Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
| Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by John Travolta / Olivia Newton-John / Various artists | ||||
| Released | April 14, 1978[1] | |||
| Genre | rock and roll, Pop, disco | |||
| Length | 61:14 | |||
| Label | RSO | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Olivia Newton-John chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | ||||
| ||||
Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the original motion picture soundtrack for the 1978 film Grease. It was originally released by RSO Records and subsequently re-issued by Polydor Records in 1984 and 1991. The song "You're the One That I Want" was a US and UK No. 1 for stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. It sold 28 million copies worldwide.[3]Making it one of the best selling albums of all time, also ranking amongst the biggest selling soundtrack albums of all time.
Besides performers John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the album also featured songs by rock n roll revival group Sha Na Na as well as the hit song "Grease", a tune written by Barry Gibb (of the Bee Gees) and sung by Frankie Valli (of The Four Seasons) that was an additional U.S. number one.
Background
The soundtrack was released in April 14, 1978, two months ahead of the film's release.[1] As with most musicals of the period, the vocal takes recorded for the album release - and in some cases the instrumental background as well - do not lock to picture but were recorded during entirely different soundtrack sessions often months prior or subsequent to the performances used for lip sync in the film.
Often, these `original cast soundtrack' performances are rearranged and edited, sometimes quite heavily in order to result in a more pleasing musical experience on record. Lengthy dance sequences, extended pauses, reprisals and other similar material are prone to be excised prior to recording, requiring the cast and musicians to learn what amounts to entirely new material.
The cover gives credit to, and prominently features, the two stars of the film—John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John—although they only appear on seven of the 24 tracks. Sha Na Na performed many of the 1950s numbers in the film, the recordings of which also appear on the soundtrack. Stockard Channing sings lead on two of the tracks; the two tracks remain her only significant contribution to recorded popular music to date. The title track was recorded by Frankie Valli, who had no other connection with the film.
The entirety of the score written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey for the original musical was included on the soundtrack and/or in the film, with the exception of two songs: "Shakin' at the High School Hop" (originally composed to open Act II of the musical) and "All Choked Up" (the song originally written into the spot where the film used "You're the One that I Want") were both left out of both the film and the soundtrack. Not all of the songs were included in the film; songs cut from the film were performed on the soundtrack by Louis St. Louis and Cindy Bullens or converted to instrumentals. Songs in the musical that were not performed by Rizzo, Danny, Sandy, or Johnny Casino & the Gamblers were given to those characters or to St. Louis and Bullens; these included Sandy's original feature number "It's Raining on Prom Night" (given to Bullens and used as a jukebox background song), Marty's "Freddy, My Love" (given to Bullens), Doody's "Those Magic Changes" (given to Johnny Casino & the Gamblers), Kenickie's "Greased Lightnin'" (given to Danny), and both of the songs originally attributed to a character named Roger that was written out of the film, "Mooning" and "Rock'n'Roll Party Queen" (both given to St. Louis; "Mooning" was replaced in function in the film by the 1930s standard "Blue Moon," performed by the Gamblers).
The most successful songs from the soundtrack were written specifically for the film. They included the Billboard number-one hits "Grease", "You're the One That I Want" and the number-three, Academy Award-nominated "Hopelessly Devoted to You".[4] In the UK, the album proved even more successful where "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" (a song carried over from the original musical) reached No.1 for nine and seven weeks respectively, while "Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy" all became top three hits.[5][6][7][8] The soundtrack album hit the top of the charts in the U.S. during the summer of 1978, replacing The Rolling Stones' Some Girls. In the UK, it remained at the top of the charts for 13 consecutive weeks.[9] As of 2011, "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" are still among the 20 best-selling singles of all time in the UK (at Nos.6 and 19 respectively).[10] "Greased Lightnin'," another carryover from the stage version, was also released as a single, reaching the top 20 in the UK but narrowly missing the top 40 in the U.S. in part because of the lyrical content not being permitted on U.S. radio.
