Media and Music: 45 Years of Love, Sex, and Rock and Roll With "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"
In 1975, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" showed us how to Time Warp and embrace our inner freak. Why would this year be any different? Pain is temporary, but Rocky Horror is forever.
In Media and Music, our writers take a deep dive into how movies use scores and songs to engage viewers, give new meaning and tone to some of our favorite scenes, and establish themes. It almost goes without saying, but there are spoilers abound.
Written by Kriss Conklin
Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Before "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," there was only "The Rocky Horror Show," a stage musical written by English-New Zealand actor Richard O'Brien in 1973. The production was a huge success in London, so naturally the play made its way across the pond to The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. Two years later, O'Brien and director Jim Sharman co-wrote and released "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," the film adaptation of O'Brien's hit musical.
When "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" premiered in American movie theaters 45 years ago, the camp-horror-science fiction hybrid film was met with little enthusiasm, and its famed cult following was nowhere to be seen. The classic we know and love had not yet found its footing in a world dominated by gender politics and heteronormativity, but after the Waverly Theater (now known as IFC Center) in New York City started hosting exclusive midnight screenings of the film, all the weirdos, freaks, and rejects came running.
Since its release, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" has been revived at proscenium theaters and grungy AMCs alike, often performed with a live or shadow cast accompanied by an equally active audience. Loyal fans line up the block, sporting fishnets, corsets, and homemade props, just to experience being a part of the film itself. For one night, every audience member is just another painted face in a sea of people committed to recreating the amusement and inclusivity Rocky Horror brings into the world.
The story centers around Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon), a ‘Plain Jane,’ missionary only, vanilla with no cherry on top couple who get a flat tire in the middle of a rainstorm. In search of a telephone, the couple stumbles upon a castle where they meet a strange 'doctor' from Transexual, Transylvania and his congregation of servants and groupies. However, Brad and Janet get more than just a polite invitation inside — they get sucked into a world of experimentation, pleasure, and rock and roll.
Rocky Horror's first three numbers serve as the mellow exposition for the film, as Brad and Janet eventually give themselves over to "absolute pleasure." O'Brien performs the opening song "Science Fiction/Double Feature," a soothing composition of guitars, violins, and piano, which pays homage to various B-movies and pop culture icons that inspired the conception of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." On screen, a pair of singing, luscious red lips accompany O'Brien's pitchy voice, teasing the viewers who anxiously await the start of the film. The pairing of O'Brien's vocals with a woman's lips serves as an interesting introduction to the unorthodox nature of a film committed to blurring the line between gender and attraction. The next song, "Dammit Janet," is a jaunty, upbeat duet where Brad and Janet profess their love for each other inside of a church. Driven by contemporary piano and lively strings, this song (more pop than rock) plays an important part in the film's overall storyline, because it frames the couple as the embodiment of 'tradition' — a heterosexual Christian marriage — before deconstructing such notions throughout the movie. Last, "Over at the Frankenstein Place," a soft rock melody characterized by mellifluous backing vocals and a steady beat, bridges the worlds of the typical and the Transylvanian, as Brad and Janet slowly walk towards the light of the mysterious castle. The light they follow just happens to be the path to their sexual liberation and freedom from gender norms.
On the castle's dark steps, a hunchbacked servant named Riff Raff (O'Brien) welcomes the couple inside before launching into the movie's most iconic number, "Time Warp," the first pure rock and roll song on the soundtrack. In four minutes, the viewers get a chance to see what makes Rocky Horror a cult classic: a bunch of strange people in strange costumes dancing and singing and being their strange selves. Complete with '50s rock staples of guttural vocals, plucky electric guitars, and a slinky saxophone, this song's sole purpose is to get the audience jumping, stepping, and pelvic-thrusting. This performance is also a signature of the live productions, where audience and cast members drive themselves "insa-a-a-ane" trying to keep up with the song's instructional lyrics. The movie's side characters, Columbia (Nell Campbell) and Magenta (Patricia Quinn), alongside Transylvanian groupies donning tuxedos, party hats, and plastic sunglasses, are introduced before the film presents mad scientist and self-labeled 'transvestite' Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) with his own number, "Sweet Transvestite."
