885 Most Memorable Musical Moments: Travolta Is Back

In the late 1970s, John Travolta was a rising star who seemed to have the world as his oyster. As the white leisure suited-disco king Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, his style and enthusiasm catapulted him to the status of a pop culture icon. He danced, of course, to one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time; the Bees Gees at one time had 5 songs in the Billboard Top 10 simultaneously. In 1978, he danced opposite Olivia Newton-John in the 50s tribute Grease, further confirming his position. In Urban Cowboy, in 1980, his two-stepping, as well as 10-gallon hat, is credited with leading to a boom in pop country music (and for a while, in mechanical bulls at country music bars).

But after that, he turned down the lead in An Officer and A Gentleman to reprise his role as Tony Manero in the Sylvester Stallone-directed Staying Alive. After he ended the film (which flopped) with his "strut", it was easy to think that his dancing days were done; aside from acting with a talking baby and Kirstie Alley, some very forgettable films followed.

In 1994, in Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece, Pulp Fiction, he appeared as veteran hitman Vincent Vega. Assigned to watch Mia (Uma Thurman), the wife of his boss, Marsellus, they go to a 50s retro diner, Jackrabbit Slim's, and enter a dance contest.

You have to see this: wearing dark suit, bolo tie, slightly bloated, and with long, stringy black hair, Travolta (as Vega) is all about being cool, but is trying not to flirt with Mia. But with them twisting to Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" (a #14 Billboard hit in 1964), their attraction is apparent. It was an incredible, terrific moment of abandon, and to be perfectly honest, I think it had what many people wanted to see again: Travolta dancing (even if it was the Batusi). Ain't it cool?!

It is a terrific soundtrack!

The moment:


"You Never Can Tell" was renamed "C'est la Vie (You Never Can Tell)" by Emmylou Harris, and was a hit for her on the country music charts in 1977:


UPDATE:This, my first MMMM Guest Blogger post, can be found on XPN's site here.