From the Times 11/7/08....
The maverick director Tim Burton had other ideas, casting the indifferently chinned comedian Michael Keaton as the dark avenger, a decision that attracted 50,000 protest letters. It didn't matter. The film was the runaway blockbuster of 1989, and merchandise revenues alone topped $750 million. It had songs by Prince, then the hippest musician on the planet; extraordinary sets by the troubled Anton Furst, who two years later would leap eight floors to his death; and Jack Nicholson's famous grin.

Even so, it's not particularly good. There are strange holes in the plot where the producer Jon Peters and Tim Burton didn't see eye to eye, and Kim Basinger, then the producer's real-life girlfriend, is a waste of space.

No, I heard when they needed someone to do the soundtrack Jack Nickleson is the one that said he wanted Prince, I think it was a good choice, I love it!

Nah. Prince was still made of Teflon at that point in his career. He could've done anything and it would've been pretty much well received.

Nicholson being a huge fan certainly didn't hurt.

I agree with the "Batman Soundtrack" And I have the movie, and it's been 10 years since I've seen it...I remember liking the scene with "Trust," however...I Love the Soundtrack itself...sometimes where movies place songs...is the problem...I didn't go out of my way to rearrange things in my mind...as some of us get critical to the nth degree about movies as a whole...

"Batman," isn't a movie I did that with...When it came to the "Pink Panther," movie...I tore that up....I was furious. And I bet there won't be a follow up to it either, because of all the damn mistakes in the first one.

In my opinion...the 2cd "Batman," was better. Although, who cares...really..Movie mistakes aren't solving World hunger right?

And just to say this...I Love Steve Martin in every other movie he's been in. And two...I Loved Beyonce in, "Fighting Temptations," and I thought she was okay, in "Dreamgirls." and I thought she was irrelevant in "Pink Panther."

What?

Tame said:

And this has to do with batman?

skywalker said:

I agree. "Batdance" is probably his most underated and experimental 'hit' song. He could have easily done a more straight forward Bananarama-style 'megamix' thing that were popular at the time, but instead he funked that genre upside its head . It's a shame it's never on any of those 'best-of' compilations for newer fans to experience.

I loved the way they used his music in the movie. Prince's music accompanying The Joker (at least Tim Burton's vision of The Joker) was a match made in movie heaven.
[Edited 7/12/08 3:44am]

ButterscotchPimp said:

?????

LoveSexy was well received? He was losing $1000 by the week at that time. The story back then said Batman saved Prince.....

Flowerz said:

I think thats B.S. no way would MJ have done a new album barely a year after Bad. A themed album isn't something he'd be capable of either IMO.

exactly,

there is no way on earth MJ could have done a whole album just for a movie soundtrack.

his ego was too big for that.

Prince really went all out for Batman, it truly is the shit!!

almost 20 years later, it still holds up as a landmark.

without Prince's music, the 1989 Batman movie would not have been as good.
it complemented danny elfman's score superbly.

i mean, The joker throwing money with trust playing in the background! pure genius!

then we have the joker defacing the artworks with partyman!


great stuff!

its just a shame this new Batman movie series with Christian Bale hasn't had any decent music to go with it.

Maybe for this new "Dark Knight" movie with Heath ledger as the joker, they should have done something similar, allow an artist to do all the songs for the movie, especially for the return of the joker!

still, Danny Elfman's score + Prince's music wipes the floor with Hans Zimmer's new batman score!!

long live the Burton era Batman!

Yup jack said he wanted Prince for the soundtrack..i thought prince did his thing on the album especially on the track 'electric chair'. His music and the movie complimented each other well.

My favorite Prince album of the period (say from SoTT-Diamond and Pearls). I've tried to think of other movies where you could do a funky rock sound track too and Batman was perfect for it. It was serious but had enough of a lite edge that you could do fun songs with it. The movie was very playful and serious at the same time. I wish a movie like that would come out today

I love Batman OST. LOVE.

