"American Graffiti" soundtrack - "time corrected"

With Elvis Presley's comeback beginning in 1968, Sha Na Na playing Woodstock in 1969 and Chuck Berry getting his first #1 song ever in 1972, America was ripe for a full-on revival of the early rock 'n' roll era when the movie "American Graffiti" premiered in 1973. The movie was a huge success and there was a spike in "oldies" radio stations, music rereleases and TV specials, along with a bunch of other movies set in the late '50s/early '60s.

Not only was the "American Graffiti" movie a hit, but so was the soundtrack album. However, the soundtrack (featuring most of the music heard in the film) is actually an odd hodgepodge of songs ranging from the years 1953-64. Some songs weren't even released until after the time the film is set (one night in late August 1962). 

I don't know what writer/director George Lucas had in mind when deciding on what songs to use. Maybe he took songs that were easily available, maybe he just chose songs he liked or perhaps he felt certain songs were needed for certain scenes. Or maybe he didn't think using specific songs from 1962 was necessary.

But in reality, this was a time of teenage crazes. Songs (and dances, teen idols, clothing styles, etc. etc.) from even the previous year would have seemed old. So music playing on car radios would almost certainly have been current hits. Therefore, I looked at what songs were popular at the time the movie is set and tried my hand at an alternative soundtrack. Unfortunately, I don't have the ability to lift the Wolfman Jack dialogue that was used in the original. But truth be told, Wolfman Jack wasn't a thing until 1963, the year after the movie takes place. 

SIDE A

1. Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out) - Ernie Maresca

2. Roses are Red (My Love) - Bobby Vinton

3. Palisades Park - Freddy Cannon

4. Little Diane - Dion

5. The Loco-Motion - Little Eva

6. Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka

7. At the Hop - Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids

8. She's So Fine - Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids

9. The Wah Watusi - The Orlons

10. She's Not You - Elvis Presley

SIDE B

1. Surfin' Safari - The Beach Boys

2. You Don't Know Me - Ray Charles

3. Sheila - Tommy Roe

4. Vacation - Connie Francis

5. Bring It on Home to Me - Sam Cooke

6. Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee and the Starlighters

7. Teen-Age Idol - Ricky Nelson

8. Twist and Shout - The Isley Brothers

9. Johnny Get Angry - Joanie Sommers

10. Do You Love Me - The Contours

11. Things - Bobby Darin

SIDE C

1. Dancin' Party - Chubby Checker

2. You'll Lose a Good Thing - Barbara Lynn

3. Soldier Boy - The Shirelles

4. Gravy (with My Mashed Potatoes) - Dee Dee Sharp

5. Snap Your Fingers - Joe Henderson

6. Playboy - Marvelettes

7. Party Lights - Claudine Clark

8. Don't Play That Song (You Lied) - Ben E. King

9. That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be) - The Everly Brothers

10. Papa Oom Mow Mow - The Rivingtons

SIDE D

1. Uptown - The Crystals 

2. Lolita Ya-Ya - The Ventures

3. I Sold My Heart to the Junkman - The Blue-Belles

4. She Cried - Jay and the Americans

5. Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabres

6. Night Train - James Brown and the Famous Flames

7. Green Onions - Booker T. and the MGs

8. The One Who Really Loves You - Mary Wells

9. Sealed with a Kiss - Brian Hyland

10. Let's Dance - Chris Montez

The approach I took with this project was similar to what I did with the soundtrack to "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Of the 41 songs on the original soundtrack album, there are actually only two tracks from 1962: "Surfin' Safari" and "Green Onions." The Beach Boys song was released on June 4, so we keep it. And the Booker T and the MGs song was released the first week of September, and that really makes it a week too late, but I decided to keep it anyway. I also considered the six songs on the original album that were released in 1961. But the only one I decided to keep was "Peppermint Twist" because it was such a huge hit in early 1962. 

There are two tracks on the original soundtrack by Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids, the "house band" at a dance in the movie. I included both of their songs since they would obviously stay in the movie no matter what. All five songs that I kept from the original album remain in their respective spots on this version of the soundtrack as well.

Using Billboard charts for the summer of '62, I chose 36 tracks that were the biggest hits of the time to include with the five songs of the original soundtrack. Then I tried to match as best I could with the theme and/or sound.

To replace the opening track of "Rock Around the Clock" (released in 1954 and a hit in 1955), I needed something energetic and I think the best one of the lot for that purpose is "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)" by Ernie Maresca. It might not be as iconic as the Bill Haley song, but I think it makes more sense time-wise. The next song on the original soundtrack is "16 Candles," a slow love song from 1958. So I replaced it with Bobby Vinton's "Roses are Red," and so on and so on. 

Some changes were easier than others: "Party Doll" is replaced with "Party Lights" and "Crying in the Chapel" is replaced with "She Cried." "Goodnight, Well It's Time to Go" is replaced with another goodbye song, "Sealed with a Kiss." I thought the best song for the closing credits to replace the Beach Boys' "All Summer Long" was "Let's Dance" by Chris Montez.

So there you are: a new version of the soundtrack that I think is more realistic.