| If You Love Me, Let Me Know | |
| Type: | compilation |
| Artist: | Olivia Newton-John |
| Cover: | If You Love Me, Let Me Know.png |
| Released: | 28 May 1974 |
| Recorded: | 1974 |
| Studio: | Abbey Road Studios and CSS, London |
| Genre: | Country pop[1] |
| Length: | 31:08 |
| Label: | EMI / MCA (US) |
| Producer: | John Farrar, Bruce Welch |
| Chronology: | Olivia Newton-John North American |
| Prev Title: | Let Me Be There |
| Prev Year: | 1973 |
| Next Title: | Have You Never Been Mellow |
| Next Year: | 1975 |
If You Love Me, Let Me Know is the third North American album by singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 28 May 1974. Other than the title track, all the material was from her previous three international albums, Olivia (1972), Music Makes My Day (1973) and Long Live Love (1974). It was her first album to top the Billboard 200.
Two hit singles were released from the album, the title song and "I Honestly Love You", the latter of which became Newton-John's first number-one US single, and her signature song as well.
Six of the tracks on the album are from her European and Australian release, Long Live Love, two are tracks from Olivia and one from Music Makes My Day, with the title song being the only new addition.
It was the first of two Newton-John albums to top the Billboard 200 pop albums chart,[2] the second being Have You Never Been Mellow the following year. Two hit singles were culled from the LP in the US: the title song (No. 5) and "I Honestly Love You", which became Newton-John's first number-one single in the US after listener requests for the song prompted MCA to release it as a single, much to Newton-John's delight after she originally pleaded with the label to release it as such.[2] Both songs reached the top 10 of the US Pop, Adult Contemporary and Country charts,[2] affirming Newton-John's status as the top female country-crossover star of the day and continuing the chart hot streak begun with the Grammy-winning "Let Me Be There" the previous year.
The title track ranks as Newton-John's highest-charting single on the country charts, reaching No. 2,[2] although she would have more top 10 hits.
The album was certified Gold in the US.[3]
The album was nominated for the Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year in 1974 and was the first album by a non-American artist to be nominated.[4]
Billboard noted "though she has scored heavily in recent months as a singer of country flavored tune, Olivia Newton-John began her career as a pop and folk singer and this LP is her best showcase yet of her all around abilities. The country material is here, but so are folky tunes, soft rock cuts and straight ballads. While the artist does not have the most powerful voice in the world, she makes superb use of the range she does have and the production of John Farrar and Bruce Welch help."[5]
AllMusic editor Joe Viglione wrote in his retrospective review that "If You Love Me Let Me Know works on many levels, and is a strong chapter in Olivia's catalog....The album is beautifully produced by John Farrar with his friend Bruce Welch of Marvin, Welch & Farrar fame helping out with the production on two of the tracks, Gerry Rafferty's "Mary Skeffington" and Olivia Newton-John's sole composition, the acoustic "Changes." The singer is a very good songwriter, and why she didn't put more songs together, or cover some of the wonderful material her mentor was releasing elsewhere, is something to speculate.[6]
Side one
Side two
| Chart (1974) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[7] | 1 | |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[8] | 1 | |
| US Cash Box Top Albums[9] | 1 | |
| US Cash Box Country Albums[10] | 1 |
| Chart (1974) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[11] | 5 | |
| Chart (1975) | Position | |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[12] | 12 |