The movie's great too. There are some good outtakes from that era too (Dance With The Devil for example, and some of the other Batdance versions).

Batdance is mindblowing - who else but Prince could have done something like that?

I saw the movie again recently on Sky and I have to saw it is so dated and quite rubbish actually!

I remember thinking at the time it was so bizarre that prince should be involved with it. Ive got the album but hardly play it.

The wierd thing is that the costumes and the music that were so contemporary at the time have made it so dated now. It may become a cult film because of that.


I will never forget the first time i saw the batdance video with prince and his face paints!!!!

I was torn between shocked admiration and disbelief!

It seemed and still seems somewhat odd to me that a he was so unique and had his own style etc could actually conform to a brief like that.



But then how was i to know hed go on to do Happy Feet!! Bizarre!

I think hes a frustrated composer and would love to score numerous projects.

I thought he pulled it,,,,considering that some of the material were older than the movie yet they seemed to fit well with the storyline. I think both of the movie and the score carried each other.

Loved the movie to death though

i really love him doing this. batman i think,show cases his talents to the general public.

Both Tim Burton AND Jack Nicholson wanted Prince to do a couple of songs for the soundtrack. Burton also wanted other artist involved as well. However, not too long after Prince accepted... he presented Tim with more than an an albums worth of material. Tim basically told everyone else 'never mind' and went with an all Prince soundtrack.

Batman itself was a good movie. A lot of critics thought it was too dark and some compared it too the 60's serial. But word of mouth from comic geeks supported the film as it portayed the 'real' Batman and Jack's over the top Joker stole the show. Hence it was a box office success and the sequel did good as well.

Joel Shoemacher (sp?) took over in #3.. and was a fan of the 60's serial. Thus he ruined what Tim Burton had built and turned the dark night into a comic skit. The current movies reclaim the 'dark' edge.

Dayclear said:

yes that Batman movie was great, and its sound track is still staying, the other ones who remember?

Dayclear said:

Who?

It would have been a risk not to do it.

i disagree with the article
Prince was far from being the hippest musician on the planet in 1989

at least in the States
not until "Batdance" was released in the midst of all the Batman hype

It was the biggest movie event in years and years. If anyting, it gave his career a badly needed temporary boost in sales. If the album had been on par with his great albums of the 80s, it would have been a far longer career boost.

Erika2k8 said:

The thing is, Electric Chair was done before the Batman project came up, he just pulled it from the 1988/89 version of "Rave Unto The Joy Fantastic" album, along with Rave itself. I think he also put up an unreleased Madhouse track as the "Batman Theme", just renamed it.

I don't care how Batman came about, I just know I really like the soundtrack.
Why does there always have to be semantics?

Where?

luv4u said:

Let me give that a shot. Stick with me here, I'm tryin' to understand the mindset of Tame the insane: You gotta go a bit Kevin Bacon with it. Okay, Beyonce sang Purple Rain with Prince at the Grammies (more commonly known as the Grannies); Beyonce was also in Dreamgirls with tranny admirer Eddie Murphy; Eddie Murphy did Bowfinger with Steve Martin, Steve Martin introduced Prince's legendary performance of Fury on SNL; at the end of that episode of SNL Steve Martin closed the show flanked by both Prince and Alex Baldwin; both fucked Kim Basinger; Alex married Kim and made kids and movies with her; whereas, using black magic (National Enquirer), Prince made a 12 inch, a music video, an album and sloppy honey love with her; she starred in Batman and Prince did said soundtrack and sampled her (in more ways than one).
Pffwww, it was difficult, but i did it!

Also, Tame, amongst your Mark Chapman-like ramblings you said: "Pink Panther...And I bet there won't be a follow up to it either, because of all the damn mistakes in the first one. " Dude, IMDB Steve Martin and you'll find: "Pink Panther 2 (2009) (completed) (screenplay) (actor)"

Don't pick up your copy of Catcher In The Rye, dude, don't do it....

FlamingRaindrop said:

now that's funny