50 years ago: Funny Girl opened on Broadway

Funny Girl Jule Styne (music), Bob Merrill & Walter Scharf (lyrics)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: March 26, 1964 Number of Performances: 1348 Opened at London’s West End: April 13, 1966 Number of Performances: ? Movie Release: September 19, 1968

Cast Album

Charted: May 2, 1964 Peak: 2 US, 19 UK Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 2.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Charted: September 28, 1968 Peak: 12 US Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Genre: show tunes

Songs on Cast Album: Overture If a Girl Isn’t Pretty I’m the Greatest Star Cornet Man Who Taught Her Everything? His Love Makes Me Beautiful I Want to Be Seen with You Tonight Henry Street People You Are Woman Don’t Rain on My Parade Sadie, Sadie Find Yourself a Man Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat Who Are You Now? The Music That Makes Me Dance Don’t Rain on My Parade (Reprise) Songs on Soundtrack: Overture I’m the Greatest Star Roller Skate Rag I’d Rather Be Blue Over You Than Happy with Somebody Else His Love Makes Me Beautiful People You Are Woman, I Am Man Don’t Rain on My Parade Sadie, Sadie The Swan Funny Girl My Man Finale Singles/Hit Songs: These are songs from this musical which became hits: “People” – Barbra Streisand (#5, 1964) ”Funny Girl” – Barbra Streisand (#44, 1964) ”Don’t Rain on My Parade” – Glee Cast (#53, 2009)

Rating: 4.702 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings for cast album and soundtrack combined) Awards (Cast Album and Soundtrack): (Click on award to learn more).

About the Show and Cast Album: “This recording of the Fanny Brice biomusical has that wonderful collection of Jule Styne-Bob Merrill songs; vivid performances by Sydney Chaplin as Nick Arnstein, Kay Medford as Fanny’s mother, Danny Meehan as her showbiz pal Eddie Ryan, and Jean Stapleton as a family friend; a killer overture, more than good enough to rival Gypsy’s; Ralph Burns’ opulent orchestrations; and Milton Rosenstock’s excellent musical direction/conducting.” CA “But what matters most is Barbra Streisand, who deservedly shot to super-stardom playing Brice. She’s never been fresher or more appealing than she is here in I’m the Greatest Star, Cornet Man, Who Are You Now?, Don’t Rain on My Parade, “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” and the definitive rendition of People. Streisand uses her sprawling belt, liberally doused with her natural tenacity and eccentricity, to make these songs sound like no one else should even think about singing them for fear of paling in comparison. Even so, her ambitious approach to the songs is always held in check by a complete commitment to character. More than 50 years after this cast album was made, Streisand’s performance still represents the best of what Broadway can be, and propels the recording from ‘excellent’ to ‘essential.’” CA About the Movie and Soundtrack: Streisand reprised her role as Fanny Brice for the movie and won an Academy Award for her performance. However,“the heartfelt emotions she summons on the original Broadway cast recording eminently preferable to the affected, manufactured emoting she does on the film soundtrack.” CA “Strictly in terms of vocal quality, Streisand probably sounds better on the soundtrack than on the Broadway album, but the mile-thick shell of artifice is very off-putting” CA as “Streisand’s bottomless self-indulgence is given full rein here.” CA “The film is notable for the almost complete absence of any singing by other characters; we hear only little bits from Kay Medford, back as Fanny’s mom, and Omar Sharif as Nicky Arnstein.” CA “There are drastic changes to the tune stack, with some of Styne and Merrill’s best work cut. Replacements include two old songs associated with Brice, My Man and I’d Rather Be Blue; and some new numbers written by Styne and Merrill, including the lame Roller Skate Rag and The Swan, plus a superfluous title song that has no heart in it.” CA

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Jule Styne CA CastAlbumReviews.com by Matthew Murray First posted 12/24/2021.

50 years ago: Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii soundtrack hit #1 for 1st of 20 weeks

First posted 4/9/2008; updated 9/29/2020.

Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley

Released: October 1, 1961 Charted: October 23, 1961 Peak: 120 US, 118 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, -- UK, 3.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rock and roll

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Blue Hawaii [2:36] Almost Always True [2:25] Aloha Oe [1:53] No More [2:22] Can’t Help Falling in Love (Creatore/ Peretti/ Weiss) [3:01] (11/22/61, 2 US, 1 AC, 1 UK, 4 CN, 3 AU, sales: 1.6 million) Rock-a-Hula Baby [1:59] (12/4/61, 23 US, 3 UK) Moonlight Swim [2:20] Ku-U-I-Po [2:22] It Eats [1:23] Slicin' Sand [1:36] Hawaiian Sunset [2:32] Beach Boy Blues [2:03] Island of Love [2:41] Hawaiian Wedding Song [2:48] Total Running Time: 32:02

Rating: 3.319 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: “After his return from military service, Elvis Presley’s movies, and the soundtracks to them, began taking on a formulaic quality – the early ones, however, such as G.I. Blues and this release, still had enough interest on the part of the makers and the singer, however, to make them attractive if flawed efforts.” BE This “soundtrack of what was to be Elvis’ biggest movie called for an Hawaiianesque flavor” NU “that doesn’t necessarily present Elvis in anything like his strongest musical setting.” BE “While Presley’s vocals are excellent throughout, much of the material is of a throwaway caliber.” NU But in between and around tracks like Aloha Oe and other pieces of music lifted from the local color, there are songs such as No More and, most importantly, Can’t Help Falling in Love (arguably the best song in any Elvis movie, and maybe the best song ever written for a rock & roll movie) that show him at his best – his singing was advancing with each passing month, and with the right material he was still one of the most compelling and charismatic vocalists on the planet, and here, for those two songs, he had the right material, which was more than enough.” BE “It was even enough to overcome the weakness of Rock-A-Hula Baby, a third-rate song” BE “as dumb as the title implies.” NU The song “became an international hit and proved that at this point, Elvis could probably have sung the telephone book and made it chart.” BE “The expanded edition is mostly filled out with the songs as arranged and mastered for their on-screen incarnations, which are slightly different in emphasis, texture, and accompaniment – even here, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ is different enough to justify the purchase of the special edition. The sound on all of this is impeccable, state of the art, and gives the singer his due and more in terms of fidelity and richness…This release captures Elvis’ singing at a point that – as the quality of the songs in his movies declined in the years to come – fans would soon regard as a golden age.” BE Notes: The 1997 CD reissue includes alternate takes of “Blue Hawaii,” “No More,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “Rock-a-Hula Baby,” “Slicin’ Sand,” and “Beach Boy Blues.” Also included are two versions of “Steppin’ Out of Line,” a song not featured on the original soundtrack.

Resources and Related Links: Elvis Presley’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry BE Bruce Eder, All Music Guide NU Neal Umphred, All Music Guide

The Footloose soundtrack began a 10-week run at #1

Footloose (soundtrack) Various Artists

Released: January 31, 1984 Peak: 110 US, 7 UK, 19 CN, 2 AU Sales (in millions): 9.0 US, -- UK, 16.9 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop rock

Tracks: Song Title (PERFORMER) (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Footloose (KENNY LOGGINS) (Dean Pitchford, Kenny Loggins) [3:46] (1/28/84, 1 US, 2 AR, 6 UK, sales: 1 million, airplay: 1 million) Let’s Hear It for the Boy (DENIECE WILLIAMS) (Pitchford, Tom Snow) [4:20] (4/7/84, 1 US, 1 RB, 3 AC, 2 UK, sales: 1 million, airplay: 2 million) Almost Paradise (ANN WILSON & MIKE RENO) (Pitchford, Eric Carmen) [3:50] (5/12/84, 7 US, 1 AC, airplay: 2 million) Holding Out for a Hero (BONNIE TYLER) (Pitchford, Jim Steinman) [5:50] (2/25/84, 34 US, 2 UK) Dancing in the Sheets (SHALAMAR) (Pitchford, Bill Wolfer) [4:03] (2/25/84, 17 US, 18 RB, 41 UK) I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man) (KENNY LOGGINS) (Pitchford, Loggins) [3:46] (5/5/84, 22 US, 42 AR) Somebody’s Eyes (KARLA BONOFF) (Pitchford, Snow) [3:33] (8/4/84, 16 AC) The Girl Gets Around (SAMMY HAGAR) (Pitchford, Hagar) [3:22] Never (MOVING PICTURES) (Pitchford, Michael Gore) [3:45] Total Running Time: 36:25

