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March 05, 2008
“Tell Me More, Tell Me More,” or Grease Does So Show-Not-Tell
A few days ago, Chuck wrote about his dislike of musicals, citing Grease as a particular example. He did this in the context of giving props to Once, which I can only condone, and I always think fondly of Chuck’s taste whenever I remember that he and I are of one mind about Pretty Woman. So it is in a spirit of solidarity that I offer my explication of the brilliance that is “Summer Nights” on the Grease soundtrack.
Chuck calls songs in musicals too “literal” and goes further to assert, “It’s music ruined with story.” Sometimes, Chuck, you’re right, but one of the reasons Grease has endured is because many of its songs have more going on than storytelling.
For clarity, we are going to be discussing the film version of Grease, as it is what’s on my iPod.
The first thing you have to know about Grease is that it’s a bit of a parody. You know how Shakespeare wasn’t all about how wonderful Romeo and Juliet’s love is in that play he wrote? The writers of Grease feel much the same way about Sandy and Danny. Grease isn’t about love; it’s about how much high school sucks. People who were socially successful and happy in high school don’t tend to go out and make a living in musical theater. If you want to know what a story’s really about, look at its subplots. Rizzo puts on a disaffected front, but when she mulls over her lifestyle and possible pregnancy in “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” we realize she’s not being altogether honest. Frenchy has been pushing herself through beauty school even though she has no talent. Then, of course, there is the second song in the show, “Summer Nights.”
Even if you’ve never seen Grease, you probably have a passing familiarity with this song. Before it hits the stage, we’re briefly introduced to our main characters and setting, but this is the first major song that tells us something about what we’re going to spend the next hour and a half watching. It’s a great song—memorable, catchy, a duet with highlights from the ensemble. It gives us some exposition—Danny and Sandy had a bit of a thing over the summer—but that’s not all we’ve got. The reason high school sucks, our writers posit, is because teenagers feel like they have to put a lot of energy into being something they’re not, just like Danny and Sandy are doing in this song. A popular interpretation of this song is that Danny is exaggerating and that Sandy is telling the true story. Bah! They’re both liars. Please, Sandy, tell me again that you had a perfectly chaste relationship with a young John Travolta. Whoever wrote her singing, “He went by me/Got my suit damp” understands a double entendre, and we understand that there’s more to that story than she wants to admit. As for the braggart, just listen to our John sing, “Wonder what she’s doing now?” He’s heartbroken. Through hearing two inaccurate versions of the story, a perceptive audience realizes what the true story probably is. We also feel kind of badly for these kids who can’t just be who they are.
And that is what we call showing instead of telling. I guess you could call it one of the world’s more entertaining exposition dumps, but that’s the kind of things musicals allow artists to explore. There’s nothing like jazz hands to distract you from something that could, potentially, be boring.
Just in case you don’t believe me about Grease being a story about how much it sucks to suppress your identity, let’s just note that the musical’s set in the 1950s, one of the most repressive eras in US history. Let’s also note that when Sandy and Danny reverse roles in the end, they both look kind of ridiculous. I mean, even I think ONJ is kind of hot, but, still, you can see how uncomfortable she is. You feel downright bad for Danny. Like Romeo and Juliet, they haven’t learned a freaking thing, and the lesson is left for the audience to learn, or not. Not bad.
Posted by adrienne at March 5, 2008 12:12 PM
Comments
Hate to say it, Miss A, but I think the correct lyric is-
He went by me, got my suit damp- but I think your double entrendre theory still holds true.
I love the memories that this movie gives me. I was just starting High School (yup, I'm that old). Me and my friends we went to see this movie about million times. Oh those summer nights!
Posted by: Lori at March 5, 2008 01:15 PM
Ah, yes. This is what I get for writing quickly. I fixed it.
I've seen that movie about a million times, too. Such fun.
Posted by: adrienne at March 5, 2008 01:48 PM
I admit that I am a huge fan of Pretty Woman, mostly because I have a thing for Richard Gere, but I never got into Grease. I always thought it was corny.
Posted by: Kelly at March 5, 2008 02:43 PM
I thought the line was,
"He ran by me, got my suit damp."
I took my kids (6 & 8) to see the stage show last year. Funny how even though I was actually *in* Grease in high school, I forgot that it's not appropriate for elementary kids.
I will admit to (temporarily) taking the coward's way out when Madison tugged hard at my arm after the whole "don't tell anyone I think I'm pregnant" scene. "What's going on? What just happened? What's Rizzo singing about? Why is Kinicki upset?" "I'll tell you later," I whispered back. I confess that I was kind of hoping it would fade from her mind during the rest of the play.
