Getty Olivia Newton-John
John Travolta gave a nod to his late “Grease” co-star, Olivia-Newton John in a 2023 Super Bowl commercial. The singer and “Dancing with the Stars” guest judge died on August 8, 2022 at age 73, following a 30-year battle with cancer.
For Super Bowl LVII, Travolta performed a parody of one of his most iconic “Grease” duets with Newton-John in a commercial for T-Mobile.
Here’s what you need to know:
John Travolta Performed a Spoof of ‘Summer Nights’ With Actors Zach Braff & Donald Faison
In the spot for T-Mobile, Travolta, 68, performed a new version of the “Grease” song “Summer Nights” with two unexpected co-singers: “Scrubs” actor Zach Braff and Donald Faison.
In the spot, Travolta sings in the streets with his new “neighbors” in a spot titled “New Year, New Neighbor.” Instead of singing about his lost summer romance, Travolta sings about the benefits of using T-Mobile’s home internet services. Travolta no longer has the slicked-back hair that his “Grease” character, Danny Zuko, had in the 1978 film, but he is seen rocking a black jacket like his greaser character was known for.
While the ad does not reference Newton-John’s character at all, it brings back memories of the original song performed by her and Travolta in one of the first musical scenes in “Grease.”
Faison told Billboard he was honored to be a part of the parody of the famous tune. “It was a joy to work with John Travolta and to sing our version of such an iconic song,” he said.
The Original ‘Summer Nights’ Was One of the Biggest Songs on the ‘Grease’ Soundtrack
When “Grease” hit theaters in the summer of 1978, the soundtrack was already a hit, as it had been released two months earlier. Four of the songs– “Grease,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” and “Summer Nights” — were Top 5 hits, per Billboard.
The “Summer Nights” duet featured Travolta’s Danny boasting of a summertime hookup, while Newton-John’s Sandy had a more romantic recollection of her summer at the beach.
“Summer Nights” actually wasn’t Travolta’s favorite duet with Newton-John. In January 202, he told Closer Weekly he preferred another hit from the film. “I think ‘You’re The One That I Want’ because we’re actually performing it together,” he said. “’Summer Nights’ we’re separate. …I think, if I’m not mistaken, it’s still the biggest duet in history. There is some beautiful history to that.”
But the famous duets almost never came to be. Three years before her death, Newton-John told Extra she nearly turned down the role in “Grease.” “I was 29 — I was worried I was too old,” she said. “I had to be 17 or whatever it was and I was like, ‘I can’t play 17.’”
But Travolta, who was 24 at the time, convinced her she could play a high schooler, and the rest is history.
Travolta remained close friends with Newton-John long after they played teen couple Danny and Sandy. In addition to “Grease,” they co-starred in the movie “Two of a Kind” in 1983. Following Newton-John’s death, Travolta posted a photo of her 1974 “If You Love Me Let Me Know” album cover with a heartfelt caption about their long friendship. He signed it, “Your Danny, your John!”
READ NEXT: DWTS Pro Mourns Terrible Loss