Batdance
Encyclopedia
"Batdance" is a song by Prince
, from the 1989
Batman soundtrack.
Helped by the film
's popularity, the song reached number one in the U.S., becoming Prince's fourth number-one single, and first since 1986's "Kiss
".
.
"Batdance" is almost two songs in one—a chaotic, mechanical dance beat that changes gears into a slinky, funky groove before changing back for the song's conclusion. The track is an amalgam of many musical ideas floating around at the time. Elements from at least seven songs (some unreleased) were incorporated into "Batdance": "200 Balloons", "We Got the Power", "House in Order", "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic" (later released on the album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
), "The Future
", and "Electric Chair", as well as the 1966 "Batman Theme
" by Neal Hefti
. Some of these were mere snippets, and other segments showed up only in remix
es of the track. The song was also loaded with dialog samples from the film.
, directed by Albert Magnoli and choreographed by Barry Lather
, featured dancers costumed as multiple Batmen
, Joker
s and Vicki Vale
s. Prince appears both as himself, as well as a costumed character in face paint known as "Gemini", with one side representing the Joker (evil), and the other, Batman (good). The Batmen and Jokers alternate dance sections, while Prince/Gemini sing the lyrics. Eventually the video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding an electric chair (referenced in the song), and Prince warning, "Stop" as the video abruptly ends. The video also features one Vicki Vale wearing a black dress with the words "All this and brains too", a reference to The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
, in which a female news presenter wears a top with the same slogan.
Gemini is Prince's astrological sign, and is a reference to the duality throughout his music. "Gemini" would also make an appearance in the "Partyman
" video, but with the "Batman" half replaced by Prince's normal appearance.
to the "Batdance" is "200 Balloons", which was recorded for the film and serves as the musical blueprint for the main portion of "Batdance". The song was rejected for the film by Tim Burton
and replaced with "Trust". The lyrics of "200 Balloons", as well as its namesake, reference the scene which it was created for to a greater degree than the replacement track, which only fits due to the fact that the Joker asks "Who do you trust?" after the song ends. Prince did little more than replace the lyrics of "200 Balloons" in its transition into "Batdance". Some lyrics even survived the transition, and more showed up in "The Batmix". "200 Balloons" also contains samples of "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic", another song submitted for inclusion in the movie, but rejected (it was replaced by "Partyman").
The 12" vinyl and CD Maxi versions of the single included two remixes of "Batdance" that were done by Mark Moore
and William Orbit
, "The Batmix" and "Vicki Vale Mix". "The Batmix" focuses on the chaotic "rock" section of "Batdance", and is supplemented with electronic distortion and sampling of voices, instruments, and larger excerpts of Prince's then-unreleased "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". The "Vicki Vale Mix" is an extension of the middle part of "Batdance", which includes dialogue between Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale. In addition to "200 Balloons", the CD Maxi single (9-21257-2) features both of these remixes.
An unreleased extended version, clocking at around nine minutes also exists, which, while having the same structure as the album version, features some new parts and some extended versions of the existing ones, mainly in the first section of the song.
12" / CD single
12" / CD maxi single
12" promo
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, from the 1989
1989 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989.-Events:*January 14 – Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in the USSR...
Batman soundtrack.
Batman (album)
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 revival...
Helped by the film
Batman (1989 film)
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton in the title role, as well as Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance...
's popularity, the song reached number one in the U.S., becoming Prince's fourth number-one single, and first since 1986's "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
".
Song development
"Batdance" was a last-minute replacement for a brooding track titled "Dance with the Devil", which Prince felt was too dark. Incidentally, though "Dance with the Devil" remains unreleased, some of the lyrics appear on the album's liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
.
"Batdance" is almost two songs in one—a chaotic, mechanical dance beat that changes gears into a slinky, funky groove before changing back for the song's conclusion. The track is an amalgam of many musical ideas floating around at the time. Elements from at least seven songs (some unreleased) were incorporated into "Batdance": "200 Balloons", "We Got the Power", "House in Order", "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic" (later released on the album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic
Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic is the twenty-third studio album by Prince . Featuring a radio-friendly sound, the album was conceived as a return to commercial success after several years without significant public attention...