Two of the bass players who recorded on the Grease soundtrack were (at different times) members of Toto. One of these, David Hungate, also performed on Olivia Newton-John's album Totally Hot with Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. Other musicians here have previously worked with Elton John, Steely Dan, Bee Gees and others.
The album has sold over 6 million copies in the US in the SoundScan era (beginning 1991) in addition to the 8 million shipped in the years 1978-1984.[11][12]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic retrospectively rated the soundtrack four-and-a-half stars. He stated that "the originals hold up better than the '50s tunes", but that they "are so giddily enjoyable that everything works". He also said that "the sleek pop production the movie's soundtrack boasts and the cast's enthusiastic performances go a long way in making this Grease the definitive Grease."[13]
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grease" | Barry Gibb | Frankie Valli | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Summer Nights" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Hopelessly Devoted to You" | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John | 3:04 |
| 4. | "You're the One That I Want" | John Farrar | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Sandy" | Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon | John Travolta | 2:31 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Beauty School Dropout" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Frankie Avalon | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Dinah Manoff and Jamie Donnelly | 1:40 |
| 8. | "Greased Lightnin'" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta, Jeff Conaway | 3:13 |
| 9. | "It's Raining on Prom Night" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Cindy Bullens | 2:51 |
| 10. | "Alone at a Drive-In Movie" (instrumental) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | instrumental | 2:24 |
| 11. | "Blue Moon" | Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart | Sha-Na-Na | 2:18 |
Side three
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Rock n' Roll Is Here to Stay" | David White | Sha-Na-Na | 2:03 |
| 13. | "Those Magic Changes" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Sha-Na-Na | 2:18 |
| 14. | "Hound Dog" | Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller | Sha-Na-Na | 1:24 |
| 15. | "Born to Hand Jive" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Sha-Na-Na | 4:37 |
| 16. | "Tears on My Pillow" | Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis | Sha-Na-Na | 2:02 |
| 17. | "Mooning" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Louis St. Louis and Cindy Bullens | 2:15 |
Side four
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Untitled | Barry Gibb | ||
| 18. | "Freddy, My Love" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Cindy Bullens | 2:48 |
| 19. | "Rock n' Roll Party Queen" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Louis St. Louis | 2:11 |
| 20. | "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Stockard Channing | 2:22 |
| 21. | "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (reprise)" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | Olivia Newton-John | 1:40 |
| 22. | "We Go Together" | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 3:00 |
| 23. | "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" | Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster | Orchestral | 1:23 |
| 24. | "Grease" | Frankie Valli | 3:24 |
CD release
The CD of the soundtrack has been released twice in the US. In April 1991 it was released through Polydor Records as a single disc replicating the sequence of the original 1978 RSO LP. In September 2003 it was released by PolyGram as a 2-CD digitally-remastered "Deluxe Edition" containing additional tracks. As with the LP and single-disc CD, the songs are not presented in the order replicating their appearances in the movie.
| Deluxe edition bonus disc | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
| 1. | "Grease" (Instrumental version) | Barry Gibb | Gary Brown, saxophone | 3:23 |
| 2. | "Summer Nights" (Sing-a-long version) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | – | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (Sing-a-long version) | John Farrar | – | 3:03 |
| 4. | "You're the One That I Want" (Sing-a-long version) | John Farrar | – | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Sandy" (Sing-a-long version) | Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon | – | 2:30 |
| 6. | "Greased Lightnin'" (Single version) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta | 3:20 |
| 7. | "Rydell Fight Song" (Previously unreleased instrumental) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | – | 0:20 |
| 8. | "Greased Up and Ready to Go" (Previously unreleased instrumental) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | – | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Grease Megamix" ("You're the One That I Want"/"Greased Lightnin'"/"Summer Nights") | John Farrar Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 4:49 |
| 10. | "Grease Dream Mix" ("Grease"/"Sandy"/"Hopelessly Devoted to You") | Barry Gibb Louis St. Louis and Scott Simon John Farrar | Frankie Valli, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Summer Nights" (Martian remix) | Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 3:37 |
| 12. | "You're the One That I Want" (Martian remix) | John Farrar | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John | 3:25 |
40th anniversary vinyl reissue In August 2018, Polydor reissued the vinyl album to celebrate its original release in 1978. Released on 180g vinyl and mastered in half speed, it was the first time since its original release that it had used the original RSO record label in the artwork. No information was provided on who or where the record was half speed mastered.
