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Olivia Brings Back "Boats Against The Current"


Mike B.

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Olivia Newton-John has started her latest tour. Saw her show tonight in San Diego. She is slender and beautiful, of course, and she sounded great.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear her sing Eric's "Boats Against The Current," which she first covered in her "Totally Hot" LP (1978). I've been to six of her concerts and this is the first time the song has been on her setlist.

Eric, do you know Olivia? Did you know she's reviving your song?

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I found a posting on the web that gives a little bit of insight to this sad song...I once read that Eric thought this was a very sad song, this may explain that statement to those that didn't under stand what Eric meant.

The title of this song comes from short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of Eric's favorite Authors.

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Niiice! Way to go, Olivia.

I think it's awesome that Olivia — after recording how many hundreds of songs? — dusted off "Boats Against the Current" to add to her current set list. She did the song proud.

Of course, I've always loved Olivia, dating back to college. Remember the tendency to wallpaper your dorm room with pop music posters? I had a nice Olivia promo poster hanging in my room, along with a host of those great old posters that were folded and packaged into various LPs of the era. I know I had the poster and 8x10 photos that came in the Beatles' White Album, for example, along with an ELO Out of the Blue poster, and, of course, that colorful shot of Raspberries included in the Starting Over LP. And remember that great white-background poster of Lennon at his piano that was packaged in Imagine, and the McCartney & Wings Band on the Run poster? Good stuff, all of it.

I also had a promotional Change of Heart poster issued to retailers. There were other retail-issue posters in my collection, too; wish I had kept them all in good shape. The one I didn't get until years later was a Boats Against the Current poster. I never saw it until I saw one on eBay — and bought for maybe $15. All it needs is an Eric signature on it.

But I digress. Thanks for this ONJ "Boats" find, Mike B and Kirk.

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  • 3 weeks later...

And here's my new version of " Boats Against The Current " :

I know it's over
You said that it's over
And pretending's not devotion
'Cause were sailing separate oceans
Worlds apart
What was there has turned from our hearts

Dreams of a dreamer
No schemes nor a schemer
If we're treading through each thought
With philosophies that ought
Could no longer be
After time, all the things that we see

Well, tomorrow-
If I run a bit faster
Tomorrow-
The things I know
I learned from the past
Feelings that were there
Didn't last

There's no romance to a sunset
With two boats against current
To the end

A reason for reasons|
A season for seasons
With the changes of the heart
What mattered from the start
Isn't anymore
Not like it was ; Not like before

Until tomorrow,
I'll run a little bit faster
Tomorrow-
When I find that I learned from the past
Those feelings that were there
Didn't last

There's no romance to a sunset
With two boats against the current
To the end

If romance is a sunset
There's boats against the current
Until the end

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