Happy 35th Anniversary to Prince’s eleventh studio album (and soundtrack to the film) Batman, originally released June 20, 1989.
Only Prince could create such controversy. With the release of his eleventh studio album Batman to coincide with the release of the behemoth blockbuster of the same name directed by Tim Burton, the question being asked was this: “When is a soundtrack not a soundtrack?”
As legend has it when Burton took the helm to direct the Batman reboot, producers struck upon a fantastical idea—a soundtrack that would act as the dual identities of his titular protagonist. One side, the Bruce Wayne/Batman side, would feature tracks by Michael Jackson, and the flip side would see Prince lay down songs for The Joker. It was a concept that would have exploded pop brains across Gotham City and the world. But alas it wasn’t to be.
But what did transpire was a tale of temp music inclusions of “Baby I’m A Star” and “1999” into two key scenes featuring The Joker which set purple wheels in motion. Of course, when Burton reached out to Prince to provide two tracks for the feature, the prolific one returned with a bounty of tracks that ultimately got whittled down to nine. Burton however was ultimately reluctant to feature the plethora of tunes, and so kept Prince’s tracks to a minimum, some such as “Trust” and “Partyman” got a solid airing, while others act more like easter eggs for the keen viewer.
So the album evolved more into a companion piece than a fully-fledged soundtrack. And so the world was treated to an oddity of an album that encapsulated the darkness and madness of Burton’s vision with a much funkier edge. And maybe inspired by the original pitch of songs as character sketches, Prince took the unique approach of writing songs from the perspective of the characters and sampled lines from the actors to up the tie-in.
This led to songs like the gloomy funk of “The Future” being attributed to Batman, while his alter-ego Bruce Wayne is all seductive on “Arms of Orion” and contemplative on the skittish “Vicki Waiting.” Elsewhere the Joker is allowed to run amok with the amped up “Electric Chair,” the manic funk of “Party Man” and the hyped-up jam “Trust.”
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And for the most part it works. A song like “The Future” captures the dark foreboding vibe of the movie aesthetics perfectly. Even songs that were penned prior to the project like the pulsing funk rock of “Electric Chair” and the shuffling sultriness of “Vikki Waiting” (originally recorded as “Anna Waiting” with London being the original city namechecked) fit right in. Likewise the seductive “Scandalous” (which feels like a continuation of The Black Album/Lovesexy track “When 2 R In Love”) rises to the occasion.
Perhaps the only week point is the duet with Sheena Easton on “Arms of Orion” that feels a little too saccharine, perhaps playing it too safe for hopes of commercial appeal. Of course, anyone worrying Prince had gone soft in the ballad department had their fears laid to the rest when a few tracks later Prince turns up the heat with the steamy “Scandalous” (which feels like a continuation of “When 2 R In Love”) that certainly rises to the occasion—especially in its elongated “Sex Suite” release.
It all comes together in the mega-meta-mix of “Batdance”—an Avant Garde feat of samples and frenetic power dance beats. The track has Prince really working that blender, sampling no fewer than six songs: “200 Balloons,” “Power and Soul,” “House in Order,” “Rave unto the Joy Fantastic,” “The Future,” and “Electric Chair.” Like a musical trailer, “Batdance” was the perfect first single and a hype machine that just built anticipation for the album and movie alike.
So while not technically a soundtrack, the movie definitely benefits from Prince’s involvement even if just for hype and clout alone. But just like the dark knight himself, the album feels somewhat stuck between two identities, grappling for purpose.
Not quite a freewheeling Prince outing, and not quite a fully-fledged soundtrack, leading the public to believe that the album would be heavily featured certainly made it feel like a calculated move. But in all fairness, clearly that’s not how Prince intended it. Whether or not the inclusion of all the songs throughout the movie would have helped or hindered is up for debate. What’s not in question is the high caliber of tracks like “Electric Chair,” “The Future” or the skittish “Lemon Crush.” And the crowning achievement that “Batdance” is and the way it challenged what a #1 hit could be.
Batman is still the oddity in the Prince canon, which is a shame, as so many of its songs should have had a bigger life outside of the confines of the Batcave. But it served its purpose of hyping the movie and in a way letting Prince ride the batmobile back into major public consciousness.
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