Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | ||||
Released | April 14, 1978 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1977–1978 | |||
Studio | Filmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; United Western Studios, Los Angeles, California; Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California; Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 63:14 | |||
Label | RSO | |||
Producer |
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Olivia Newton-John albums chronology | ||||
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Singles from Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture | ||||
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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 between 1984 and 1991. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time, also ranking amongst the biggest selling soundtrack albums of all time. [3] The song "You're the One That I Want" was a U.S. and UK No. 1 for stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.
Besides performers John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the album also featured songs by rock and 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. No. 1.
The soundtrack was released on 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.[ citation needed ]
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 is featured twice on the soundtrack and performed 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 Broadway 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 Cidny (then Cindy) Bullens or converted to instrumentals. Songs in the musical that were not performed by Rizzo, Danny, Sandy, the Teen Angel, 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). Rizzo's 11 o'clock number "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" was only kept in the film at Channing's fervent insistence, as she felt the song (and the storyline behind it) was necessary to prevent Rizzo from becoming a one-dimensional caricature. [4]
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 Academy Award-nominated "Hopelessly Devoted to You". [5] 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. [6] [7] [8] [9] The soundtrack album hit the top of the charts in the US 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. [10] [ self-published source? ] 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). [11] "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 members of Toto. One of these, David Hungate, also performed on Newton-John's album Totally Hot with Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. Other musicians on the soundtrack had previously worked with Elton John, Steely Dan, Bee Gees and others.[ when? ] The Grease album, as well as the soundtrack for the film, were recorded and mixed by David J. Holman.
The album has sold over 6.1 million copies in the U.S. in the SoundScan era (beginning 1991) in addition to the 8 million shipped in the years 1978–1984. [12] [13]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [15] |
In their review, Billboard stated that "RSO follows its record breaking Saturday Night Fever soundtrack with another apparent smash film track. The double pocket set contains 24 cuts of original Broadway material as well as new material written specifically for this contemporized version. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta shine with their best vocal efforts, especially Newton-John on the rapidly rising single "You're The One That I Want."" [16]
Cashbox noted that "the former Broadway hit sounds like a winner on vinyl, too. With great vocals from stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta and help from Sha-Na-Na, Frankie Valli and Peter Frampton, this 2- LP set should slide to the top of the pop chart. One hit single is already out, and more will follow." [17]
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" due in large part to Sha Na Na's workmanlike performances of the latter. Erlewine added however that the original songs "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." [14] The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards. [18]
All tracks written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Grease" | Barry Gibb | Frankie Valli | 3:24 |
2. | "Summer Nights" | 3:35 | ||
3. | "Hopelessly Devoted to You" | John Farrar | Olivia Newton-John | 3:04 |
4. | "You're the One That I Want" | John Farrar |
| 2:48 |
5. | "Sandy" | John Travolta | 2:31 | |
Total length: | 15:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Beauty School Dropout" | Frankie Avalon | 3:59 | |
7. | "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" | 1:40 | ||
8. | "Greased Lightnin'" |
| 3:13 | |
9. | "It's Raining on Prom Night" | Cindy Bullens | 2:51 | |
10. | "Alone at a Drive-In Movie" | Instrumental | 2:24 | |
11. | "Blue Moon" |
| Sha-Na-Na | 2:18 |
Total length: | 16:25 |
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" | Sha-Na-Na | 2:18 | |
14. | "Hound Dog" | Jerry Leiber · Mike Stoller | Sha-Na-Na | 1:24 |
15. | "Born to Hand Jive" | Sha-Na-Na | 4:37 | |
16. | "Tears on My Pillow" |
| Sha-Na-Na | 2:02 |
17. | "Mooning" |
| 2:15 | |
Total length: | 14:39 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
18. | "Freddy, My Love" | Cindy Bullens | 2:48 | |
19. | "Rock n' Roll Party Queen" | Louis St. Louis | 2:11 | |
20. | "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" | Stockard Channing | 2:22 | |
21. | "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" (reprise) | Olivia Newton-John | 1:40 | |
22. | "We Go Together" |
| 3:00 | |
23. | "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (Instrumental)" | Orchestral | 1:23 | |
24. | "Grease" (reprise) | Barry Gibb | Frankie Valli | 3:24 |
Total length: | 16:38 |