Rating: 4.204 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings) Quotable: “A light, entertaining listen. Sometimes, that can be better than something substantial” – Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Footloose was a throwback to ‘50s rock & roll movies, with a silly plot about a town where it was illegal to dance.” AMG When outsider Ren (Bacon) comes to town, he’s stunned by the antiquated no-dancing-allowed law and becomes a rebel with a cause. His effort to fight the system puts him at odds with the town council and local preacher (John Lithgow). Surprisingly, it was based on real events in the present day. In 1981, the high school junior class in the Oklahoma town of Elmore City petitioned to overturn an 1898 law outlawing dancing so they could hold a prom. Reverend F.R. Johnson, from the nearby town of Hennepin, declared,“No good has ever come from a dance... When boys and girls hold each other they get sexually aroused.” 405 The idea to turn it into a movie came from Dean Pitchford, a songwriter who worked on Fame with Michael Gore in 1980. As the lyricist for the title song, Pitchford won an Academy Award for the title song, a top-five hit for Irene Cara. Pitchford, a novice to screenwriting, turned to Craig Brewer to craft Footloose into a movie. It ended up topping the box office for three weeks in early 1984. It went on to rake in $80 million domestically and ranked #6 for the year. BO The album was one of only five to top the Billboard 200 in 1984, along with Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Prince’s Purple Rain, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A., and Huey Lewis & the News’ Sports. It went on to be one of the top-ten best-selling soundtracks of all time. MF “It’s easy to see why – the album delivers its mainstream pop, anthemic rock, and light dance-pop with style and an abundance of hooks.” AMG The toe-tapping, call-to-dance title cut ousted Van Halen’s “Jump” (also propelled by a can’t-sit-still manic energy) from the top of the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 31. It ended up ranked #4 for the year. BB It was the biggest hit of Loggins’ career, but it wasn’t his first trip to the top 10. He’d reached #4 with the 1972 Loggins & Messina song “Your Mama Don’t Dance” and hit #5 in 1978 with “Whenever I Call You Friend,” a duet with Stevie Nicks. In 1980, Loggins proved his hit-making talents could translate to the movies when “I’m Alright,” from Caddyshack, got to #7. The “frothy, charming Let’s Hear It for the Boy” AMG was released as the next single and also found itself reaching the pole position on the Billboard pop charts. Like Loggins, Deniece Williams had previously reached the top-10 previously. “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” peaked at #10 in 1982. The album generated a third top-10 hit with “the excellent power ballad Almost Paradise.” AMG Once again, the song was given a huge bump because of the proven hit-makers on vocals. Mike Reno had racked up five top-40 hits as the lead singer of Loverboy while Ann Wilson had reached the top-40 nine times with Heart, including the top 10 hits “Magic Man” and “Tell It Like It Is.” While some soundtracks were cobbled together from leftovers by big-name artists alongside a few songs written with the movie in mind, Footloose broke the mold. It did still follow the template of lining up as many A-listers as possible, but the songs bore the distinction of all being co-written by Pitchford. By the time Footlose completed its chart dominance, seven of its nine songs had charted with six of them reaching the top 40. “The sound and production of Footloose has dated badly – there is a reliance on synthesizers and drum machines that instantly announces that the record was made in 1984 – but that isn’t necessarily a weakness. Not only does it function as a time capsule of a certain moment in pop music history, but many of the songs are catchy enough to transcend their production. There’s nothing of substance on the Footloose soundtrack, but it’s a light, entertaining listen. Sometimes, that can be better than something substantial.” AMG Notes: An expanded edition of the soundtrack added Quiet Riot’s “Bang Your Head (Metal Health),” John Cougar “Hurts So Good,” and Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” all of which were hits prior to the soundtrack. The expanded version also includes another version of “Dancing in the Sheets.”

