Grease Thesis

Shawn Paschal
Grease Paper
About Grease:
Danny and Sandy are a teen couple from the 50’s. They are in love
and just ending the summer and about to go back to school. Little do they
know, they are doing to end up going to the same high school. (Rydell
High)
Cast:
● John Travolta (Danny)
● Olivia Newton-John (Sandy)
● Didi Conn (Frenchy)
● Stockard Channing (Betty Rizzo)
History:
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey . Named
after the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as
greasers , the musical is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School (based
on William Howard Taft School in Chicago , Illinois ) and follows ten
working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of peer
pressure, politics, personal

core values, and love. The score attempts to
recreate the sounds of early rock and roll . In its original production in
Chicago, Grease was a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show.
Subsequent productions sanitized it and tamed it down. The show mentions
social issues such as teenage pregnancy , peer pressure and gang
violence ; its themes include love, friendship, teenage rebellion , sexual
exploration during adolescence, and, to some extent, class
consciousness / class conflict .

Composers:
● Jim Jacobs
● Warren Casey
● Micheal Gibson
Extra Information:
The soundtrack was released in April 14, 1978, two months ahead of
the film's release. 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. The remainder of the album is sung
by various cast members and Sha Na Na , a group who performed many of
the 1950s numbers in the film. The title track was recorded by Frankie Valli ,
who had no other connection with the film.
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 number-three,
Academy Award -nominated " Hopelessly Devoted to You ". In the UK, the
album proved even more successful where "You're the One That I Want"
and " Summer Nights " reached No.1 for nine and seven weeks respectively,
while "Grease", "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Sandy" all became

top
three hits. The soundtrack album hit the top of the charts in the U.S. 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. 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).