41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti

June 22, 1993 (CD)

41 Original Hits from the Soundtrack of American Graffiti is the official 1973 soundtrack album of the film American Graffiti. It has been certified triple platinum in the U.S., where it peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Included in the film, but not on the soundtrack, are "Gee" by the Crows, "Louie Louie" by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, and Harrison Ford's in-character a cappella rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening" (the reason for the latter two's exclusion is because those sequences weren't added to the film until the 1978 re-release; they were absent in the original 1973 released version)

A second compilation, titled More American Graffiti (MCA 8007) (and not to be confused with the 1979 film sequel of that name) was issued by MCA in early 1975 with George Lucas's approval. It features more rock and doo-wop hits from the late 1950s and early 1960s (only one of which, the Crows' "Gee", was featured in the film), along with additional Wolfman Jack dialogue. A third and final oldies compilation, titled American Graffiti Vol. III (MCA 8008) was also issued by MCA in early 1976. All three albums were released as 2-record sets, or as a double-length tape and are now entirely out of print.

All songs on the soundtrack album are presented in the order they appeared in the film.

The UK version of the soundtrack album is slightly reordered and omits three tracks: both Beach Boys songs and "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning. The album is thus retitled "38 Original Hits from the Sound Track of American Graffiti".

Wolfman Jack appears on seven tracks: "That'll Be The Day", "Fannie Mae", "Barbara Ann", "Book of Love", "To the Aisle", "Green Onions", and "Only You (And You Alone)".