But in the car, Madison asked, "What was that, toward the end, before the song Rizzo sang that I didn't understand, before her conversation with Sandy? What was the thing with the secret? And what's 'knocked up' mean?"
Posted by: Deb at March 5, 2008 05:37 PM
Actually, I could be wrong, but I think the real lyric is "He-Man buys meat, all my soup's canned."
Posted by: jp at March 5, 2008 11:15 PM
The first few times I saw "Grease," all of the sexy double-entendres, plus the subplot with Rizzo's pregnancy scare totally went over my head. And I never knew until now what the correct line for that song was-- it sounds slurred. But it's funny to read this because I was just writing to Eric Ode about the movie the other day because one of his songs has the hand-jive in it. I remember it from "Grease" and have never forgotten it.
Did you ever see Grease 2? Delightfully AWFUL.
Posted by: Alkelda at March 5, 2008 11:16 PM
I remember my mother never answering questions about Greese either. Maybe that's my whole problem with it. I also remember last watching it in 1996 with the Buffalo theatre people I worked with and they (except Jeffrey) were the shallowest most despicable people I have ever known and they WORSHIPED Greece.
Posted by: chuck at March 6, 2008 02:37 AM
When Grease first opened on Broadway in 1972 it was a risque and satirical send-up of the 50s. The movie softened the language, blurred the innuendo and obscured the satire (I blame Olivia Newton John). I'm sure many high school drama clubs who are only familiar with the movie are surprised when they get the scripts. Consider the lyrics to "Sandra Dee" and "Greased Lightnin'".
Posted by: Steph at March 6, 2008 10:21 AM
My thoughts...? Anything from the 70's that has THIS much staying power has to have something in its favor.
Posted by: Sabrina at March 6, 2008 12:34 PM
Okay Kelly, I have to call you out on this one:
"I admit that I am a huge fan of Pretty Woman, mostly because I have a thing for Richard Gere, but I never got into Grease. I always thought it was corny."
So you're trying to tell us that Pretty Woman wasn't corny?
I loved Grease. But I also have a HUGE softspot for musicals. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Last Unicorn, White Christmas, Bye Bye Birdie, Labyrinth...
I HATED Grease 2. I'd rather poke my eye out than watch that again.
Look at me I'm Sandra Dee, filthy with virginity. Won't go to bed til I'm legally wed, I can't I'm Sandra Dee!
That is just from my head, so if its wrong, well I blame it on the lack of coffee.
Posted by: Cathy at March 6, 2008 08:59 PM
I'm not really much for musicals at all, but as Adrienne can attest, the soundtrack to Annie gets me every time.
Posted by: jp at March 7, 2008 02:03 AM
Yesterday was a busy day!
Kelly, We still share The Office.
Deb, You're probably right, although listening to it in my car again yesterday, I'm noticing ONJ could stand to enunciate a little more when she sings.
That Madison! She's a sharp one.
Jason, I think the lyric goes, "If you aren't careful/I'll take all the heads off your Boba Fett action figures/And flush them down the toilet/With the stormtroopers' guns."
And, yes, Jason is a total girl about Annie, although, as I recall, he was also very fond of Spring Awakening (which I practically had to DRAG him to when we were in NYC for BEA last year, the week before the show won the Tony for Best Musical and everything).
Chuck, There are *better* musicals. I'm just saying Grease isn't all bad. There are other musicals where the singing is a more organic part of the story, like in Kiss Me Kate, where it's a musical about a production of a musical.
Stephanie, Why would anyone soften innuendo and satire, right? That's no fun at all.
Cathy, The Last Unicorn ROCKS!
Posted by: adrienne at March 7, 2008 07:47 AM
Hmm. Interesting juxtaposition, "Grease" and "Pretty Woman". In "Grease" the lead female gets all ho 'ed up to get her man and in "Pretty Woman" the ho goes un-ho to get her man.
I like "Chicago". All ho's who have gotten rid of their man.
"..I guess you can say we broke
up because or artistic differences.
He saw himself as alive
and I saw him dead."
Posted by: Sally at March 7, 2008 01:48 PM
I've only seen the movie, but I really liked Chicago.
Posted by: chuck at March 7, 2008 02:33 PM
Cathy--Pretty Woman is corny, like most romantic comedies.
I own Chicago and love that musical. I really like the music and dancing. I had the opportunity to see it in stage and the opening number gave me goosebumps.
Posted by: Kelly at March 7, 2008 04:00 PM