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If I’m honest, I wasn’t overly thrilled with the Batman soundtrack by Prince, that serviced the 1989 movie of the same name. Upon the first few listens, the songs were hit and miss for me. While I loved Batman as a movie, as a future franchise, as a hokey 60’s television program, as action figures I owned as a pre-teen, and the Taco Bell promotion, the soundtrack left me feeling out of sorts.

It’s not that I didn’t eat up everything Prince produced, arranged, composed and performed. It’s not that he wasn’t already an icon after only a decade in the business. It wasn’t that he had ever disappointed me on an album release (although let’s be honest, 1985 was shakey for a hot second). It’s just that I was …meh.

The year was an interesting one for music. Madonna released her best album to date (and what would be her best record in a decade) Like A Prayer. Its Pepsi-tie in, burning crosses, a healthy dose of stigmata, and a black saint were more than enough to generate controversy, attention, and curiosity. Janet Jackson would sneak out “Miss You Much” to radio stations and blow the roof of who we thought she was as a singer. Sure, Control was funky and all, but who had ever heard something so textured, and entertaining as “Miss You Much.”

Then comes Prince. 1989 was a year he was supposed to take off — allegedly. 1987’s Sign O the Times wasn’t toured in the U.S. and Lovesexy didn’t hit the notes with the public as he would have liked; the tour was hemorrhaging capital. So sure, maybe take some longer time off than he usually would have, and just reset. Get out of people’s eye line and then come back with something new and fresh a year later. Make ’em beg. But let’s face it, Prince doesn’t reset, or take time off. He keeps recording. He continues to create music, despite what the world is doing. Then lo and behold, some weird little song hits the radio. Let me back up just a skooch. (Skooch is a technical term for “just a little bit,” by the way.)

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The whole article can be found behind the source link, on Housequake.com.

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[Edited 6/20/19 11:08am]

I really disagree with the characterization of "Batdance" as a "novelty hit". I think it gets this misnomer because of Prince's use of movie dialogue, and that's wrong.

"Batdance" is an incredible song, with layers of rock and funk that no one else could do. The guitar solo is batshit crazy, in the good way. And that transition from Bat Rock to Vicky Vale? "Stop the press!"

Unbelievable. To this day, I've never heard a segment like those three beats. It's as if the music is being played sideways. That's the best way I can describe it.

Art is subjective and we all have own opinion. Mine is very strongly held - "Batdance" is pure genius that only Prince could have created.

RodeoSchro said:

I really disagree with the characterization of "Batdance" as a "novelty hit". I think it gets this misnomer because of Prince's use of movie dialogue, and that's wrong.

Did you read the article in full? I never used the word "novelty hit", so it's curious why you'd put that in quotemarks, as if it was lifted from the article. You called it a novelty hit, not me. In fact, the word "novel" is only used in my bio, nowhere in the article.

What I ended the "Batdance" segment with was, "'Batdance' isn’t your typical big movie hit song. It wasn’t even in the movie, yet relied the most on the film’s storyline to support itself. But once you hear it, you’ll never hear anything like it again." I also said it serves as a commercial for the film, which it does because no other song you'd hear on any soundtrack has that sort of dialog integrated into it and set to music. I also said it presents itself almost as a bonus track since "Scandalous" is such a strong song, it feels like that's the end of the record. So "Batdance" is a bonus.

"Batdance" was an instant favorite for me on the album. But I'm looking at the album in full. I only really dismissed one song on the whole soundtrack.

TrivialPursuit said:

RodeoSchro said:

I really disagree with the characterization of "Batdance" as a "novelty hit". I think it gets this misnomer because of Prince's use of movie dialogue, and that's wrong.

Did you read the article in full? I never used the word "novelty hit", so it's curious why you'd put that in quotemarks, as if it was lifted from the article. You called it a novelty hit, not me. In fact, the word "novel" is only used in my bio, nowhere in the article.

What I ended the "Batdance" segment with was, "'Batdance' isn’t your typical big movie hit song. It wasn’t even in the movie, yet relied the most on the film’s storyline to support itself. But once you hear it, you’ll never hear anything like it again." I also said it serves as a commercial for the film, which it does because no other song you'd hear on any soundtrack has that sort of dialog integrated into it and set to music. I also said it presents itself almost as a bonus track since "Scandalous" is such a strong song, it feels like that's the end of the record. So "Batdance" is a bonus.

"Batdance" was an instant favorite for me on the album. But I'm looking at the album in full. I only really dismissed one song on the whole soundtrack.

RodeoSchro was referring to Strive´s post.

I agree with Strive that Dance with the Devil should´ve been on the album but I think including Batdance was a good move, even though I dislike the song.

Great article, by the way.

KoolEaze said:

RodeoSchro was referring to Strive´s post.

I agree with Strive that Dance with the Devil should´ve been on the album but I think including Batdance was a good move, even though I dislike the song.

Well shut my mouth, he was! haha I'm a bit cross-eyed today. Writing a lot, proofreading other stuff. I totally missed that. But - the statement can still support as an argument against Strive's post.

