“Greased Lightnin’!”by bill biss
Jim Jacobs on the phenomenon of Grease
“I’m rather proud of this forty-year phenomenon,” says the author,
Returning to the creation of the songs for Grease,
music creator and lyricist of Grease. Along with his partner Warren
Jacob gets to the bottom of their collaboration, “If there
was a general sort of rule, Warren was the writer of the
Casey who passed away in 1988, Jim Jacobs is amazed at the success songs that were more of the novelty-type tunes and
of the show. “The audiences have continued for 30 years getting
I was the writer of the songs that I like to think maybe
could have been real hits back in the rock n’ roll 1950s.
younger and younger and you have a cast that is comprised totally
I remember Warren writing ‘Look at Me, I’m Sandra
of people, none of whom were born when the original Broadway Dee’ and writing as a musical inspiration for it, ‘kind
company began in 1972... it’s a bit scary.”
Grease definitely speaks to new and old generations alike. Jacobs adds, “It’s
a show that people look at and think, ‘Oh man, it must have been such fun to
be there at that time.’ The kids loved each other and had such fun together.
They weren’t a bunch of goodie goodies and had a bit of the rebel blood in
them. It’s about the firsts in everyone’s young life, their first date and their
first car… the first cigarette and the first drink you ever took. I think it’s about
all those things that we look back on fondly.”
When it comes down to who wrote what for Grease. Jacobs likens it to a
comparison to the team of Lennon/McCartney and at the risk of flattering
himself, he adds, “We pretty much each wrote music and lyrics to one song
and then would do it for the other guy. Warren tinkered with my songs more
than I tinkered with his. He was such a master wordsmith. His brilliance was
really in his lyrics. Warren was my best friend. We had known each other six
or seven years before the Grease idea. Warren used to write songs merely
(left) Jim Jacobs
for the amusement of his friends. He had written ‘Beauty School Dropout’
and ‘It’s Raining on Prom Night’ probably a good four years before the idea
of Grease ever came. When we did write Grease, I said, “We’ve got to create a
situation in the play to use ‘Beauty School Dropout’ and ‘It’s Raining on Prom
Night’ because those are both great 1950s type songs.” We had that in mind
when we did the whole thing with Frenchie.”
When you compare his original Broadway show to this metamorphosis
into the current national tour, as time goes by… public perception of the
material changes as well. Jacobs explains, “The funny thing is this is a great
production. These kids have worked their butts off. They’ve done a bang-up
job and get standing ovations. But…the movie changed the perception
about the stage version for most people. Most people are familiar with the
(right) Jim Jacobs
and Warren Casey
movie. In 1979, Grease became the longest-running show in Broadway
in Trafalgar Square
history at that time. Well, the movie had come out a year earlier… many (London) in 1973
people who saw the movie with their children came to see the Broadway
show. Suddenly, the producers, after the thing’s been running for eight
years are getting letters from parents with comments such as ‘Oh, what a of like Alvin and the Chipmunks…with that kind of feeling!’ I wrote, ‘Grease
dirty show! These kids are smoking on stage and using four-letter words. Lightning’and ‘Born to Hand Jive’ and ‘We Go Together’ and Warren wrote
And the groping and there’s a girl that might be pregnant.’ The shit hit the ‘Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee’ and ‘Freddy My Love’ and ‘Beauty School Dropout.’
fan over a show that’s been running for eight years! The movie version did That’s kind of how it went.”
that sort of thing to it.” The songs of Grease are so connectable and easily enjoyed. Some people
As these changes occurred, Jacobs still believed in the beauty of the en- know the lyrics back and forth. In closing, Jacobs remembers the man who
semble on stage and still does. “It’s no secret that I’ve always like the musical helped him bring this joy of song to life, “It’s hard for me sometimes to actu-
play better than the motion picture, as fabulous as the motion picture was ally sit there in some enormous theatre watching this and thinking, ‘God, I
for my bank account and fame and fortune, the beauty of the musical show remember Warren playing this song for me in 1967. It’s painful and it’s very
is that everyone in that company gets their moment to shine. I think the sad to think that all these years have gone by and Warren would have never
unity is also part of the magic, the theme ‘We Go Together.’” believed the enormous success of this show that keeps going.”
MARCH 2009 | RAGE monthly 47
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