Acclaimed pianist and songwriter Jim Brickman has teamed up with superstar and four-time GRAMMY Award winner Olivia Newton-John for a soul-stirring remake of the 1997 Brickman classic, “Valentine,” marking 25 years since the song crested the charts.
Out today on Green Hill Music, the single is available on all digital streaming platforms just in time for the month of love.
The remake grew out of Brickman and Newton-John’s long-standing friendship after touring and songwriting together, as well as their iconic live performance of the song on Brickman’s TV special, My Romance. With Brickman’s masterful songwriting and Newton-John’s lush, heartfelt vocals the tender, love-charged piano ballad has certainly stood the test of time. Over these 25 years, the song has been used in hundreds of thousands of wedding ceremonies and been covered by artists all over the world.
“I was honored to collaborate with Jim Brickman by recording ‘Valentine’ and releasing this special remix single for the song’s 25th anniversary,” said Newton-John. “His music is so romantic and this song in particular is perfect for couples to celebrate the most romantic day of the year.”
“When I wrote the song with Jack Kugell, I had been thinking about the fact that there was no song that truly represented the romance of Valentine’s Day,” said Brickman. “It was truly a pivotal moment in my music career to have created a classic song that has been celebrated for 25 years.”
Originally performed by Brickman and country music icon Martina McBride, “Valentine” became an immediate hit both on country and adult contemporary radio in 1997. The song charted #1 on Radio & Records/Casey Kasem Countdown, #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary, and #9 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs.
Jim Brickman has earned 22 #1 albums, five #1 hits, and 34 Top 20 radio singles since his debut No Words album in 1994. In addition, Brickman earned GRAMMY® nominations for his albums Peace (2003) and Faith (2009), a GMA Dove Award, two SESAC Songwriter of the Year Awards, and a Canadian Country Music Award.
Olivia Newton-John’s successes include four GRAMMY Awards, numerous Country Music, American Music and People’s Choice Awards, ten #1 hits including “Physical,” (which topped the charts for ten consecutive weeks, making it the #1 single of the ‘80s), and over 15 top 10 singles. In 2015, Olivia was ranked #20 on Billboard’s “Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists” and most recently was ranked #7 on Billboard’s “Greatest Of All Time Hot 100 Women Artists.”
This Valentine’s month, Jim Brickman will kick off his Share the Love – LIVE! Tour. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets.