As Prince once said about his music “people are not ready yet for this music” hence why some people discover his music decades later and still love it, he was a visionary....
Fact #11 (I thought this would be on the list) After MJ said no on the project the producer wanted to scrap Prince as well. However Jack Nicholson said if Prince doesn't do the soundtrack I won't do the movie. That was huge! it was because Jack Nicholson stepped up ! Had he not we may have never had a Batman Soundtrack by Prince.
This Album is more Relevant now in 2020 and sounds fresher than anything else out right now. It's a Masterpiece and deserves to be re evaluated. Prince was way ahead of his time.
My favorite part about the story of this album is that Prince apparently DECIDED of his own volition after seeing a rough cut of the film to not just provide music for the film or the soundtrack- "Batman" the album was Prince's next MAIN studio release. He apparently just LOVED the film so much it became his driving creative force. So I think people should really look at it not as a soundtrack release but as a proper album in his canon.
The 1989 version of "Batman" shall always be the best, in the same sense the 1978 version of "Superman" shall always be the best, imo. As far as the album, songs such as "The Future" were ahead of it's time. Prince was a living oracle.
Scandalous is 1of the greatest R&B songs ever recorded and yes ik you can't put prince in a box I'm only saying because that song has been a quiet storm staple for year's 💜🕊💧
This is still one of the greatest movie soundtracks in history. Batdance was pure insanity/genius, Partyman was incredibly fun, and Electric Chair is one of Prince's all-time most under-appreciated classics.
yessir.. Hope no one attackz me, but TBH, I'm glad Prince & Micheal never worked on a project together.. Anotha gem of an album.. My favorite is "Scandalous"
i think this was a masterpiece. to this day it's my second favorite Prince album behind Purple Rain. Lemon Crush is the most under rated Prince song. I think that could've been a hit single if released on another album.
Prince’s Batman album and singles were a major highlight in his career! Electric Chair was one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Batman sold over 6 million US copies and still stands as the period in Prince’s career that almost brought him back to the commercial heights and success of his Purple Rain era.
If a man is considered guilty 4 what goes on in his mind then give me the electric chair 4 all my future crimes -and the Saturday Night Live performance of this -like the song itself -eternally sublime ...imo. love your shows man!
Huge fan of Prince, specially this album. When it came out, loved every track with the exception of Vicky waiting which I thought was a little bit of a filler. Nowadays it’s one of my favorite songs. Never realized how brilliant the song was until a few years later.
One of my favorites. 'Vicki Waiting' is an all-time fav. 'Partyman' is Hilarious with its one liners like: "If it break when it bend, you betta not put it in". 😄
yes that's classic. FYI that was a shout to Little Richard's "If it don't fit, don't force it just relax and let flow" I believ from "Good Golly Miss Molly".
I always loved this album.....no fillers in it.....i would classify the Batman album as progressive pop.....it was so ahead of it's time.....also huge Batman fan
I would say that my favorite is Batdance! This was a good soundtrack! It doesn’t beat Purple Rain as being the best soundtrack from Prince. Prince was such a musical genius! It you closely listen to this soundtrack, you can’t help to be amazed at the quality. Prince was a perfectionist! It was just in his DNA! He was such a prolific artist. He could finish an entire album in one night, if he had too. How many artists can do that? Not many, if any! Prince still reigns! Peace.
This album has stood up well over time. I wish it had a longer version of Scandalous with the guitar solo from the suite, as well as a finished version of Dance with The Devil. Not sure why they would choose to drop that one. Too dark? But it fit the Joker to a tee.
Favorite track: SCANDALOUS! The album is in my TOP 10 favorite Prince albums! The fact that he has such a list among the nearly 20 he released while he was still with us is a testament to his genius, creativity and old fahioned hard work!
As a huge admirer of the artist I was very dubious about this album before it was released . I remember being in Cornwall and my 18 year old self nervously went to the record store on the day of its release and took it home to play and much to my surprise I absolutely loved it . I thought all the songs flowed and followed the movie Brilliantly. So when I heard some mixed reviews I was quite surprised as to me this was the perfect album to end the 80’s with . And yes I love the song Lemon Crush 😊
The Electric Chair performance during SNL might be his best TV performance for me. He was on fire, the band was on fire, Michael Bland was there for the first time ever (I guess). Pure perfection😍
Batman was one of my first cassettes I ever bought. I didn't watched the movie yet back then. Back then it was fun, but as a non English speaker kid, I didn't understand (or care much) about the lyrics. It was just fun sounds (specially for a fan of MJ at that time). Later in the years, I appreciated more and more this album. Batdance is a mindblowing experimental masterpiece. With more listens as an adult I noticed how ahead of its time this album was. Thanks for this collection of facts, I had no idea of most of them! MJ was in the project? I didn't know what was this Gemini coming from. Now it all makes sense!
I remember buying batdance on cassette single back in the day, 200 balloons was the b side on the cassette. I love this soundtrack , its a classic prince album and goes well with the mood of the film. My favorite track is batdance and scandalous.
Best track on the album? BATDANCE! I remember the first time I ever heard it like it was yesterday. It was a supposed 'first-listen exclusive' on the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 and it blew my mind. I still love it to this day :-)
The album was given to me by a friend who thought it was the orchestral version of the sound track to the movie. I then played the heck out of it over the years. Especially liking Batdance, Trust, Vicki waiting, and Arms if Orion. Really there is no throw away song on this album. An experiment that worked to show Princes ability to adapt anything to his genius. Thank you for the revisiting and facts I did not know.
Batman soundtrack is one of *THE BEST* soundtracks ever producer, composed, arranged, and released; to date. Hands down. Now, yes, of course I’m a massive Prince fan; I grew up listening to his music in the 80’s & 90's when my dad would play his albums & songs. He DJ’d clubs in Madison & Milwaukee, WI and was (and still is - as am I) a huge fan of music in general, but Prince just always has that something special. His music made you ‘feel’ everything around you. My earliest remembrances of listening to his music are when I was just 4 years old. And my very first Cassette tape ever, that was my own possession, was the Purple Rain album; released June 25th 1984, when I was just 4 year's old... My dad gave it to me when I was 7 year's old. My Dad gifting me Prince cassettes and CDs continued into my 20's, as birthday presents and often just when I wanted it to listen to.... My initial point was, I was literally JUST listening to this soundtrack last week, mid-Oct 2020 - 30 or so years after it released 😬 it's truly one of those rare albums that you just start at the first song, press play, and let it run. There are no "throw away" tracks. That's rubbish - Plus the B-Sides are definitely some of the best ever released... So this is a perfect example of why critics' opinions mean nothing to me; why would I let some other self-proclaimed 'expert' tell me what music is "good" and what isn't? Music is subjective. What humans like & dislike is subjective, based on experiences, state of mind, feelings & emotions, and personal preference. To be clear --- There are _some_ Prince albums that are 'better' than others, for sure, of course! But take a step back for a moment and realize this: - _Prince released essentially _*_one album per YEAR_*_ for almost TWO DECADES!_ And he STILL had more material for bootlegs & B-Sides, singles, side projects, AND am incredibly massive catalogue of unreleased material! 😳 There are very few musical artists who can claim those statistics, yet still have their music be adored by fans, top charts, sell units, and not be filler material. So yes: I'm a die hard Prince fan, and he's released so much great music and so many albums that it's still difficult (even for someone like me) to remember the exact release dates and order of his albums, chronologically.... Prince was amazing. His body of work IS amazing. And to this day there exists hundreds, possibly _thousands_ of unreleased songs & starts & ideas, that 99.999999% of people will never hear. The only comparable musical artist off the top of my head that completed songs with such speed & fervor, was 2Pac. His first album was in 1991 and he died in 1996, and had enough material (the majority of which was completed in roughly the last 11 MONTHS leading up until his death) to now, have released more albums posthumous, than alive. The count is 5 alive to 7 posthumous. And *almost all* of the posthumous releases are double albums. And if Afeni (his mother) hadn't been so misguided by greedy cretin lawyers, there would have been even more releases... There's supposed to be another album this year or thereabouts; 2020/2021. Anyway.... If you read all of this and got this far: great video! A couple of these things I actually didn't already know. Good list! Well done 👍 Cheers
I LOVE this sound track. I love Bat Dance. I enjoyed dancing to it during that time. Lots of good memories when I hear this song. Trust is another good one.
I loved this album and at the time it was a return to form. It also charged well and while it never really had been considered a proper Prince album , to me it was great. I just loved it.
This album was my gateway into Prince. My sister was a big fan so always heard Prince from her but being tired to a Batman movie got my interest. Such interesting facts in these vids of yours I never knew.
at 7:28 when he mentioned one version of bat dance featuring Big Daddy Kane, I would have loved to have heard that. I wonder if it's released anywhere?
