The 1978 feature film version of Grease has perhaps the highest number of iconic songs in ratio to its runtime: "Hopelessly Devoted To You," "There Are Worse Things I Could Do," "You're The One That I Want," "We Go Together"... But arguably the most iconic of all of them is the T-Birds' ode to a car, "Greased Lightning." Who can possibly forget the catchy chorus or the fist-pumping choreography? (No one, that's who.) So how did the version of "Greased Lightning" in FOX's Grease Live! measure up? Thankfully, I'm happy to report that it was one of the most energetic, exciting numbers of the night.
Grease fans who have only seen the movie might not know this, but "Greased Lightning" was originally Kenickie's big solo in the Broadway musical that pre-dated the film. However, since John Travolta was hot off his Oscar nomination for 1977's Saturday Night Fever when the movie came out in 1978, he naturally got the most iconic song for himself. The mechanical tune is now forever associated with the character of Danny Zuko — a fact that Grease Live!'s version took strides to rectify, by splitting verses between the two characters fairly evenly.
In a night where many of the big production numbers have directly emulated the sights and sounds of the movie — from the slumber party of "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee" to the tin foil costumes of "Beauty School Drop Out" — this version of "Greased Lightning" valiantly attempted to put a unique stamp on the popular song. Instead of the recognizable white-and-red color scheme of the movie version, this iteration featured an electric blue that instantly set it apart from its predecessor. And instead of the fist-pump move everyone does at karaoke, the choreography went for a more acrobatic theme, the dancers jumping and gliding around the stage like... well... greased lightning. Watch the performance below.
And now, enjoy the nostalgia of watching the original version for the umpteenth time.
Images: Michael Becker/FOX