Personnel
Vocalists
- Olivia Newton-John – vocals
- John Travolta – vocals
- Frankie Valli – vocals ("Grease")
- Barry Gibb – vocals ("Grease")
- Frankie Avalon - vocals ("Beauty School Drop Out")
- Background vocals: Curt Becher, Paulette K. Brown, Cindy Bullens, Beau Charles, Carol Chase, Kerry Chater, Loren Farber, John Farrar, Venetta Fields, Gerald Garrett, Jim Gilstrap, Mitch Gordon, Jim Haas, Patty Henderson, Ron Hicklin, Diana Lee, John Lehman, Maxayn Lewis, Melissa MacKay, Myrna Matthews, Marti McCall, Gene Merlino, Gene Morford, Lisa Roberts, Sally Stevens, Zedrick Turnbough, Jackie Ward, M. Ann White, Jerry Whitman
Musicians
- Drums: Ollie Brown, Carlos Vega, Cubby O'Brien, Ron Ziegler
- Bass: Mike Porcaro, David Hungate, Max Bennett, David Allen Ryan, Wm. J. Bodine, Dean Cortez, Harold Cowart
- Guitar: John Farrar, Tim May ("Born to Hand Jive"), Jay Graydon, Lee Ritenour, Dan Sawyer, Bob Rose, Dennis Budimir, Thomas Tedesco, Cliff Morris, Joey Murcia, Peter Frampton ("Grease"), George Terry ("Grease")
- Keyboards: Louis St. Louis, Greg Mathieson, Mike Land, Lincoln Majorca, Thomas Garvin, Ben Lanzarone, George Bitzer
- Saxophone: Ray Pizzi ("We Go Together" & "Greased Lightnin'"), Ernie Watts ("There Are Worse Things I Could Do" and "Alone at a Drive-In Movie"), Jerome Richardson, John Kelson, Jr.
- Trumpet: Albert Aarons, Robert Bryant
- Trombone: Lloyd Ulyate
- Percussion: Eddie "Bongo" Brown, Larry Bunker, Victor Feldman, Antoine Dearborn
- Harp: Dorothy Remsen, Gayle Levant
- Concertmaster: James Getzoff
- Contractor: Carl Fortina
- Copyist: Bob Borenstein
Production
- All selections except "Grease" arranged by: John Farrar, Michael Gibson, Louis St. Louis
- Strings on "Summer Nights" arranged by Ben Lanzarone
- Horns and Strings on "Greased Lightnin'" and "Born to Hand Jive" arranged by Michael Melvoin
- Karl Richardson – engineer ("Grease")
- Recorded at: Filmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood
United Western Studios, Hollywood
Hollywood Sound Recorders, Hollywood - Engineered by: David J. Holman, Jay Lewis, EirBilly Joel Wangberg, Michael Carneval, Karl Richardson ("Grease")
- All selections mixed and re-mixed by David J. Holman at Filmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, Hollywood [Except "Grease"]
- Produced by: Louis St. Louis and John Farrar; Barry Gibb, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson ("Grease")
- Album mastered at A&M Records by Bernie Grundman
- Art direction: Glenn Ross
- Album design: Tim Bryant/George Corsillo
- Photography: Alan Pappe/Lee Gross Assoc., Inc.