Thanks for the video. I never knew that MJ was considered for the soundtrack. It was rumoured that Jack Nicholson wanted Prince to do it and that Time Burton highly objected against it. And it was rumoured that Jerk Out as considered for the scene with Vicky, but turned down by Tim and replaced with Partyman.
Well done, as usual! I love this series so much! I’ve been a Batman fan since I was 4 and a Prince fan since ‘82. So, you know this is a special album to me. My favorite song is “Electric Chair.” But, I love “Arms of Orion,” “Batdance,” and “Scandalous,” too. “Partyman” and “Lemon Crush” still get some play by me. Interesting also that reportedly the first song that Prince learned to play on piano was ... you guessed it, the theme from the “Batman” television show.
The 1989 movie version of "Batman" shall always be the best, in the same sense that the 1978 version of "Superman" shall always be the best, imo. As far as the soundtrack, most of the songs were ahead of their time, just as Prince himself was.
"Scandalous"! Hands Down, then "Batdance"! The Batdance breakdown is in a league by itself! I enjoyed the entire album. He was dating Kim Basinger at the time and it made for some great steam. Prince was a genius-period. 💜
this was the point where even casual fans started saying he was a musical genuis...fans always knew. you really started hearing that sentiment pick up steam at this point ...him playing everything in the video certainly helped further that along...
"Batdance" is one of if not *the* weirdest song to ever hit number one on the US pop charts. Utterly bonkers (and delightfully so). Of course, a fair amount of its commercial success is due to the the film just being so completely massive - you couldn't go anywhere in the summer of '89 without being inundated with all manner of Batmania. One of my favorite stories from the time was of a friend of a friend who popped into Astor Place Hairstylists for a quick trim before a job interview, only to be greeted by his barber with the question, "Ya wanna a Batman on ya head?" As for the LP, I think it's simultaneously underrated and weirdly inessential. Taken individually, the majority of these songs shine pretty hard, but as an album it just feels a little slapdash (by Prince standards, I mean). That said, "The Arms of Orion" is like a candlelit bath, with Prince doing one of his finest Joni Mitchell impressions; "Electric chair" is classic PRN funk rock strut with the kind of riff that's not so much "casually tossed off" as it is shedded from his guitar neck (see also "She's always in my hair," "100 MPH"); "Scandalous" is another swelling, purple seduction in the tradition of "International lover," filled with heaving and squirming and punctuated with shivers of ecstasy; and "Vicki waiting" does the Prince thing of wedding stream-of-consciousness filigree to a treadmill steady groove - it focuses on a moment and lets it go all fractal with possibilities. Essentially, all the best moments on _Batman_ recall past highlights of his own catalogue. I think the exercise of composing for a film while also trying to shoot it all through with his own idiosyncracies ultimately results in a slightly watered-down version of a Prince collection. As a soundtrack, it becomes less an intrinsic component of the film than a piece of _Batman_ paraphernalia. So...unsatisfying on both levels. It's an album I rarely reach for, but there isn't a song on it I dislike, either.
Okay, I just now heard "Dance with the devil" for the first time. Holy moley. If it had made it to the final tracklist, it would've easily been the best song on *_Batman,_* hands down. What a gem!
The Batman soundtrack was my introduction to Prince (I was 12 in 1989) and I've been a fan ever since. So that critics didn't like it, baffles me. As for favorite song, I've have to say Partyman, but specifically the Extended Version which I only recently heard when it was put on RUclips. "When I want trombone my dog is handy, but when I want sax I call Candy."
Another fun fact is...The #1 hit song “Kiss” by Prince and the Revolution was also another one of those super hit first song played on the airwaves to lead the charge but was the last and final song created for the album “Parade” MPS “Under The Cherry Moon”.
I went to the Batman movie opening night just because the music was Prince. I'm sure me and my best friend were the only ones in my small town to do so. We got crazy looks when we cheered when his name rolled over opening credits.
In answer to your questions: I'm not overly keen on it, still, as I felt when it was released. It was around this time, Lovesexy-ish, that I began to lose interest in Him (obviously my interest picked up again later!). I thought/think the LP is weak. Favourite song: The Future (by a long way) :-)
I was at the point that Prince could do no wrong after Lovesexy. My love for his music perhaps blinded me to the quality of this album. It happened during some of my best years as a high schooler. And for that Batman will always hold a high place in my list. Now older and wiser i see it’s faults but they don’t bother me because they remind me of better days. And i have the Bat Can!!!