Resources and Related Links: 405 405 Magazine (5/26/2015). “Dance Fever: The Town That Inspired (and Got) Footloose by M.J. Alexander AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine BO Box Office Mojo MF Mental Floss (12/13/2018). “The 20 Best-Selling Movie Soundtracks of All Time” by Austin Thompson NRR National Recording Registry DW Dave Whitaker (2022). “National Recording Registry: ‘Footloose’ – Kenny Loggins” WK Wikipedia First posted 12/25/2008; last updated 1/25/2022.

American Graffiti soundtrack released

American Graffiti Various Artists

Released: August 2, 1973 Recorded: 1953-1973 Peak: 10 US, 37 UK, 12 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US Genre: rock ‘n’ roll oldies

Tracks, Disc 1: Artist “Song Title” [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Bill Haley & His Comets “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock” (5/10/54, 1 US, 1 HP, 1 CB, 1 HR, 3 RB, 1 UK, 26 CN, 1 AU) The Crests “16 Candles” (11/24/58, 2 US, 3 CB, 3 HR, 4 RB) Del Shannon “Runaway” (3/6/61, 1 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 3 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU) Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” (2/10/56, 6 US, 6 CB, 2 HR, 1 RB, 1 UK) Buddy Holly & the Crickets “That’ll Be the Day” (5/27/57, 1 US, 3 CB, 3 HR, 2 RB, 1 UK) Buster Brown “Fanny Mae” (12/7/59, 38 US, 34 CB, 36 HR, 1 RB) Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids “At the Hop” (1973) Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids “She’s So Fine” (1973) The Diamonds “The Stroll” (12/23/57, 4 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 5 RB) The Tempos “See You in September” (6/27/59, 23 US, 22 CB, 26 HR) The Beach Boys “Surfin’ Safari” (6/4/62, 14 US, 10 CB, 12 HR, 34, 48 AU) The Fleetwoods “He’s the Great Imposter” (8/28/61, 30 US, 41 CB, 51 HR) Chuck Berry “Almost Grown” (3/30/59, 32 US, 31 CB, 35 HR, 3 RB) The Platters “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” (11/17/58, 1 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 3 RB, 1 UK, 1 CN, 1 AU) The Diamonds “Little Darlin’” (3/2/57, 2 US, 1 HP, 2 CB, 1 HR, 2 RB, 3 UK) Joey Dee & the Starlighters “Peppermint Twist” (11/13/61, 1 US, 2 CB, 2 HR, 33 UK) The Regents “Barbara Ann” (5/1/61, 13 US, 13 CB, 8 HR, 7 RB) The Montones “The Book of Love” (3/22/58, 5 US, 7 CB, 11 HR, 3 RB) Buddy Holly & the Crickets “Maybe Baby” (2/17/58, 18 US, 11 CB, 9 HR, 4 RB, 4 UK) Lee Dorsey “Ya Ya” (8/28/61, 7 US, 8 CB, 9 HR, 1 RB) The Platters “The Great Pretender” (11/3/55, 1 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 1 RB, 5 UK, 1 AU) Tracks, Disc 2: Fats Domino “Ain’t That a Shame” (5/14/55, 10 US, 2 HR, 2 CB, 39 HR, 2 AC, 1 RB, 23 UK) Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode” (4/21/58, 8 US, 11 CB, 15 HR, 2 RB) The Flamingos “I Only Have Eyes for You” (5/4/59, 11 US, 10 CB, 11 HR, 3 RB) The Silhouettes “Get a Job” (1/6/58, 1 US, 1 CB, 2 HR, 1 RB) The Five Satins “To the Aisle” (6/29/57, 25 US, 39 CB, 29 HR, 5 RB) Bobby Freeman “Do You Want to Dance” (4/12/58, 5 US, 5 CB, 9 HR, 1 CN) Buddy Knox “Party Doll” (2/9/57, 1 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 3 RB, 29 UK) The Del-Vikings “Come Go with Me” (2/16/57, 4 US, 3 CB, 5 HR, 32 AC, 2 RB) Johnny Burnette “You’re Sixteen” (10/11/60, 8 US, 7 CB, 7 HR, 3 UK) The Clovers “Love Potion No. 9” (8/24/59, 23 US, 21 CB, 26 HR, 23 RB) The Skyliners “Since I Don’t Have You” (2/14/59, 12 US, 7 CB, 12 HR, 3 RB) The Big Bopper “Chantilly Lace” (8/4/58, 6 US, 4 CB, 4 HR, 3 RB, 12 UK) Mark Dinning “Teen Angel” (12/21/59, 1 US, 1 CB, 1 HR, 5 RB, 37 UK, 1 CN) The Orioles “Crying in the Chapel” (8/1/53, 11 US, 3 HP, 1 CB, 79 HR, 1 RB) The Heartbeats “A Thousand Miles Away” (11/17/56, 53 US, 36 CB, 38 HR, 5 RB) The Cleftones “Heart and Soul” (5/8/61, 18 US, 16 CB, 17 HR, 10 RB) Booker T. & the MG’s “Green Onions” (8/11/62, 3 US, 3 CB, 3 HR, 1 RB, 7 UK) The Platters “Only You (And You Alone)” (7/30/55, 5 US, 3 CB, 4 HR, 1 RB, 5 UK, 19 AU) The Spaniels “Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite” (5/1/54, 5 RB) The Beach Boys “All Summer Long” (1964) Total Running Time: 96:52

