Did Jessie J record the vocal live?

Yes—she performed the song in a single continuous shot during the Fox broadcast.

How did this version chart?

It reached #151 on U.S. iTunes within a day of broadcast, making it the soundtrack’s highest-charting single at that moment.

Key differences from Frankie Valli’s original?

Power-belt vocals, brass accents, and gospel backing replaced falsetto disco gloss.

Was it in the original stage musical?

No—Barry Gibb wrote it for the 1978 film adaptation.

Barry Gibb’s role in 2016 version?

He’s the songwriter; this recording was produced by Tom Kitt, Scott M. Riesett, and Kuk Harrell.

Grease Lyrics – Grease

Grease Lyrics

[COMPANY]
I solve my problems and I see the light
We got a lovin' thing, we gotta feed it right
There ain't no danger we can go to far
We start believing now that we can be what we are
Grease is the word

[T-BIRDS]
They think our love is just a growing pain
Why can't they understand? It's just a cryin' shame
Their lips are lying only real is real
We stop the fight right now, we got to be what feel
Grease is the word

Grease is the word, is the word that you heard
It's got groove it's got meaning
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling

[PINK LADIES]
We take the pressure and we throw away
Conventionalitly belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believing now but we can be who we are
Grease is the word

[COMPANY]
Grease is the word, is the word that you heard
It's got groove it's got meaning
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling

This is the life of illusion, wrapped up in trouble
Laced with confusion - what're we doing here?

We take the pressure and we throw away
Conventionality belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believing now that we can be who we are
Grease is the word

Grease is the word, is the word that you heard
It's got groove it's got meaning
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling

Grease is the word, is the word that you heard
It's got groove it's got meaning
Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling

Grease is the word
Is the word
Is the word
Is the word
Last Update: October, 03rd 2025

Grease (Is The Word): Overview

Grease (Is The Word) lyrics by Jessie J — Jessie J steps out of the studio shadow to belt the *Grease (Is The Word)* lyrics in Fox’s *Grease Live!* opener.

Personal Review

Grease (Is The Word) crackles like a neon marquee lighting up for the first show of the night. The lyrics promise freedom—“We gotta feed it right”—and Jessie J’s soulful rasp injects fresh octane into Barry Gibb’s disco-slick original. Hearing the track open Grease Live! in 2016, I felt the television frame widen: camera cranes, golf carts, and cast members whirred past while that familiar bass glide said, this party never really ended.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Grease Live! ensemble during Grease (Is The Word) — A moving-set parade turns back-lot pavement into a 1950s boulevard.

Barry Gibb wrote Grease (Is The Word) for the 1978 film; Frankie Valli’s version hit No. 1 on Billboard, fusing Bee Gees falsetto sparkle with Peter Frampton’s talk-box guitar. Jessie J—and producers Tom Kitt, Scott M. Riesett, and Kuk Harrell—re-tool that groove: more brass, chunkier claps, a gospel ad-lib breakdown. The message remains: toss yesterday’s rulebook, chase feeling over form.

Verse lines—

“They think our love is just a growing pain”

—echo teenage pushback against conformist 1959 suburbia. Yet the chorus reframes Grease as philosophy: “Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion.” Youth isn’t an era; it’s a verb. Jessie’s sly melisma turns each “word” into graffiti tag on the studio wall.

Live broadcast logistics demanded a single unbroken steadicam shot. Jessie J led viewers through dressing trailers, choir risers, and bleachers—singing live the whole way, sprinting between marks in four-inch heels.

Verse Highlights

Grease (Is The Word) lyric video screenshot — Steadicam swoops capture cast cameos mid-chorus.

Verse 1

The opener flips self-help rhetoric: “I solve my problems and I see the light.” Grease isn’t trouble—conventionality is.

Chorus

Key tagline—“It’s got groove, it’s got meaning”—turns style into substance. Disco strings once carried that lift; Kitt swaps in thick horns and Hammond B-3 swells.

Bridge

Jessie drifts into minor-key reflection—“Life of illusion, wrapped up in trouble”—before a hi-hat snap yanks her back to swagger. It’s a two-bar existential crisis, solved by dancing.

Key Facts

Scene from Grease (Is The Word) performance — Jessie J pauses on the bleachers: one breath, one camera roll, zero safety nets.

Featured Artist: Jessie J with the Grease Live! Cast
Producers: Tom Kitt, Scott M. Riesett, Kuk Harrell
Composer/Lyricist: Barry Gibb
Release Date: January 31, 2016
Genre: Pop-soul with retro-disco undertow
Length: 3 minutes 21 seconds
Label: Paramount Music / Republic
Mood: jubilant, defiant, groove-first
Key: F minor; Tempo: 109 BPM
Instruments: horns, clavinet, rhythm guitar, Hammond B-3, live choir
Track #: 1 on Grease Live! (Music From The Television Event)

Songs Exploring Youth?Culture Anthems

“Footloose” – Kenny Loggins (1984): Both tracks kick down authority with dance-floor swagger. Loggins leans rock; Grease (Is The Word) leans disco-soul, but each declares movement as liberation.

“We Got the Beat” – The Go-Go’s (1981): A caffeinated surf-punk rally that also equates rhythm with identity. Where Jessie wails “Grease is the way we are feeling,” Belinda Carlisle chants “We got the beat.” Same thesis, different lipstick.

“Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen (1979): Mercury’s jet-fuel joy mirrors the no-limits optimism in Gibb’s lyric. Both songs say burn bright tonight—tomorrow’s hang-ups be damned.

Questions and Answers

Did Jessie J record the vocal live on the broadcast?: Yes—she sang in real time while navigating a continuous three-minute steadicam shot across the Warner Bros. backlot.
How did her version perform commercially?: Twenty-five hours after airtime it was #151 on U.S. iTunes, the top-selling track from the soundtrack behind “Those Magic Changes.”
What’s different from Frankie Valli’s 1978 hit?: Jessie trades the original’s falsetto hook for powerhouse belts, adds gospel choir responses, and swaps talk-box guitar for punchy brass.
Was the original song written for the stage?: No—it was commissioned for the 1978 film; the 1971 stage show opened with “Alma Mater.”
Is Barry Gibb involved in this version?: Beyond composition rights, no. But Bee Gees harmonies remain baked into the chord voicings—an Easter-egg for sharp ears.

Awards and Chart Positions

Original 1978 Frankie Valli version: No. 1 US Hot 100 (2 weeks), No. 3 UK, over seven million global sales.

2016 Jessie J version: Soundtrack debuted No. 37 on Billboard 200 and topped Album Sales; Jessie’s track peaked #151 on iTunes immediately post-broadcast.

How to Sing?

The Jessie J cut sits in F minor, stretching G₃–C₅. Verses ride a low, conversational pulse—use light chest voice and swing the consonants. Hit the chorus “Grease is the word” with bright mix, then loosen jaw for vowel diphthongs on “groove” and “meaning.” At 109 BPM, the track struts rather than sprints—find the pocket, let hip-bounce guide breath support.

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