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 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.

Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedApril 14, 1978[1]
Recorded1977–1978
StudioFilmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; United Western Studios, Los Angeles, California; Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California; Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida
Genre
Length63:14
LabelRSO
Producer
Olivia Newton-John albums chronology
Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits
(1977)		 Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
(1978)		 Totally Hot
(1978)
Singles from Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture
  1. "Grease"
    Released: May 6, 1978
  2. "You're the One That I Want"
    Released: May 17, 1978
  3. "Hopelessly Devoted to You"
    Released: August 7, 1978
  4. "Summer Nights"
    Released: August 25, 1978
  5. "Sandy"
    Released: September 29, 1978
  6. "Greased Lightnin'"
    Released: 1978[2]

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.

Background

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.

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] 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. 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 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]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[14]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[15]

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.[16]

Track listing

All tracks written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, except where noted.

Original 1978 release
Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Grease"Barry GibbFrankie Valli3:24
2."Summer Nights" 
3:35
3."Hopelessly Devoted to You"John FarrarOlivia Newton-John3:04
4."You're the One That I Want"John Farrar
  • John Travolta
  • Olivia Newton-John
2:48
5."Sandy"
John Travolta2:31
Total length:15:22
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
6."Beauty School Dropout" Frankie Avalon3:59
7."Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" 
1:40
8."Greased Lightnin'" 
3:13
9."It's Raining on Prom Night" Cindy Bullens2:51
10."Alone at a Drive-In Movie" Instrumental2:24
11."Blue Moon"
Sha-Na-Na2:18
Total length:16:25
Side Three
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
12."Rock n' Roll Is Here to Stay"David WhiteSha-Na-Na2:03
13."Those Magic Changes" Sha-Na-Na2:18
14."Hound Dog"Jerry Leiber · Mike StollerSha-Na-Na1:24
15."Born to Hand Jive" Sha-Na-Na4:37
16."Tears on My Pillow"
Sha-Na-Na2:02
17."Mooning" 
  • Louis St. Louis
  • Cindy Bullens
2:15
Total length:14:39
Side Four
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
18."Freddy, My Love" Cindy Bullens2:48
19."Rock n' Roll Party Queen" Louis St. Louis2:11
20."There Are Worse Things I Could Do" Stockard Channing2:22
21."Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" (reprise) Olivia Newton-John1:40
22."We Go Together" 
  • John Travolta
  • Olivia Newton-John
3:00
23."Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (Instrumental)"
Orchestral1:23
24."Grease" (reprise)Barry GibbFrankie Valli3:24
Total length:16:38

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.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."Grease" (Instrumental version)Barry GibbGary Brown, saxophone3:23
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 Travolta3:20
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-John4:49
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-John3:59
11."Summer Nights" (Martian remix) John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John3:37
12."You're the One That I Want" (Martian remix)John FarrarJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John3:25

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.

Performers

Vocalists

Musicians

Production

[17]

