The Rocky Horror Picture Show (soundtrack)

This article is about the soundtrack to the 1975 motion picture. For other uses, see The Rocky Horror Picture Show (disambiguation).

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the original soundtrack album to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, an adaptation of the 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show. The 1975 soundtrack album was released by Ode Records and produced by Richard Hartley.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released	1975
Genre	Glam rock^[1] pop rock^[1] rock and roll^[1]
Length	45:04
Label	Ode
Producer	Richard Hartley
The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtracks chronology
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016)

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

The album peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200 in 1978.^[3] It reached No. 12 on the Australian albums chart^[4][5] and No. 11 on the New Zealand albums chart.^[6] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the album a retrospective star rating of five stars out of five and described it as the "definitive version of the [Rocky Horror] score".^[7] This version of the soundtrack was certified Gold by the RIAA on 23 February 1981.

Following its initial release, the album was not successful, and was deleted everywhere but in Canada. Marty Scott, co-founder of Jem Records, obtained a licensing agreement from Ode Records owner Lou Adler, which enabled the album to be imported to the United States. Scott also obtained a production and distribution license from Adler, which resulted in renewed interest in the album.^[8]

Omitted songs

The original soundtrack release omits two songs sung in the film: Rocky's "The Sword of Damocles" and the Frank-N-Furter-led "Planet, Schmanet, Janet" (often referred to as "Wise Up, Janet Weiss"). Also omitted was "Once in a While", which was filmed but later cut.

All three songs were restored for the 25th anniversary release of the album (25 Years of Absolute Pleasure) however "Planet, Schmanet, Janet" lacks the final verse ("don't get hot and flustered") and they are in mono and ported directly from the film itself and so include all the sound effects and dialogue that would normally be omitted from a soundtrack album.

In 2011 these three songs were released, as MP3 format only, in their stereo, studio mixes on the download-only release The Rocky Horror Picture Show Complete Soundtrack: Absolute Treasures 2011 Special Edition. The 2011 album was later issued on double red vinyl for the film's 40th anniversary. However, incidental music and cues are not included and "The Sword of Damocles" features Brian Engel in place of Trevor White. The latter is included with Trevor White's vocals as a bonus track for the iTunes edition; this is the same version found on the "25 Years of Absolute Pleasure" release, albeit in stereo and contains the dialogue and sound effects from the film.

Track listing

Original 1975 release

All tracks are written by Richard O'Brien

Side one

No.	Title	Performer	Length
1.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature"	Richard O'Brien	4:30
2.	"Dammit Janet"	Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon	2:51
3.	"Over at the Frankenstein Place"	Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Richard O'Brien	2:37
4.	"Time Warp"	Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell	3:15
5.	"Sweet Transvestite"	Tim Curry	3:21
6.	"I Can Make You a Man"	Tim Curry	2:07
7.	"Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul"	Meat Loaf	3:00
8.	"I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)"	Tim Curry	1:44

Side two

No.	Title	Performer	Length
1.	"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me"	Susan Sarandon, Little Nell, Patricia Quinn, Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Brian Engel	2:27
2.	"Eddie"	Jonathan Adams, Little Nell, Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry	2:44
3.	"Rose Tint My World": a. "Floor Show" b. "Fanfare/Don't Dream It" c. "Wild and Untamed Thing"	Little Nell, Brian Engel, Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Tim Curry, Jonathan Adams	8:13
4.	"I'm Going Home"	Tim Curry	2:48
5.	"Super Heroes"	Barry Bostwick, Susan Sarandon, Charles Gray	2:45
6.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)"	Richard O'Brien	1:26

Bonus tracks (1989 CD release)

1. "The Time Warp (Remix 1989 Extended Version)"
2. "The Time Warp (Music − 1 = Background Track + U Mix)"

25 Years of Absolute Pleasure (2000)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature"	4:27
2.	"Dammit Janet"	3:22
3.	"Over at the Frankenstein Place"	3:59
4.	"Time Warp"	4:29
5.	"Sweet Transvestite"	4:06
6.	"Sword of Damocles"	3:38
7.	"I Can Make You a Man"	3:15
8.	"Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul"	3:21
9.	"I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)"	1:59
10.	"Once in a While"	3:45
11.	"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me"	2:59
12.	"Eddie's Teddy"	2:47
13.	"Planet, Schmanet, Janet"	2:36
14.	"Rose Tint My World"	2:51
15.	"Don't Dream It, Be It"	3:36
16.	"Wild and Untamed Thing"	1:51
17.	"I'm Going Home"	2:57
18.	"Super Heroes"	5:20
19.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)"	1:30