Rating: 4.869 out of 5.00 (average of 15 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Before George Lucas made Star Wars, he directed the coming-of-age comedy American Graffiti in 1973. The film, set in 1962, in Modesto, California, follows a group of teenagers and their adventures over the course of one night. The soundtrack gathered up classic rock ‘n’ roll tunes and doo-wop favorites from the early ‘60s, as well as a couple of covers by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids. 23 of the songs featured on the collection were top 10 hits on the Billboard pop charts; nine of them went to #1. 13 of the songs on the soundtrack rank in the DMBB’s top 1000 songs of all time. They include Bill Haley & the Comets’ “We’re Gonna Rock Around the Clock,” Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day,” The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You,” Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers’ “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” the Platters’ “The Great Pretender” and “Only You (And You Alone),” Booker T. & the MGs’ “Green Onions,” Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame,” the Orioles’ “Crying in the Chapel,” and the Del-Vikings’ “Come Go with Me.” The songs are presented in order of their appearance in the film. “That’ll Be the Day,” “Fannie Mae,” “Barbara Ann,” “The Book of Love,” “Green Onions,” and “Only You (And You Alone)” also feature chatter from disc jockey Wolfman Jack, who has a cameo in the film. Notes: The soundtrack was followed by a second volume, More American Graffit, in 1975. Another collection, American Graffiti Vol. III, was released in 1976.

Resources and Related Links: WK Wikipedia First posted 9/2/2021.

Grease opened on Broadway

Grease Warren Casey & Jim Jacobs (composers)

The Musical

Opened on Broadway: June 7, 1972 Number of Performances: 3388 Opened in London: June 26, 1973 Number of Performances: 236 Movie Release: June 16, 1978

Cast Album

Released: 1972 Peak: -- US, -- UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.3 UK, 0.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: show tunes

Soundtrack

Released: April 14, 1978 Peak: 112 US, 113 UK, 17 CN, 114 AU Sales (in millions): 14.0 US, 2.37 UK, 40.4 world (includes US and UK), 54.1 EAS Genre: show tunes