Charts

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[56] 14× Platinum 1,010,000[57]
Austria — 70,000[58]
Belgium (BEA)[59] Gold 40,000[60]
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[61] Gold 100,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[62] Diamond 1,115,000[63]
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[64] 7× Platinum 140,000‡
Finland — 40,000[65]
France (SNEP)[66] Platinum 1,300,000[67]
Germany (BVMI)[68] 5× Gold 1,750,000[69]
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[70] Platinum 20,000*
Italy (FIMI)[71]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 50,000‡
Japan — 442,410[72]
Netherlands — 1,000,000[73]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[74] 6× Platinum 250,000[75]
Norway (IFPI Norway)[76] Platinum 250,000[77]
Singapore — 9,000[78]
Singapore (RIAS)[79]
reissue 		Gold 8,000[79]
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[80] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Sweden — 150,000[81]
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[82] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[83] 9× Platinum 2,700,000‡
United States (RIAA)[84] 8× Platinum 16,899,000[85][13][86]
Summaries
Southeast Asia — 80,000[78]
Worldwide — 30,000,000[3]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References
  1. Fong-Torres, Ben (5 October 1978). "Al Coury Owns Number One". Rolling Stone. No. 275. Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 40.
  2. 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.
  3. Sexton, Paul (9 August 2022). "'Grease': How A Nostalgic Soundtrack Became A Timeless 30-Million-Selling Smash". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  4. 7 'Grease' Facts You May Not Have Known
  5. Allmusic - US charts
  6. "John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  7. "Frankie Valli - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  8. "Olivia Newton-John - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  9. "John Travolta - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  10. Churchill, Michael (23 September 2013). British Albums Chart - All Time Top 1000. London: Lulu.com. p. 105. ISBN 9781291569773. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  11. "BBC Radio 2 - UK's Million Sellers with Tony Blackburn". BBC.
  12. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Grease". Recording Industry Association of America.
  13. Paul Grein (21 November 2012). "Week Ending Nov. 18, 2012. Albums: Xtina Slips Despite "The Voice"". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  14. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture at AllMusic
  15. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: G". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  16. "Louis St. Louis". GRAMMY.com. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
  17. "Grease [The Soundtrack from the Motion Picture]". AllMusic.
  18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  19. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – Grease" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6955a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Soundtrack – Grease" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  22. "Hits of the World". Billboard. 10 March 1979. p. 90. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  23. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  24. Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp Print Us. ISBN 9781094705002.
  25. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. p. 349. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  26. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  27. "Norwegiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  28. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 23 December 1978. p. 183. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  29. "Swedishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  31. "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  32. "Cash Box Top Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  33. "Australiancharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  34. "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Grease" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  35. "Ultratop.be – Soundtrack – Grease" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  36. "Lescharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  37. "Soundtrack Chart History (Top Catalog Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  38. "Danishcharts.dk – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  39. "Spanishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  40. "Swisscharts.com – Soundtrack – Grease". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  41. "Soundtrack Chart History (Soundtrack Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  42. "Jahreshitparade 1978" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  43. "Top 100 Albums of '78". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  44. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1978" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  45. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  46. "Top Selling Albums of 1978 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  47. "Jahreshitparade 1979" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  48. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  49. "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  50. "End of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1991". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  51. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  52. "End of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 1998". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  53. "Jaaroverzichten 1998" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  54. "Rapports annuels 1998" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  55. "Top Albums de l'année" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  56. "ARIA Catalogue Albums Chart – 03/12/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. 12 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2012.
  57. "The Music Australia Loved". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  58. Schreiber, Manfred (13 January 1979). "From The Music Capitols Of The World - Vienna" (PDF). Billboard. p. 74. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  59. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  60. Robertshaw, Nick (16 September 1978). ""Grease" Is A European Musical Phenomenon". Billboard. p. 56. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  61. "Coury Mines Gold" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 March 1979. p. 45. Retrieved 10 October 2020 – via World radio History.
  62. "Canadian album certifications – Various Artists – Grease". Music Canada.
  63. "Supertramp Closing On 2 Million" (PDF). Billboard. 15 March 1980. p. 66. Retrieved 6 June 2022 – via World Radio History.
  64. "Danish album certifications – Diverse – Grease (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  65. Helopatio, Kari (6 January 1979). "From the Music Capitals of the World - Helsinki". Billboard. p. 67. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  66. "French album certifications – B.O.F. – Grease" (in French). InfoDisc. Select B.O.F. and click OK. 
  67. Hamard, Jonathan (27 July 2010). "Quelles sont les B.O les plus vendues en France ?". Charts in France (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  68. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (O.S.T. - Various; 'Grease')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  69. "West Germany - The Year in Review - Bellaphon". Billboard. 8 December 1979. p. G-10. Retrieved 6 June 2022 – via Google Books.
  70. "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1979". IFPI Hong Kong.
  71. "Italian album certifications – Artisti Vari – Grease" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 March 2022. Select "2022" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Grease" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  72. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. p. 349. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  73. Guido Van Der Heijden & Annemiek Leclaire (14 July 1995). "Nederlandse violist verkoopt meer dan de Beatles". Trouw. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  74. "New Zealand album certifications – Various – Grease Soundtrack". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  75. Gifford, Phil (17 March 1979). "Tax Clouds Growth And Dampens Local Talent Development" (PDF). Billboard. p. SA-6. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  76. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  77. Bakkemoen, Kurt (19 March 1980). "Biggest Norwegian Sellers" (PDF). Billboard. p. 113. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  78. Peter Ong (6 January 1979). "Southeast Asia Marts Hot For 'Fever'". Billboard. 91 (1): 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 6 June 2022 – via Google Books.
  79. "Singapore Films". Billboard. 110 (32): APQ-4. 8 August 1998. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  80. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 930. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  81. Schulman, Leif (20 January 1979). "Sweden Pushes Local Product" (PDF). Billboard. p. 106. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  82. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Soundtrack; 'Grease')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  83. "British album certifications – Original Soundtrack – Grease - OST". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  84. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Grease". Recording Industry Association of America.
  85. Murrells, Joseph (1985). Million selling records from the 1900s to the 1980s : an illustrated directory. Arco Pub. p. 450. ISBN 0668064595. The album begun to register huge sales in the U.S.A. (it had been shipped platinum) and finally sold over 10 million there
  86. David, Barry (8 February 2003). "Shania, Backstreet, Britney, Eminem and Janet Top All Time Sellers". Music Industry News Network. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.