Dressed in full drag makeup and his trademark corset ensemble, Frank-N-Furter is enchanting and seductive. His Bowie-esque anthem reflects his charm perfectly with high-energy electric guitar riffs and screeching saxophone solos. This scene is the first instance of the film where the gender binary is challenged. In the '70s, few men shamelessly walked around in painted faces and women's lingerie — let alone enjoyed it — but that's exactly why Frank-N-Furter resonates with so many fans. By strutting around his mansion and singing about reveling in his oddity, the mad scientist became a twisted role model for many. "Sweet Transvestite" didn't go down in history just for its racy costuming and exciting choreography. The number also famously leaves the audience shivering with "antici...pation" when Frank-N-Furter says he'll, "remove the cause but not the symptom" of his guests' discomfort before taking them to meet his newest creation, a man "with blond hair and a tan" named Rocky.
Brad, Janet, and the Transylvanian posse are then whisked away to Frank-N-Furter's laboratory, where the doctor brings his Charles Atlas-inspired boytoy to life. During Rocky's resurrection, Frank-N-Furter lets out a maniacal laugh while the lights flicker, evoking the classic monster/maker trope from the 1932 film "Dr. X," which was referenced in the opening theme. Shortly after, Frank-N-Furter launches into "I Can Make You a Man," a glam rock fantasy filled with sexual innuendos and a piano-harpsichord mashup where the doctor daydreams about his sex-crazed future with Rocky. In a flash of red lights and flying chunks of ice, Frank-N-Furter's daydream is interrupted by a greaser named Eddie (Meat Loaf), as he escapes the laboratory's deep freezer on his motorbike. Eddie, Columbia's boyfriend and partial owner of Rocky's brain, captivates the audience with his "naive charm" and stellar saxophone skills. Eddie's song, "Hot Patootie," is a fearless declaration of his love for Columbia and rock and roll itself. Nearly the entire song consists of Eddie, accompanied by Transylvanian chorus, singing, "Hot patootie, bless my soul / Really love that rock and roll" before Frank-N-Furter gets fed up with the lack of attention and kills him with an ice pick (the only scene that makes this movie an actual 'horror show'). With the toss of his hair and a flail of his limbs, Frank-N-Furter steals back the spotlight and performs the reprised version of "I Can Make You a Man." Although the song centers on Rocky's transformation from "a weakling" to "a strong man," it also marks a transition in the other characters' natures, as seen by Janet singing that she's a "muscle fan" at the end of the song, when moments earlier she said she didn't like "men with too many muscles." Finally, Frank-N-Furter and Rocky stride to their suite with elbows locked as an electric guitar rings out the distorted chords to a familiar wedding tune.
Later that night, Frank-N-Furter, dressed as Brad, comes to Janet's room and seduces her. Upon realizing it is indeed Frank-N-Furter, Janet is hesitant and shocked, but eventually caves. After their romp, however, Janet feels confused and guilty, and wanders around the castle searching for Brad. While looking for her fiance, she discovers a television monitor showing Frank-N-Furter and Brad in bed, sharing a cigarette after Frank also seduced him. (Our mad scientist doesn’t waste time does he?) This discovery sets the movie up for its next act, where Janet gives herself over to "absolute pleasure" (for the second time) by enticing Rocky with "Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me." The fast-paced piano ballad imitates both characters' heart palpitations, caused by lust for one and fear of the other (as seen by Rocky trying to run away from his seductress). Sarandon's dainty yet breathy performance is one of the film's turning points, because her song focuses on destroying the 'prude' and 'demure' stereotype of women by taking control of the sexual dynamic between her and Rocky. Janet sings she's "tasted blood" and wants more, before demanding the "creature of the night" to "thrill me, chill me, [and] fulfill me." The most significant part about this song is that "creature of the night" refers not only to Rocky, but to the darker side of oneself that is often repressed in fear of shame or humiliation. This message was well-received by the audience, and is part of why the film maintains such a strong presence in modern pop culture. In Janet's case, her "creature of the night" happened to be her desire for sexual liberation, but for others, it could be a closeted identity, a fetish, or just being their true, unapologetic self.