Tracks (cast album): Song Title (Writers) (PERFORMERS) (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Alma Mater Alma Mater (Parody) Summer Nights Those Magic Changes Freddy, My Love Greased Lightnin’ Mooning Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee We Go Together It’s Raining on Prom Night Born to Hand Jive Beauty School Dropout Alone at a Drive-In Movie Rock ‘N’ Roll Party Queen There Are Worse Things I Could Do Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee (Reprise) All Choked Up We Go Together (Reprise) All songs written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs. Total Running Time: 46:38 Tracks (soundtrack): Grease (Barry Gibb) (FRANKIE VALLI) (5/27/78, 1 US, 3 UK, 13 AC, 40 RB, sales: 1.0 m) Summer Nights (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN / JOHN TRAVOLTA / CAST) (8/5/78, 5 US, 1 UK, 21 AC, sales: 0.5 m) Hopelessly Devoted to You (John Farrar) (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN) (7/8/78, 3 US, 2 UK, 7 AC, 20 CW, sales: 0.5 m) You’re the One That I Want (John Farrar) (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN / JOHN TRAVOLTA) (4/1/78, 1 US, 1 UK, 23 AC, sales: 1.0 m) Sandy(Louis St. Louis, Scott Simon) (JOHN TRAVOLTA) (10/7/78, 2 UK) Beauty School Dropout (FRANKIE AVALON) Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee (STOCKARD CHANNING) Greased Lightnin’ (JOHN TRAVOLTA) (9/30/78, 47 US, 11 UK) It’s Raining on Prom Night (CINDY BULLENS) Alone at a Drive-in Movie (BILL OAKES) Blue Moon (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) (SHA NA NA) Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay (David White) (SHA NA NA) Those Magic Changes (SHA NA NA) Hound Dog (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) (SHA NA NA) Born to Hand Jive (SHA NA NA) Tears on My Pillow (Sylvester Bradford, Al Lewis) (SHA NA NA) Mooning (LOUIS SAINT LOUIS / CINDY BULLENS) Freddy, My Love (CINDY BULLENS) Rock & Roll Party Queen (LOUIS SAINT LOUIS) Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN) We Go Together (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN / JOHN TRAVOLTA) Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (Samm Fain, Paul Francis Webster) (BILL OAKES) Grease (Reprise) (Barry Gibb) (FRANKIE VALLI) Songs are written by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 61:14

Rating (cast album): 3.514 out of 5.00 (average of 8 ratings)

Rating (soundtrack): 4.452 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings)

Awards (Cast Album): (Click on award to learn more). Awards (Soundtrack): (Click on award to learn more).

