I must admit I always found it weird that the Theme song to Grease was done in a disco style.
Disco was the up and coming style during that time, reaching an on par balance with Hard Rock. Think of Olivia’s hit song titled “Let’s Get Physical”, inspired by the Jane Fonda Fitness tapes.
The Theme song may have been an attempt to catch the ear of the kids too young to know anything about music from the 1950’s.
A marketing choice to broaden the appeal.
“I must admit I always found it weird that the Theme song to Grease was done in a disco style.”
Yes, it was an early form of culture appropriation.
Maybe it was their way of reproducing the opening to the stage show, which was set as a flashback after the "Class of 1959" meets at a future (20-year) high school reunion.
MISS LYNCH: However, the small portion of alumni I notice missing tonight are certainly not missing from our fond memories of them... and I’m sure they’d want us to know that they’re fully present and accounted for in spirit, just the way we always remember them.[Begin Flashback]
In the movie, the story begins during the summer break before the Class of 1959 goes back to high school.
So, the disco version of "Grease" is their way of anchoring the audience to the present as they look back into the past.
-PJ
A number of the songs in the movie including the title song (written by the Bee Gees no less) weren’t part of the stage play. The character of Sandy on stage was called Dumbrowski changed to Olsen in the movie and from Australia to accomodate the accent of Olivia. 1977 when the movie was made and 78 when it was released was still the Disco era although it was on the wane I suppose.
Me too. The 50s nostalgia theme never worked for me because the movie is too peppered with then contemporary 1970s feel. The only song in the whole movie that felt remotely “50’s” was Greased Lightning, because they did it in a sort of doo-wop style.
that’s because the movies were tailored to audiences quite a few years already beyond the original ones who still remember life in 1960, the timeframe of the original play.See my reply to jotmo below.