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Grease Soundtrack Slides In At #1
1978
The Grease soundtrack hits #1 in the US, thanks to the hits "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights."
The 1978 movie musical Grease, adapted from the Broadway smash of the decade, will be the top-grossing film of the year, but the public falls in love with the soundtrack months before the movie is even released. Tracks like "Grease," performed by Frankie Valli, and "You're The One That I Want," an upbeat duet between John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, both peak at #1 on the pop chart and boost anticipation for the film's release. Soon after, the singles "Summer Nights" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You" land in the Top 10 and, two months after Grease hits theaters, the soundtrack shoots to #1 on the albums chart.
Despite being an American film about American teens rebelling against American culture of the 1950s, the album is also a huge success in the UK, where it peaks at #1. Except for "Greased Lightnin'" trailing at #11, all of the singles peak in the Top 10 on the UK pop chart, with "You're the One That I Want" dominating the #1 spot for a record-breaking nine weeks.
Back in the US, the soundtrack is the second-best-selling album of the year, rivaled only by the soundtrack from another Travolta film: Saturday Night Fever. Newton-John's ballad "Hopelessly Devoted To You" earns the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
Despite being an American film about American teens rebelling against American culture of the 1950s, the album is also a huge success in the UK, where it peaks at #1. Except for "Greased Lightnin'" trailing at #11, all of the singles peak in the Top 10 on the UK pop chart, with "You're the One That I Want" dominating the #1 spot for a record-breaking nine weeks.
Back in the US, the soundtrack is the second-best-selling album of the year, rivaled only by the soundtrack from another Travolta film: Saturday Night Fever. Newton-John's ballad "Hopelessly Devoted To You" earns the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
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