About the Broadway Show Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s show was named after the working-class youth subculture known as greasers. It “was an affectionate little musical about the teenage lifestyle of the late 1950s — when rock and roll was aborning, the cool boys sported heavily gelled hair and motorcycle jackets, and their girls favored beehive hairdos and pedal pushers.” CA Set at the fictional Rydell High School in 1959, the story follows a group of adolescents navigating issues such as peer pressure, friendship, love, sex, teen pregnancy, and rebellion. “Grease skillfully walks the line between parody and homage.” CA Jacobs explained that the basic plot in which the female lead transforms from a sensitive character into a more rebellious one was a “subversion of common tropes of 1950s cinema” W-C in which the tough male lead would become a more sympathetic character. The show was first performed in Chicago in the Kingston Mines nightclub in 1971. On February 14, 1972, it opened Off-Broadway at the Eden Theatre in New York. On June 7, 1972, it moved to Broadway, first at the Broadhurst Theatre and then the Royale Theatre, where it ran until January 27, 1980. W-C Its 3,388-performance run there was the longest in history, until it was surpassed in 1983 by A Chorus Line. W-C About the Cast Album A cast recording was made in 1972 which featured the original Broadway cast. “Barry Bostwick is terrific as lead greaser Danny, and Carole Demas sounds just right as Danny’s sweet girlfriend, Sandy. Among the other standouts in the cast are Katie Hanley, Walter Bobbie, and Kathi Moss.” CA “The melodies, rhythms, harmonies, and arrangements of the songs are clever knockoffs of popular ’50s hits, very catchy and buoyed by some clever lyrics. (Example, from Freddy, My Love: ‘I treasure every giftie / The ring was really nifty / You said it cost you fifty / So you’re thrifty / I don’t mind.’).” CA “Other highlights include Summer Nights, which amusingly presents a boy’s and a girl’s different descriptions of their summer romance; the infectious Those Magic Changes, sung by a kid who’s thrown himself wholeheartedly into guitar lessons; It’s Raining on Prom Night, an oddly touching, funny lament over a lost high-school love (sample lyric: ‘I don’t even have my corsage, oh gee / It fell down a sewer with my sister’s I.D.’),” CA and “We Go Together, ”a bouncy anthem of teenage unity.” CA “The score does contain one serious number, and it’s a good one: There Are Worse Things I Could Do, sung by Rizzo, whose outward toughness masks her vulnerability. Adrienne Barbeau gives the song a moving, well sung performance.” CA “This is a show for people who lived through the ‘50s and would now like to remember it only for its high school fashions, teenage emotional concerns, and bouncy rock & roll tunes.” AM-C About the Movie “The movie is a 1970s take on 1950s musicals, providing all the kitsch anyone could hope for.” AZ “Grease was a huge success as a Broadway musical prior to hitting the big screen in 1978. That was the version that transformed Grease into a phenomenon – it was a runaway box office success, and then became a TV, cable, and video favorite.” AM-S Released in the summer of 1978, Grease starred John Travolta (fresh off the success of the blockbuster movie Saturday Night Fever which spawned a monster soundtrack of its own) and Olivia Newton-John. It became the highest-grossing musical film. About the Soundtrack “Grease will always be the word for hopelessly devoted generations of girls who wore out their record players partying with their own Pink Ladies to this soundtrack.” ZS The “high-camp classic” ZS whisked listeners away “to the ‘50s teeny-bopper days” ZS by boasting “summer-loving hits that will be on karaoke playlists until the end of time.” ZS The soundtrack, the sixth best-selling of all time, W-S “rivaled its film counterpart as a pop culture perennial, and it’s not hard to see why – its good-natured pastiche of doo wop and early rock & roll is infectious and charming, due in no small part to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s charismatic, engaging performances.” AM-S They actually only appear on 7 of the 24 tracks on the album, but “they sing the majority of the originals… which were the reason why the film and soundtrack became blockbusters.” AM-S The pair duet on You’re the One That I Want and sing with the cast on Summer Nights. Both sangs hit #1 in the UK and rank in the 20 best-selling singles of all-time in the UK. W-S Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta took solo turns on Hopelessly Devoted to You and Sandy respectively. They were also hugely successful in the UK, both hitting #2. The former was a #3 hit in the US as well. Songs by other cast members include Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee, in which “actress Stockard Channing struts her, um, versatility.” AZ The rest of the soundtrack is filled out by “workmanlike performances” AM-S of 1950s’ chestnuts from Sha Na Na. While they are “over-represented,” AZ the soundtrack’s original songs, which “hold up better than the ‘50s tunes,” AM-S “are so giddily enjoyable…that everything works.” AM-S Most of the songs from the original show are retained, but the hits which propelled the soundtrack into the stratosphere were largely new editions. That includes a pair of John Farrar contributions, including “You’re the One That I Want” and “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” The soundtrack also includes some rock and roll chestnuts such as Hound Dog, Blue Moon, and Tears on My Pillow performed by Sha Na Na. The title song was sung by ‘50s heartthrob Frankie Valli and penned by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, fresh from his success from Saturday Night Fever. In that movie, Travolta became an internationally-known star strutting his disco white-suit-wearing stuff while dancing to four chart-topping songs penned by Gibb. In Grease, Travolta strutted his jeans-and-T-shirt-wearing stuff while dancing with Olivia Newton-John – and four more top-five US hits. This soundtrack bears several interesting connections to that one. Only three weeks after Fever ended its six-month residency at the top of the US charts, the Grease soundtrack moved in for a summer-long stay. Fever was the best-selling album of 1977; Grease held the title for 1978. Both rank in the all-time top 100 worldwide best-selling albums with estimates as high as 40 million. Both soundtracks are also in the DMDB’s list of the top 50 soundtracks and rank amongst the biggest #1 albums in U.S. and U.K. chart history. Both albums are also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame/NARM’s Definitive Albums list. “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.” AM-S “This has become a touchstone in American culture.” AZ

Resources: AM-C AllMusic.com review of cast album by William Ruhlmann AM-S AllMusic.com review of soundtrack by Stephen Thomas Erlewine AZ Amazon.com review by Scott Wilson of soundtrack CA CastAlbumReviews.com (cast album and soundtrack) W-C Wikipedia (Broadway show and cast recording) W-S Wikipedia (soundtrack) ZS Zagat Survey (2003). Music Guide: 1,000 Top Albums of All Time. Coordinator: Pat Blashill. Music Editor: Holly George-Warren. Editors: Betsy Andrews and Randi Gollin. Zagat Survey, LLC: New York, NY. Page 115. (soundtrack) Related DMDB Pages: First posted 2/24/2008; last updated 12/8/2024.