Absolute Treasures: 40th Anniversary Re-Mastered Edition (2015)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature"	4:27
2.	"Dammit Janet"	3:22
3.	"Over at the Frankenstein Place"	3:59
4.	"Time Warp"	4:29
5.	"Sweet Transvestite"	4:06
6.	"Sword of Damocles"	3:38
7.	"I Can Make You a Man"	3:15
8.	"Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul"	3:21
9.	"I Can Make You a Man (Reprise)"	1:59
10.	"Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me"	2:59
11.	"Once in a While"	3:45
12.	"Eddie"	2:47
13.	"Planet, Schmanet, Janet"	2:36
14.	"Planet Hot Dog"	0:40
15.	"Rose Tint My World"	2:51
16.	"Fanfare/ Don't Dream It, Be It"	3:36
17.	"Wild and Untamed Thing"	1:51
18.	"I'm Going Home"	2:57
19.	"Super Heroes"	5:20
20.	"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)"	1:30

Personnel

Cast

• Tim Curry - lead vocals (5, 7, 9, 13, 16, 18), co-lead vocals (12), spoken word (11)
• Richard O'Brien - lead vocals (1, 4,) co-lead vocals (3), backing vocals (2, 5, 12), spoken word (11)
• Patricia Quinn - co-lead vocals (4, 11), backing vocals (2, 5, 11), spoken word (11)
• Barry Bostwick - vocals (2, 3, 10, 14, 15), spoken word (5, 10, 13), backing vocals (11, 16)
• Susan Sarandon - vocals (2, 3, 9, 11, 15) backing vocals (12, 16), screaming (13)
• Little Nell - co-lead vocals (4, 10, 12, 15), backing vocals (5)
• Trevor White - dubbed vocals (6), dubbed co-lead vocals (15), backing vocals (12), spoken word (11)
• Charles Gray - spoken word (4, 12, 13)
• Meat Loaf - lead vocals (8), spoken word (11)
• Peter Hinwood - lip-synced lead vocals (6), lip-synced co-lead vocals (15), lip-synced spoken word (11) (film version)
• Jonathan Adams - spoken words (12, 13, 16), vocals (12, 14)

Musicians

• Count Ian Blair - electric and acoustic guitars
• Mick Grabham - electric guitar
• Dave Wintour - bass guitar
• B.J. Wilson - drums
• Phil Kenzie - saxophone
• John Bundrick - keyboards
• Martin Briley, Helen Chappelle, Brian Engel, Barry St. John, Liza Strike, Clare Torry - backing vocals
• Richard Hartley – composer, arrangements (1–3, 10, 16)

In popular culture

As announced by video game developer/publisher Activision in a press release on 12 October 2010, "Time Warp", "Sweet Transvestite", and "Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul" were released for the game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as downloadable content on 26 October.^[9]

Charts

The album initially charted in the US in 1978; however, in 2010, following the "Rocky Horror Glee Show" episode of Glee, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 55.^[10]

Chart (1976–1986)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)^[4]^[5]	12
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[11]	8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[12]	11
US Billboard 200^[13]	49
Chart (2010)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	55
US Billboard Top Soundtracks	4

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[14]	Gold	35,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Segretto, Mike (2022). "1975". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 313–314. ISBN 9781493064601.
2. Allmusic review
3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Charts & Awards, AllMusic, retrieved 3 October 2010
4. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. p. 282. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
5. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Albums Chart – Week Ending 09 Jun 1991 (61–100)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 2 October 2016.
6. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show (album)", New Zealand charts portal, Hung Medien, retrieved 3 October 2010
7. Ruhlmann, William, The Rocky Horror Picture Show > Review, AllMusic, retrieved 3 October 2010
8. Interview: Excavating Jem with Marty Scott; The Second Disc. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
9. "Celebrate the Launch of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock With Over 18 New Downloadable Tracks for the Guitar Hero Music Library", Activision, retrieved 13 October 2010
10. "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
11. "Austriancharts.at – Soundtrack – The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
12. "Charts.nz – Soundtrack – The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
13. "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
14. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 December 2021.