Before the final course of the film, the Transylvanians have a dinner party and honor the loss of Eddie through a song named after the fun-spirited rock and roller. "Eddie" ironically highlights the worst parts of the character's life with a cheery chorus, distorted guitar riffs, and of course, a saxophone theme as groovy as the deceased biker himself. The song's lyrics establish "Eddie" as the anthem of the outcasts, with lines like "From the day he was born / He was trouble" and "Everybody shoved him / I very nearly loved him." Following Eddie's musical eulogy, Brad, Janet, Rocky, and Columbia perform in Frank-N-Furter's eight-minute floor show, "Rose Tint My World." This song is a three-part realization of acceptance and transformation for Brad and Janet, who, wearing matching makeup and corset ensembles, finally understand the meaning of "absolute pleasure." The first part of the number, "Floorshow," is introduced by spunky guitars and a lyrical anecdote from each character about how Frank-N-Furter has changed them (for better or worse). The next part, "Fanfare/Don't Dream It, Be It," is one of the most standout verses in "Rose Tint My World." After making a fashionably late entrance to his own show, Frank-N-Furter repeats, "Don't dream it, be it," over a sleepy piano melody that lulls the audience into the mindset that they should be who they want to be, not just who they wish they were. As these lines are sung, all the characters surround Frank-N-Furter in a swimming pool, and become a sensual display of splashing water and tangled limbs. Then, the song explodes into its final part, "Wild and Untamed Thing," a dynamic high-energy chant of embracing one's identity accompanied by dueling guitars, blaring saxophones, and the repetition of:
"I'm a wild and an untamed thing
I'm a bee with a deadly sting
You get a hit and your mind goes ping
Your heart'll pump and your blood will sing
So let the party and the sounds rock on
We're gonna shake it 'till the life has gone
Rose tint my world
Keep me safe from my trouble and pain"
The floor show is suddenly brought to a halt when Riff Raff and Magenta, having dropped their lowly servant attire for ray guns and golden cosmic outfits, tell Frank-N-Furter that he can no longer stay on Earth because he failed his mission. In a slow-paced hallucination, the mad scientist performs the wistful ballad "I'm Going Home.” The lilting violin solos and piercing guitar notes of the song create a vulnerable sound that captures Frank-N-Furter's yearning to return to the home planet he abandoned. Unlucky for him, the revealed alien gets blasted by Riff Raff's ray gun at the end of his performance. Rocky, who weeps over Frank-N- Furter's body before climbing up the prop of a radio tower with Frank over his shoulder (King Kong-style), also gets shot. Brad and Janet are left in shock before singing about human insignificance in the film's final song. Accompanied by wailing guitar notes and a serious chord progression on the piano, "Super Heroes" is the darkest number in the musical. The closing song reflects on the traumatic effects of Brad and Janet's wild night through ironic verses about internal bleeding and manipulative super hero cannibals. After the last notes of "Super Heroes," Riff Raff and Magenta zap back to Transylvania, taking the castle with them and leaving behind a pile of rubble. The chiming xylophone opening of the reprised "Science Fiction/Double Feature" begins to play, recapping the story as the closing credits roll.
One of the greatest accomplishments of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was the creation of a timeless masterpiece on a $1.4 million dollar budget. Unlike other musicals at the time, Rocky Horror casted singers with quirky, distinct voices, avoided intricate choreography, and was nowhere near family friendly. Revered for its campy insanity, Rocky Horror would not have been as successful if it was any less over-the-top and outrageous as it continues to be today.
Since 1975, Rocky Horror has gained an extremely dedicated following based on pillars of community, inclusion, and eccentricity. Nearly five decades later, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is the longest-running theatrical release in the world. Many fans credit the movie with their journey to self-acceptance because of its peculiarity and message of unabashedly owning one's identity. The film is just as legendary (if not more) today as it was back then, because its themes of love, sex, and rock and roll continue to resonate with modern-day audiences. Even if the movie isn't suited for all, everyone can at least enjoy themselves by doing the Time Warp —again and again.