- Background photos: Ron Slenzak
Charts
Weekly charts
| Year | Chart (1978-98) | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | US Billboard 200 | 1 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[15] | 1 | |
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) | 1 | |
| 1991 | Australian Albums (ARIA) | 1 |
| 1998 | ||
Singles
| Release date | Single title | US | UK | AUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1978 | "Grease" | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| "You're the One That I Want" | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| August 25, 1978 | "Summer Nights" | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| September 9, 1978 | "Hopelessly Devoted to You" | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| "Sandy" | 2[8] | |||
| November 17, 1978 | "Greased Lightnin'" | 47 | 11[8] | 40 |
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[16] | 14× Platinum | 980,000^ |
| Belgium (BEA)[17] | Gold | 25,000* |
| Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Diamond | 1,000,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[19] | Platinum+Gold | 2,040,000[20] |
| Germany (BVMI)[21] | 5× Gold | 1,250,000^ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[22] | Platinum | 20,000*[23] |
| Japan | 1,100,000[24] | |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway)[26] | 200,000[27] | |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[29] | Gold | 25,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | 8× Platinum | 2,580,000[31] |
| United States (RIAA)[32] | 8× Platinum | 14,000,000+[12] |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
- +Does not include sales from November 7, 1984 through March 1, 1991, the dates between the album's last certification and the date Nielsen SoundScan began tracking album sales.[33]
See also
References
- 1 2 Fong-Torres, Ben (October 5, 1978). "Al Coury Owns Number One". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. (275): 40.
- ↑ Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture Deluxe Edition. CD liner notes. 2003. Various Artists. Polydor Records. 9809773.
- Note: Liner notes read under "Greased Lightnin' (Single Version)" that single was issued by RSO in 1978 with catalog number RS909.
- ↑ stugreenfield (2015-12-28). "Top 5 Best Selling Film Soundtracks of All Time". PPcorn. Retrieved 2017-04-02.
- ↑ Allmusic - US charts
- ↑ "John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ "Frankie Valli - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ "Olivia Newton-John - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- 1 2 3 "John Travolta - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ Churchill, Michael (23 September 2013). British Albums Chart - All Time Top 1000. London: Lulu.com. p. 105. ISBN 9781291569773. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
- ↑ "BBC Radio 2 - UK's Million Sellers with Tony Blackburn". BBC.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Grease". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- 1 2 Paul Grein (November 21, 2012). "Week Ending Nov. 18, 2012. Albums: Xtina Slips Despite "The Voice"". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture at AllMusic
- ↑ "Grease [The Soundtrack from the Motion Picture]". AllMusic.
- ↑ "Number 1 Albums – 1970s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ↑ "ARIA Catalogue Albums Chart – 03/12/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. 2012-03-12. Archived from the original on 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2012-03-12.
- ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Grease". Music Canada.
- ↑ "French album certifications – BOF – Grease" (in French). InfoDisc. Select BOF and click OK.
- ↑ Vieira, Guillaume (March 29, 2016). "France best selling albums ever: Grease Soundtrack (1978)". Chart Masters. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (O.S.T. - Various; 'Grease')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- ↑ "Gold Disc Award 1979". IFPI. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ↑ "Gold Disc Award Criteria". IFPI. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ↑ Vieira, Guillaume (August 25, 2016). "CSPC: Grease Popularity Analysis". Chart Masters. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Various – Grease Soundtrack". Recorded Music NZ.
- ↑ "Norwegian album certifications – Various – Grease Soundtrack" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
- ↑ "Norway Reports". Billboard. 14 July 1979. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ↑ "Spanish album certifications – John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John – Grease Soundtrack" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select album under "Chart", enter 1991 in the field "Year". Select the certification month in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts".
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Soundtrack; 'Grease')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Grease - OST". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Grease - OST in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ↑ Myers, Justin (October 24, 2015). "Quiz: Who sold more?". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ↑ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Grease". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
- ↑ "Get Your Mind Right: Underground Vs. Mainstream". Cheri Media Group. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
