"Sandy" is a song from the 1978 film '' Grease'', written by Louis St. Louis and

Screamin' Scott Simon Screamin' Scott Simon (born December 9, 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri) is an American pianist born in Missouri who has been Sha Na Na's piano-player since April 1970. Biography Simon graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in 1970, and ...

(of

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll doo-wop group. Formed in 1969, but performing a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs, it simultaneously revived and parodied the music and the New York street culture of the 1950s. After ga ...

),Daniels, Robert L. (2003)
Grease
, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', June 17, 2003. and performed by

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom '' Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes '' Carrie'' ( ...

, in character as Danny Zuko. It was released as a single in several countries, giving Travolta a no. 2 hit in the UK.

Synopsis

"Sandy" was one of the songs written specifically for the film that was not in the original musical, which instead had a song named "Alone at a Drive-In Movie" at that point in the story. (Beginning with the 2003 stage production, some productions of the musical now use "Sandy" as it was in the film.) The song is a lament from Danny, a member of the T-Birds gang, who has been abandoned at the

drive-in movie A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movi ...

after making sexual advances towards his girlfriend, Sandy, in his car. He wishes to see her at their school, but the pressure of being a member of the T-Birds has apparently made it impossible to maintain their relationship. He holds out hope that some day, after high school, the two can eventually reunite without those pressures. It was described by ''

'' as "Danny's lovesick ode to his wholesome chick". The song, being St. Louis's and Simon's only direct songwriting contribution to the film, uses a somewhat anachronistic style, and is performed in the manner of a late 1970s ballad with a rhythm section, string and piano accompaniment. Sha Na Na had declined an approach to perform in an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

production of ''Grease'', but were again approached when the film was being made, and agreed.Kanny, Mark (2010)
Sha Na Na Bringing Classic '50S Style to Pops
, ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', October 6, 2010.

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

had brought songs to the film written by her writing producer John Farrar, prompting Travolta to request a song of his own, so St. Louis and Simon wrote "Sandy" as a result, only a week before the scene in which it was performed was filmed.

Single

"Sandy" was released as a single in the United Kingdom in 1978 by Midsong International/

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United State ...

(the record label to which Travolta had been signed as a solo artist, as opposed to

RSO Records RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation. RSO managed the careers of several ma ...

, who released the ''Grease'' soundtrack album). In the UK, the single reached number 2 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, spending 15 weeks on the chart. It was kept off the top spot by another single from the ''Grease'' soundtrack, " Summer Nights".''The Million Sellers'' (Kindle edition), Omnibus Press, ASIN B009TABX2Q The B-side of the UK single was "Can't Let You Go" on some UK releases, and "Rainbows" on others. It was also released as a single in many other European countries, the United States, Australia, Japan, and Peru, with several different B-sides, including "All Strung Out On You", "Can't Let You Go", and (in the US) " Greased Lightnin'".

Charts

References

1978 singles 1978 songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles John Travolta songs Song recordings produced by John Farrar Songs about fictional female characters Songs from Grease (film) {{Musical-theat-stub