Song:Love Is In The Air (Ballroom Mix)
Album:Strictly Ballroom: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Bonus Tracks
John Paul Young has had a long career in Australia. The 1978 single Love Is In The Air was his only big international hit. It returned to the Australian charts when director Baz Luhrmann featured a new mix in his 1992 film Strictly Ballroom. Young was born June 21, 1950 in Bridgeton, Scotland. He was 11 years old when his family moved to Sydney, Australia. After graduating high school, he began an apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker. But his friends convinced him that he could be a singer. So he formed the band Elm Tree. They released one single that went nowhere. Big break number one saw Young cast as Annas in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar. That ran for a couple of years. The second was when producer Simon Napier-Bell saw Young with Elm Tree and signed him to a solo contract at the big Aussie label Albert Productions. He put Young together with George Young and Harry Vanda of The Easybeats. Of course they were also behind AC/DC and plenty of other groups. The 1972 single Pasadena was a top 20 hit in Australia. Subsequent singles failed to chart. And Young was considering quitting music and returning to sheet metal work. But the 1975 single Yesterday's Hero began a string of Aussie top ten hits. Young appeared a lot on the popular Countdown show. The 1977 single Standing In the Rain was a hit in Europe, especially Germany. Love Is In The Air was recorded to take advantage of that. It had more of a disco beat than Young's other songs. So it was released in the US by Scotti Bros. and it reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was his only big international hit. Young continued to chart in Australia though he faded in the 80s. Then Baz Luhrmann used Love Is In The Air in his 1992 film Strictly Ballroom. That version of the song reached #3 on the Australian charts. The film soundtrack is available on CD. Normally I would recommend the original recording. But in this case the remix may be more popular than the original. Young appeared on the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics. He last released an album in 2006. He currently tours with his All Star Band doing a Vanda and Young tribute show. He was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2009 and he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012. So he's a legend there though he's only a one hit wonder here. Here's the video for Love Is In The Air (Ballroom Mix) by John Paul Young.
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