Batman (album)

For the Danny Elfman musical score, see Batman (score).
Batman
Soundtrack album by Prince
Released June 20, 1989
Recorded June 1988–March 1989
Paisley Park Studios
Genre Pop, rock, funk
Length 42:31
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Prince
Prince chronology
Lovesexy
(1988)		 Batman
(1989)		 Graffiti Bridge
(1990)
Batman soundtrack chronology
Batman (score)
(1989)		 Batman (album)
(1989)		 Batman Returns
(1992)
Singles from Batman
  1. "Batdance"
    Released: June 8, 1989
  2. "Partyman"
    Released: September 15, 1989
  3. "The Arms of Orion"
    Released: October 16, 1989
  4. "Scandalous!"
    Released: November 28, 1989
  5. "The Future"
    Released: May 18, 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment Weekly (B-)[2]
IGN [3]
Mojo (favorable)[4]
Q [5]
Rolling Stone [5]

Batman is the eleventh studio album by musician Prince and the soundtrack for the 1989 film Batman. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial (if not critical) revival. The result was yet another multi-platinum successful cross-media enterprise by Warner Bros., in the vein of Purple Rain. The album was placed #1 on Billboard's album chart for six consecutive weeks. It sold nearly three million copies in the United States alone.

Contents

Production

The album was quickly recorded in six weeks—from mid-February to late March 1989—and Prince used three tracks recorded earlier: "Electric Chair" was recorded in June 1988; "Scandalous!" in October 1988; and "Vicki Waiting" (originally known as "Anna Waiting," named for his then-girlfiend, Anna Garcia) in December 1988. The album was performed entirely by Prince, with a few exceptions; Sheena Easton duets with Prince on "The Arms of Orion", "Trust" features a sampled horn part by Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss, and "The Future" features strings by Clare Fischer sampled from the (then unreleased) 1986 track "Crystal Ball" and samples of the Sounds of Blackness choir. "Batdance" includes a sample of Prince's technician Matthew Larson, and "Partyman" features the vocal performance of then girlfriend Anna Garcia (credited as Anna Fantastic).[6] All dialogue sampled on Prince's Batman album is taken directly from a workprint of Batman and therefore lacks ADR and foley. This is especially noticeable in the beginning of the first track, "The Future", with dialogue of Michael Keaton speaking as Batman.

Ownership complexities

Ownership of the Batman franchise is notoriously complex. Prince had to agree to sign the publishing rights to the songs used in the movie over to Warner Bros.; therefore, Prince's hit singles from this album were not permitted to appear on any of his hits compilations, only the B-side singles "200 Balloons", "Feel U Up", and "I Love U in Me". Even on the concert T-shirts which listed all of Prince's album titles to date the song "Scandalous!" appeared in place of the album Batman. Despite this, Prince has performed a number of the album's tracks in concert over the years. A 2005 special edition DVD of the Batman movie contains Prince's related videos as a bonus feature. Wedged between Lovesexy and Graffiti Bridge, the soundtrack serves as Prince's final album contribution of the 1980s.

Unreleased song information

"Dance with the Devil"

One of the main songs slated for inclusion on Prince's Batman album was the 7:54 "Dance with the Devil". The song was pulled at the last minute and replaced with an edited version of the chaotic "Batdance", reportedly because Prince deemed "Dance with the Devil" to be too dark. "Dance with the Devil" samples Jack Nicholson's dialogue as The Joker, as well as the sound of falling rain. "Dance with the Devil" is officially unreleased; however, it is circulating amongst tape traders.

"Batdance"

An alternate, 8:55 version of "Batdance" is also circulating within amongst tape traders. The song is notable for showcasing scenes with dialogue cut from the final version of Batman.

Track listing

All songs written by Prince, except where noted:

Side One

  1. "The Future" – 4:07
  2. "Electric Chair" – 4:08
  3. "The Arms of Orion" (Prince, Sheena Easton) – 5:02
  4. "Partyman" – 3:11
  5. "Vicki Waiting" – 4:52

Side Two

  1. "Trust" – 4:24
  2. "Lemon Crush" – 4:15
  3. "Scandalous!" (Prince, John L. Nelson) – 6:15
  4. "Batdance" – 6:13

Personnel

Singles and Hot 100 chart placings

  1. "Batdance (Edit)"
  2. "200 Balloons"
  3. "Batdance (The Batmix)" (maxi-single)
  4. "Batdance (Vicki Vale Mix)" (maxi-single)


  1. "Partyman"
  2. "Feel U Up"
  3. "The Purple Party Mix" (maxi-single)
  4. "Partyman Music Mix" (maxi-single)
  5. "Partyman Video Mix" (maxi-single)


  1. "The Arms of Orion" W/Sheena Easton (#36 U.S., #27 UK)
  2. "I Love U in Me"


  1. "Scandalous!"
  2. "When 2 R In Love"
  3. "The Crime" ("The Scandalous Sex Suite" maxi-single)
  4. "The Passion" ("The Scandalous Sex Suite" maxi-single)
  5. "The Rapture" ("The Scandalous Sex Suite" maxi-single)
  6. "Sex" "The Scandalous Sex Suite" maxi-single


  1. "The Future" (remix)
  2. "Electric Chair" (remix)


Chart positions

Chart (1989) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[7] 1
U.S. Billboard R&B Albums[7] 1
UK Albums Chart[8] 1

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Prince: Batman" at Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  2. ^ Browne, David (21 September 1990). "Purple Products". Entertainment Weekly (Time) (#32). ISSN 1049-0434. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318219,00.html. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  3. ^ Spence D. (24 July 2008). "Prince - Batman Motion Picture Soundtrack". IGN. http://music.ign.com/articles/893/893452p1.html. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  4. ^ Simmons, Sylvie (1996). "Prince: The Best of the Patchy Years" (free registration required). Mojo (Bauer Media Group). ISSN 1351-0193. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/article.html?ArticleID=2049. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  5. ^ a b "Batman - O.S.T.". tower.com. http://www.tower.com/batman-motion-picture-soundtrack-prince-cd/wapi/113109139. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
  6. ^ Alex Hahn (2003). "Possessed: The Rise And Fall Of Prince". Billboard Books. 
  7. ^ a b "Batman: Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums" at Allmusic. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  8. ^ "Batman (OST)". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=8672. Retrieved 15 September 2011. 
Preceded by
Flowers in the Dirt by Paul McCartney		 UK number one album
July 1, 1989 – July 7, 1989		 Succeeded by
Velveteen by Transvision Vamp
Preceded by
The Raw & the Cooked by Fine Young Cannibals		 Billboard 200 number-one album
July 22, 1989 – September 1, 1989		 Succeeded by
Repeat Offender by Richard Marx
Batman music
Soundtracks
Songs