), "The Future
The Future (song)
"The Future" is a song from Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack, and the final single released from the album. The single was not the album version, but a remixed version by William Orbit. "The Future" was released as a single only in Europe...
", and "Electric Chair", as well as the 1966 "Batman Theme
Batman Theme
"Batman Theme", the title song of the 1966 Batman TV series, was composed by Neal Hefti. The song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression, using only three chords until the coda...
" by Neal Hefti
Neal Hefti
Neal Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, tune writer, and arranger. He was perhaps best known for composing the theme music for the Batman television series of the 1960s, and for scoring the 1968 film The Odd Couple and the subsequent TV series of the same name.He began arranging...
. Some of these were mere snippets, and other segments showed up only in remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es of the track. The song was also loaded with dialog samples from the film.
Music video
The song's music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Albert Magnoli and choreographed by Barry Lather
Barry Lather
Barry Lather is an American Choreographer, Actor and Musician.- Biography :Director, Choreographer, Dancer, Singer...
, featured dancers costumed as multiple Batmen
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
s and Vicki Vale
Vicki Vale
Victoria Vale is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Batman #49 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.-1940s-1960s:...
s. Prince appears both as himself, as well as a costumed character in face paint known as "Gemini", with one side representing the Joker (evil), and the other, Batman (good). The Batmen and Jokers alternate dance sections, while Prince/Gemini sing the lyrics. Eventually the video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding an electric chair (referenced in the song), and Prince warning, "Stop" as the video abruptly ends. The video also features one Vicki Vale wearing a black dress with the words "All this and brains too", a reference to The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
, in which a female news presenter wears a top with the same slogan.
Gemini is Prince's astrological sign, and is a reference to the duality throughout his music. "Gemini" would also make an appearance in the "Partyman
Partyman
"Partyman" is a song by Prince from his 1989 Batman album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, "Batdance". The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene where the Joker and his minions gleefully desecrate the Gotham City Art Museum...
" video, but with the "Batman" half replaced by Prince's normal appearance.
B-side
The B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to the "Batdance" is "200 Balloons", which was recorded for the film and serves as the musical blueprint for the main portion of "Batdance". The song was rejected for the film by Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
and replaced with "Trust". The lyrics of "200 Balloons", as well as its namesake, reference the scene which it was created for to a greater degree than the replacement track, which only fits due to the fact that the Joker asks "Who do you trust?" after the song ends. Prince did little more than replace the lyrics of "200 Balloons" in its transition into "Batdance". Some lyrics even survived the transition, and more showed up in "The Batmix". "200 Balloons" also contains samples of "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic", another song submitted for inclusion in the movie, but rejected (it was replaced by "Partyman").
Remixes
The 7" edit of the song is basically the album version without the guitar solo and the up-tempo part near the end.The 12" vinyl and CD Maxi versions of the single included two remixes of "Batdance" that were done by Mark Moore
Mark Moore
Mark Moore is a British dance music record producer and DJ. He was founder of the pop/sampling pioneers S'Express, and runs the London nightclubs, 'Electrogogo' and 'Can Can'.-Biography:...
and William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
, "The Batmix" and "Vicki Vale Mix". "The Batmix" focuses on the chaotic "rock" section of "Batdance", and is supplemented with electronic distortion and sampling of voices, instruments, and larger excerpts of Prince's then-unreleased "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic". The "Vicki Vale Mix" is an extension of the middle part of "Batdance", which includes dialogue between Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale. In addition to "200 Balloons", the CD Maxi single (9-21257-2) features both of these remixes.
An unreleased extended version, clocking at around nine minutes also exists, which, while having the same structure as the album version, features some new parts and some extended versions of the existing ones, mainly in the first section of the song.
Track listings
7" single- "Batdance" (edit) – 4:06
- "200 Balloons" – 5:05
12" / CD single
- "Batdance – 6:13
- "200 Balloons" – 5:05
12" / CD maxi single
- "Batdance" (The Batmix) – 7:15
- "Batdance" (Vicky Vale Mix) – 5:55
- "200 Balloons" – 5:05
12" promo
- "Batdance" (The Batmix) – 7:15
- "Batdance" (The Batmix Radio Edit) – 4:09
- "Batdance" (Vicky Vale Mix) – 5:55
- "Batdance" (Vicky Vale Mix Radio Edit) – 4:13