Grease (1978)
It’s that time again - Soundtrack Saturday!
Have you ever been watching a movie and thought to yourself, “Hey, this is some pretty good music here!”? That is what this theme is all about. Soundtracks from movies.
As last month was crazy busy, I thought I would give myself a tiny break and pick an easy one for this month.
Wikipedia tells us this about the movie:
Grease is a 1978 American musical romantic comedy film based on the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Written by Bronte Woodard and directed by Randal Kleiser in his theatrical feature film debut, the film depicts the lives of greaser Danny Zuko and Australian transfer student Sandy Olsson who develop an attraction for each other. The film stars John Travolta as Danny, Olivia Newton-John as Sandy, and Stockard Channing as Betty Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies.
Released on June 16, 1978, Grease was successful both critically and commercially, becoming the highest-grossing musical film ever at the time. Its soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best-selling album of the year in the United States, behind the soundtrack of the 1977 blockbuster Saturday Night Fever (which also starred Travolta) and earned an Oscar nomination for "Hopelessly Devoted to You" at the 51st Academy Awards.
Launching the franchise of the same name, a sequel, Grease 2, was released in 1982, starring Maxwell Caulfield and Michelle Pfeiffer as a newer class of greasers. Few of the original cast members reprised their roles.
As of 2020, an Paramount+ series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, based on Grease, and a prequel, titled Summer Lovin', are in production.
The Plot:
In the summer of 1958, local boy Danny Zuko and vacationing Sandy Olsson meet at the beach and fall in love. When summer comes to an end, Sandy—who is going back to Australia—frets that they may never meet again, but Danny tells her their love is "only beginning". The film moves to the start of the seniors' term at Rydell High School. Danny is the leader of the T-Birds greaser gang, consisting of his best friend Kenickie, Doody, Sonny, and Putzie. The Pink Ladies, a clique of greaser girls, also arrive, consisting of leader Rizzo, Frenchy, Marty, and Jan.
After her parents decide not to return to Australia, Sandy enrolls at Rydell and is befriended by Frenchy, who is considering dropping out of school to become a beautician. Unaware of each other's presence at Rydell, Danny and Sandy recount the events of their brief romance to their respective groups without saying the other's name ("Summer Nights"). Sandy's version emphasizes the romance of the relationship, while Danny's version is more sexual.
When Sandy finally mentions Danny's name, Rizzo arranges a surprise reunion for them, but Danny is forced to maintain his bad-boy attitude in front of his friends and Sandy storms off in tears. Frenchy invites the girls to a pajama party, but Sandy falls ill from the sight of blood after Frenchy pierces her ears. While she is out of the room, Rizzo starts to make fun of her ("Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee"). Sandy goes outside and starts to think of Danny, and how much she loves him even though he hurt her ("Hopelessly Devoted to You"). The T-Birds come to Frenchy’s house so Danny can apologise to Sandy, but he leaves after they taunt him about her. Rizzo departs with Kenickie to have sex with him, during which his condom breaks. They are disturbed by Leo, leader of the T-Birds' rival gang, the Scorpions, and his girlfriend Cha-Cha.
Kenickie unveils a used car, "Greased Lightnin'", which he plans to restore for a race with the Scorpions ("Greased Lightnin'"). Sandy begins dating Tom, a jock, and Danny turns to Coach Calhoun to get into sports to impress her, eventually becoming a runner. He reunites with Sandy and they attempt to go on a date, but their friends crash it, and Kenickie and Rizzo argue and split up. Left alone, Frenchy is visited by a guardian angel who advises her to return to Rydell after a mishap in beauty class leaves her with candy-pink hair ("Beauty School Dropout").
The school dance arrives, broadcast live on television and hosted by DJ Vince Fontaine, who flirts with Marty. Rizzo and Kenickie attempt to spite one another by bringing Leo and Cha-Cha as their dates. Danny and Sandy go together and dance well during the chaotic hand jive contest ("Born to Hand Jive"); just before it ends, Sonny pulls Sandy off the dance floor and Cha-Cha cuts in to win with Danny, causing Sandy to leave the event broken-hearted.
Danny tries to make it up to Sandy by taking her to a drive-in theater and giving her his ring to wear ("Alone at the Drive-in Movies"), but Sandy leaves in anger after he forces himself on her ("Sandy"). Meanwhile, Rizzo fears she is pregnant after missing a period and confides in Marty, but Marty tells Sonny and he inadvertently spreads the rumor to Kenickie, the apparent father, though Rizzo denies this to him. Rizzo starts to be laughed at by other girls, and she realizes that she isn't as tough as she seems ("There Are Worse Things I Could Do").
On race day, Kenickie suffers a concussion when hit by his own car door, so Danny takes the wheel. He and Leo race until Leo spins out and leaves humiliated, making Danny the victor. Sandy watches from afar, concluding she still loves Danny, and decides to change her attitude and look to impress him; she asks Frenchy for help to achieve this ("Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)").
On the last day of school, Principal Greta McGee and her assistant Blanche sob about the departing class. Rizzo discovers she is not pregnant and reunites with Kenickie. Danny has lettered in track but is shocked when Sandy arrives dressed as a female T-Bird. In song ("You're the One That I Want"), they confess their mutual love and reconcile. The class celebrates their graduation at the fair on school grounds ("We Go Together"). Sandy and Danny depart in Greased Lightnin', which takes flight ("Grease").
The movie trailer:
Today’s Soundtrack Playlist:
Grease 0:00
Summer Nights 3:30
Hopelessly Devoted To You 7:07
You're The One That I Want 10:12
Sandy 13:02
Beauty School Dropout 15:38
Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee 19:38
Greased Lightnin' 21:19
It's Raining On Prom Night 24:34
Alone At A Drive In Movie 27:26
Blue Moon 29:53
Rock N' Roll Is Here To Stay 32:15
Those Magic Changes 34:19
Hound Dog 36:37
Born To Hand Jive 38:03
Tears On My Pillow 42:43
Mooning 44:48
Freddy My Love 47:03
Rock N' Roll Party Queen 49:51
There Are Worse Things I Could Do 52:02
Look At Me I'm Sandra Dee 54:27
We Go Together 55:58
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing 58:58
Grease 1:00:20
Do you have a favorite movie that has a great soundtrack? Tell me about it. I’m happy to share.
See you again soon!
I'm partial to the soundtrack for "A Hard Day's Night," which is also my favorite movie. "Grease" is a good one, though, especially "Beauty School Dropout" with Frankie Avalon descending from heaven...
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