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.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Grease" (Instrumental version) | Barry Gibb | Gary Brown, saxophone | 3:23 |
2. | "Summer Nights" (Sing-a-long version) | 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) | John Travolta | 3:20 | |
7. | "Rydell Fight Song" (Previously unreleased instrumental) | 0:20 | ||
8. | "Greased Up and Ready to Go" (Previously unreleased instrumental) | 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 The 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) | 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 |
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.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [60] | 14× Platinum | 1,010,000 [61] |
Austria | — | 70,000 [62] |
Belgium (BEA) [63] | Gold | 40,000 [64] |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [65] | Gold | 100,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [66] | Diamond | 1,115,000 [67] |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [68] | 7× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Finland | — | 40,000 [69] |
France (SNEP) [70] | Platinum | 1,300,000 [71] |
Germany (BVMI) [72] | 5× Gold | 1,750,000 [73] |
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [74] | Platinum | 20,000* |
Italy (FIMI) [75] sales since 2009 | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Japan | — | 442,410 [76] |
Netherlands | — | 1,000,000 [77] |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [78] | 6× Platinum | 250,000 [79] |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [80] | Platinum | 250,000 [81] |
Singapore | — | 9,000 [82] |
Singapore (RIAS) [83] reissue | Gold | 8,000 [83] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [84] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
Sweden | — | 150,000 [85] |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [86] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [87] | 9× Platinum | 2,700,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [88] | 13× Platinum | 16,999,000 [89] [13] [90] |
Summaries | ||
Southeast Asia | — | 80,000 [82] |
Worldwide | — | 30,000,000 [3] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British and Australian singer and actress. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included fifteen top-ten singles, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200: If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Eleven of her singles and fourteen of her albums have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Saturday Night Fever is the soundtrack album from the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. The soundtrack was released on November 15, 1977 by RSO Records. Prior to the release of Thriller by Michael Jackson, Saturday Night Fever was the best-selling album in music history, and still ranks among the best-selling soundtrack albums worldwide, with sales figures of over 40 million copies.
Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Randal Kleiser from a screenplay by Bronté Woodard and an adaptation by co-producer Allan Carr, based on the 1972 stage musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The film depicts the lives of greaser Danny Zuko and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson, who develop an attraction for each other during a summer romance.
Xanadu is the soundtrack to the 1980 musical film of the same name, featuring the Australian singer Olivia Newton-John and the British group Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in June 1980 on MCA Records in the United States and July 1980 by Jet Records in the United Kingdom. The original LP release featured on side one the songs of Newton-John, and on side two the songs of ELO. In 2008 the soundtrack album was digitally remastered as a bonus CD as part of the film's DVD release titled Xanadu: Magical Musical Edition.
"You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical Grease. It was written and produced by John Farrar, and released in 1978 by RSO Records as the second single from Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture. The song is one of the best-selling singles in history to date, having sold over 4 million copies in the United States and the United Kingdom alone, with estimates of more than 15 million copies sold overall.
"The Grease Megamix" is a megamix released in 1990 to commemorate the video release of Grease. The single was credited to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and released via Polydor Records. It was created by Phil Harding and Ian Curnow for PWL by the request of Polydor Records, who supplied copies of the original multi-track recordings. The megamix topped the charts of Australia and Spain and became a top-five hit in Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
Physical is the eleventh studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released through MCA Records on 13 October 1981. The album was produced and partly written by her long-time record producer John Farrar. Recorded and mixed at David J. Holman's studio in Los Angeles additional recording at Ocean Way, Physical became one of Newton-John's most controversial and sexual records, and her most successful studio album. Musically, the album features considerable use of synthesizers, and it explores lyrical themes such as love and relationships, sex, and environmental protection. Upon its release, while the album was a success it received positive reviews from music critics, many of them considering it to be Newton-John's best effort. The album charted high in several countries, including the United States, Japan and Newton-John's native Australia, becoming one of the most successful albums of the early 1980s. It also ranks among the best-selling albums by Australian solo artists, selling more than ten million copies worldwide.
