On June 10, 1978, nearly a week before the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Grease ever debuted in movie theaters, the infectious duet “You’re the One That I Want” by Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta exploded to the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard charts, fueling a massive wave of pop culture hysteria that gripped the nation.
The song’s astronomical success was a masterstroke of innovative, multimedia corporate marketing. The track was specifically written and inserted into the film at the last minute because producers felt the original Broadway finale song lacked commercial radio appeal. By strategically leaking the high-energy single to radio stations weeks before the film’s release, executives successfully transformed an unproven movie soundtrack into an overnight radio phenomenon, driving millions of eager fans into cinemas and turning Grease into the highest-grossing movie musical of the 20th century.
Image via Alamy