I love the video and song of the Batdance. Maybe each Prince fan has his or own take what The Batdance song means to them.

TrivialPursuit said:

KoolEaze said:

RodeoSchro was referring to Strive´s post.

I agree with Strive that Dance with the Devil should´ve been on the album but I think including Batdance was a good move, even though I dislike the song.

Well shut my mouth, he was! haha I'm a bit cross-eyed today. Writing a lot, proofreading other stuff. I totally missed that. But - the statement can still support as an argument against Strive's post.

LOL, no sweat! I didn't quote Strive's post because the way it was formatted, I thought my response would have ended up imbedded in his/her post.

BTW, I read another, different article today that referred to "Batdance" as a "novelty hit". Dang it! That's almost as bad as saying "Take Me With U" and "RockNRollLoveAffair" are the same song!

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[Edited 6/20/19 14:24pm]

I was a fan of the Batman film before I was a fan of Prince. Novelty aspects notwith(or with)standing, I always think Tim Burton had be aghast that his dark, brooding, and intentionally anti-1960s take on Batman was promoted with a peppy house track directly based on the 1960s theme, complete with "Batussi"-styled line dancers in full-on corny Batman, Joker & Vicki Vale regalia.

I just picture dude wrapping up four years of studio pressure in the edit chair as he flips to MTV and sees multiple copies of his pensive and serene artistic vision prancing around multi-colored fog lights and joyously singing along to the Adam West hook.

WhisperingDandelions said:

I was a fan of the Batman film before I was a fan of Prince. Novelty aspects notwith(or with)standing, I always think Tim Burton had be aghast that his dark, brooding, and intentionally anti-1960s take on Batman was promoted with a peppy house track directly based on the 1960s theme, complete with "Batussi"-styled line dancers in full-on corny Batman, Joker & Vicki Vale regalia.

I just picture dude wrapping up four years of studio pressure in the edit chair as he flips to MTV and sees multiple copies of his pensive and serene artistic vision prancing around multi-colored fog lights and joyously singing along to the Adam West hook.

Yeah, what I remember is me dancing around to Prince's Batman songs...and my son, too. In fact, his first word was "Bah-manh" and dancing to the original '60s score. When he saw Prince, he was just...gone.

RodeoSchro said:

"Batdance" is an incredible song, with layers of rock and funk that no one else could do. The guitar solo is batshit crazy, in the good way. And that transition from Bat Rock to Vicky Vale? "Stop the press!"

Unbelievable. To this day, I've never heard a segment like those three beats. It's as if the music is being played sideways. That's the best way I can describe it.

Art is subjective and we all have own opinion. Mine is very strongly held - "Batdance" is pure genius that only Prince could have created.

I'm posting an enhanced/extended version of my article on my Medium page (where I also posted a review of Originals recently). I'm using the above bolded quotes. It's perfect in the "Batdance" section.

I'm just saying, take Prince out of it. Pretend you've never even heard of Prince. Other than "The Future", does the music contained in that Batman soundtrack sound anything like the tone, vibe or feeling conveyed in the actual Batman film?

I guess it really doesn't have to, but when all these reviews and overviews go on and on about the alternate character point of views, "written from the Jokers perspective!" and all, so much of it is the usual Prince funk/rock/pop hybrid on autopilot with no added darkness or pathos to parallel the actual film and its characters...

TrivialPursuit said:

RodeoSchro said:

"Batdance" is an incredible song, with layers of rock and funk that no one else could do. The guitar solo is batshit crazy, in the good way. And that transition from Bat Rock to Vicky Vale? "Stop the press!"

Unbelievable. To this day, I've never heard a segment like those three beats. It's as if the music is being played sideways. That's the best way I can describe it.

Art is subjective and we all have own opinion. Mine is very strongly held - "Batdance" is pure genius that only Prince could have created.

I'm posting an enhanced/extended version of my article on my Medium page (where I also posted a review of Originals recently). I'm using the above bolded quotes. It's perfect in the "Batdance" section.

!!!

The Batman album featured some solid songs, but it also signaled a decline in songwriting, which could not be denied even by the most diehard fan.

The extended and slightly remixed version of the article is on my Medium page.

WhisperingDandelions said:

I'm just saying, take Prince out of it. Pretend you've never even heard of Prince. Other than "The Future", does the music contained in that Batman soundtrack sound anything like the tone, vibe or feeling conveyed in the actual Batman film?

I guess it really doesn't have to, but when all these reviews and overviews go on and on about the alternate character point of views, "written from the Jokers perspective!" and all, so much of it is the usual Prince funk/rock/pop hybrid on autopilot with no added darkness or pathos to parallel the actual film and its characters...

True. It didn't mesh with the tone and style of the film at all.

In 89 I loved Prince and Batman but when I heard it announced that he was doing a soundtrack, I wondered "how?" and didn't think it fit. I still don't

I like some parts of the movie and some parts of the album but something like "There's Others Here WIth Us" would have worked better.