Newton-John". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
2. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
3. "Olivia Newton-John | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
4. AllMusic review
5. "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss". Recording Industry Association of America.
6. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0598". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
7. "Dutchcharts.nl – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
8. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 47. 25 November 1985. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
10. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. p. 349. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
11. "Charts.nz – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
14. . Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
15. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. XLIX, no. 26. 7 December 1985. p. 16. ISSN 0008-7289 – via World Radio History.
16. "Canadian album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss". Music Canada. 17 December 1985.
17. "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Soul Kiss". Recording Industry Association of America. 19 December 1985.