So Bad It’s Good? Lou Waxman on John Travolta’s Debut Album

As you may have heard Lou does not watch television, but his wife is a devoted watcher of sports.  Baseball and football.  So many a time, Lou will be reading a book on fly fishing or some such shit while the TV is on.  Recently during a commercial for insurance or a credit card or a pharmaceutical, John Travolta came on and sang “Greased Lightening” from the epic Grease.  Of course, the song was censored.  Boo!!!  In any case, Lou filed it away in the memory banks and he pulled out that viewing experience when he came across John Travolta’s self-titled debut album at The Vogue in the glorious two-dollar bin.

On the front cover John is in a blue turtleneck and looks like a cooler, younger brother of James Taylor.  Not Livingston for sure.  On the back he is wearing a button-down shirt that is seductively unbuttoned to reveal John’s gloriously hairy chest.  Like Robert Plant.  The album is more James Taylor than Robert Plant to be honest.  Lou fully expected to hate the record, like he did Groundhogs’ Black Diamond, which was complete shit.  Lo and behold, Lou played the entire Travolta record while reading said book of essays about fly-fishing, which Lou does not do in real life nor will he, and found that the record was so pleasingly bland that he did not even realize it was playing whilehe was reading.  In short, the record was great.  It was better than Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull and, of course, Rush.  Hot take alert:  Travolta has more going for him than Freddie Mercury.  Lou will take the vocal stylings of Travolta over Freddie’s operatic warbling any day.  That said both John and Freddie sound like they were try-too-hards in glee club in high school.

From the back cover of Travolta’s album story goes, that Travolta sang The Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann” during an episode of Welcome Back, Kotter and some genius record producer said we should record this shit.  The results are something like Andy Gibb.  Lou isn’t sure that the audience was young girls as much as their mothers.  Lou envisions that a worn-out mother put Travolta’s album in the 8-track while she was soaking in a warm bath of Calgon and wackiness ensued.  The album must be heard on an 8-track, preferably while your mother drives you to Little League practice in a beat-up Gremlin as you sit in the back seat.  You are in the back seat because the orange slices in a Tupperware container take up the passenger seat.

Believe it or not, the album was something of a hit.  The song “Let Her In” broke the top ten.  The song was a cover of some piece of crap song from 1973, and the entire album is basically just covers.  John does a workmanlike job on it.  He does not embarrass himself.  Of course, this album pales in comparison with the soundtrack to Grease, which was a legit smash.  And rightfully so.  It is pure perfection.  Travolta recorded something like nine albums and “Let Her In” was his only solo hit, but make no mistake, Travolta is a triple-threat.  He can act, he can dance, and he can sing.  Guy can do it all.  He is an icon for sure.  Lou for one would like to see Travolta get back in on the singing thing.  Maybe something like Rod Stewart doing the songbook shit.  Or a duet series that Sinatra or Kenny Rogers did that rightfully got ripped to shreds on SNL and MadTV.  The song should be imbedded in your iPhone like they did with U2.  Everyone talks about Travolta as being a master of the comeback, but he is really the master of the sellout.  The guy would do anything for a paycheck and often did.  The only actor who made worse career choices in terms of taking roles is Burt Reynolds.  Burt would not know a good role even if he took one.  Case in point, Jack Horner in Boogie Nights.  It is Burt’s greatest achievement, and he thought it was shit and embarrassing.  Burt was probably more proud of his work in Cannonball Run, which Lou must admit is a masterwork.  The opening sequence of Cannonball Run with the title song by Ray Stevens is much watch shit on YouTube.  Susan Anton forever.  Joe Klecko should have gotten a supporting actor Oscar.  MarkGastineau may have dated Brigette Nielsen, but Joe Klecko had the acting chops.  Brillant.  

Travolta at least had the presence of mind and humility to realize that Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction was the best thing that ever happened to him.  He was not afraid to make fun of himself.  Maybe that is what he is doing in his first album.  Taking the piss out of the tradition of being a Hollywood TV actor doing an album.  That is probably giving Travolta too much credit.  He was merely selling out.

Suggested Sites and Sounds:

Travolta’s Singing Origin Story: Welcome Back, Kotter (4/4) Travolta Struts His Stuff (1975)

Burt Reynolds Knows Nothing about Film:  It's a real film, Jack

Cannonball Run Opening:  Ray Stevens - "The Cannonball Run Opening"

Joe Klecko on Burt Reynolds:  JOE KLECKO on BURT REYNOLDS (2023 Interview)

Mark Gasineau:  Defensive End Mark Gastineau Highlights

Sinatra Duet:  Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder Duet - SNL

Travolta’s Career Gets Out of the Shitter: Pulp Fiction (8/12) Movie CLIP - Butch Meets Vincent (1994) HD

— Lou Waxman