Filmways/Wally Heider Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; United Western Studios, Los Angeles, California; Hollywood Sound Recorders, Los Angeles, California; Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida
The soundtrack was released on April 14, 1978, two months ahead of the film's release.[3] 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 notlock to picture but were recorded during entirely differentsoundtrack sessions often months prior or subsequent to the performances used forlip sync in the film.[citation needed]
The cover gives credit to, and prominently features, the two stars of the film—John Travolta andOlivia 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 byFrankie Valli, who had no other connection with the film.
The entirety of the score written byJim Jacobs andWarren 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 byLouis St. Louis andCidny (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's11 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 aone-dimensional caricature.[4]
The most successful songs from the soundtrack were written specifically for the film. They included theBillboard number-one hits "Grease", "You're the One That I Want" and theAcademy 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 theoriginal 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, replacingThe 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 theGrease soundtrack were members ofToto. One of these,David Hungate, also performed on Newton-John's albumTotally Hot with Toto guitaristSteve Lukather. Other musicians on the soundtrack had previously worked withElton John,Steely Dan,Bee Gees and others.[when?] TheGrease 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 theSoundScan era (beginning 1991) in addition to the 8 million shipped in the years 1978–1984.[12][13]
In their review,Billboard stated that "RSO follows its record breakingSaturday 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 ofAllMusic 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 toSha 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 thisGrease the definitiveGrease."[14] The album was nominated forAlbum of the Year at the21st Annual Grammy Awards.[18]
The CD of the soundtrack has been released twice in the US. In April 1991 it was released throughPolydor Records as a single disc replicating the sequence of the original 1978 RSO LP. In September 2003 it was released byPolyGram 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.
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.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"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)
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