Clearly Love is the sixth studio album by Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1975.
Totally Hot is the tenth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 21 November 1978. Commercially, it became her first top-ten album on the Billboard 200 chart since Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Dressed on the album cover all in leather, Newton-John's transformation was seen to mirror her character Sandy's transformation in Grease. At the time, Totally Hot was her most successful album and became her first album to receive a Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Summer Nights" is a popular song from the musical Grease. Written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, its best-known version was recorded by American actor and singer John Travolta and British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 big-screen adaptation of the musical, and released as a single that same year. It was released in August 1978 as the fourth single from the movie's soundtrack album and became a massive hit worldwide during the summer of 1978. Parts of the song were introduced to a new audience when it was re-released in the 1990s as part of a megamix of several songs from the movie version.
Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 is a greatest hits album by Olivia Newton-John released on 3 September 1982 in North America, Australasia, Scandinavia, South Africa and certain Asian and Latin American territories. It was her second greatest hits album released in North America and her third in other territories.
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" is a song recorded by British-Australian singer, songwriter and actress Olivia Newton-John for Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978). It was written and produced by John Farrar and originally performed by Newton-John in the film version of the musical Grease (1978). The song reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. On the country chart, "Hopelessly Devoted to You" peaked at number 20 and was her first top 20 country hit in two years. Newton-John performed the song at the 21st Grammy Awards in 1979. The song was released in Australia in August 1978 and peaked at number two.
"Grease" is a song written by Barry Gibb and recorded by Frankie Valli : it was released as a single in May 1978. It is the title song for the musical motion picture Grease of that year, which was in turn based on the 1971 stage play Grease. The song celebrates the greaser lifestyle. It sold over seven million copies worldwide and appeared twice on the film's soundtrack, first as the opening track and again as the closing track. "Grease" is one of four songs written specifically for the film that had not been in the stage production.
The albums discography of British-Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John consists of twenty-six studio albums, six live albums, fourteen compilations and six soundtracks. According to Billboard, Newton-John is the 44th most successful artist of all time. She is also listed as the 36th top female artist on the Billboard 200 all-time female list. To date, she has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.
"Suddenly" is a duet performed by Olivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard from the soundtrack Xanadu, and is the love theme from the 1980 film of the same name. It was written and produced by John Farrar.
Two of a Kind: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of the film of the same name released in 1983 by MCA Records and features songs by the film's star Olivia Newton-John, as well as songs from various other artists.
This Christmas is a Christmas album by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, released on November 9, 2012, by Universal Music Enterprises. The first time that Travolta and Newton-John worked together was on the musical film Grease (1978), in which they performed the songs "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights". Both the film and the songs were a commercial phenomenon. This album is the first new artistic work they have done together since the 1983 film Two of a Kind. This Christmas is also the 25th studio album, following the 2008 release A Celebration in Song, and the third all-new Christmas album by Newton-John.
"Greased Lightnin'" is a song from the 1971 musical Grease which was also adapted into the 1978 film Grease. A soundtrack recording from the film version, with John Travolta on lead vocals, peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978.
"Sandy" is a song from the 1978 film Grease, written by Louis St. Louis and Screamin' Scott Simon, and performed by John Travolta, in character as Danny Zuko. It was released as a single in several countries, giving Travolta a no. 2 hit in the UK.
The singles discography of British-Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John consists of 70 singles, three as a featured artist and 25 promotional recordings. She was a four-time Grammy award winner who amassed five number-one and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, seven Top Ten Billboard Hot Country singles, and two number-one Billboard 200 solo albums. Ten of her singles topped Billboard's adult contemporary music singles chart. Eleven of her singles have been certified gold by the RIAA. She sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.
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