The Batman soundtrack is still one of my fav Prince albums to date. I remember being 10yrs old & getting my grandmother to drive me to Wal Mart to buy the cassette tape of it. The cashier who was probably around 17 or 18 said "That's spicy album there, yeah?" and I just glared at him till he shut up.
I love his look during this time period, finding the Batman logo on his clothing and boots. His cloud guitar also had Batman fret markers during this time. Short lived period and not enough pictures of him during it. I'm always looking for more pics of him during the Batman era. Hopefully Jeff Katz will release more in the future. The Paisley Park fashion book revealed some Batman boots in various colors/patterns that I've never seen in photos before.
This album is the one that really got me interested in Prince. I had Purple Rain when it came out and though I enjoyed it, it didn't make me love Prince. I loved the Batman soundtrack so much that I just had to learn more about this Prince guy and started looking for more of his music. As mentioned in the video, the B-Sides on the singles just freaking blew my head off. I bought the follow up Graffiti Bridge on the strength of my love of the Batman soundtrack. From there I delved into The Hits, The B-Sides and by then I was a true official Prince fan. It's all thanks to this amazing album which I still listen to and thoroughly enjoy to this day. "Get the funk up!"
The Arms Of Orion is my fave song from the album I had it as one of the 3 songs for my wedding and also Purple rain I had for my wedding. Miss Prince I am a life long Prince fan I have a tattoo of his symbol with date of birth and date of death working on another design for a Prince tattoo.
From what I've read, Tim Burton, a Prince fan, used "1999" and "Baby, I'm a Star" as placeholders during the filming of certain scenes (I think one of the scenes was when "Partyman" is used and the parade scene) because each song captured the vibe he was looking for in the scene. That's what probably got John Peters to contact Prince. Rumor has it that he was only asked to contribute two songs, but he got excited about the project and submitted a bunch more. At one point, Prince said, and I paraphrase, "When this movie comes out, it's gonna be mine," referring to his involvement overshadowing Batman and Burton. Oddly enough, Burton has given more than one interview where he's stated he wasn't thrilled about Prince's songs in the movie -- he said it dates the film. Of course, I could be wrong about all of this.
I love this album by Prince and I don't care if the so called "critics" think that it was not that great. Like you said, it's stood the test of time!!! Also, just want to say I LOVE this presentation you created about Prince and this album. Really smooth.. lovin' it!!
Keep'em coming,guys. I wonder why he seemed to be partial to changing women's names? But anyway, I think that had they played into the media's sensationalism of the rivalry between Prince and Michael Jackson that movie and soundtrack would have been much more successful than it already was. Hey, you gotta give the people what they want.
You know how I debate Prince's genius. I put his B-Side collection aganist other artists' hits.
As Prince once said about his music “people are not ready yet for this music” hence why some people discover his music decades later and still love it, he was a visionary....
Fact #11 (I thought this would be on the list)
After MJ said no on the project the producer wanted to scrap Prince as well. However Jack Nicholson said if Prince doesn't do the soundtrack I won't do the movie. That was huge! it was because Jack Nicholson stepped up ! Had he not we may have never had a Batman Soundtrack by Prince.
Batdance Is one of the most unique songs ever recorded. Nothing compares to it
Partyman is Better
I see what you did there
Watching Prince perform "Partyman" live about 4ft away from me was one of the biggest joys of my entire life.
Who in the hell heard this and thought, “throw away songs?” Electric Chair always one of my favorites.
VerrocchioWorkshop Electric Chair is on my playlist. So much for it being a throw away
This Album is more Relevant now in 2020 and sounds fresher than anything else out right now. It's a Masterpiece and deserves to be re evaluated. Prince was way ahead of his time.
This soundtrack is another classic from Prince.
My favorite part about the story of this album is that Prince apparently DECIDED of his own volition after seeing a rough cut of the film to not just provide music for the film or the soundtrack- "Batman" the album was Prince's next MAIN studio release. He apparently just LOVED the film so much it became his driving creative force. So I think people should really look at it not as a soundtrack release but as a proper album in his canon.
I played this tape to death in the summer of 1989 into the 90s, then got the cd that Christmas...so many treasures on this classic!
The 1989 version of "Batman" shall always be the best, in the same sense the 1978 version of "Superman" shall always be the best, imo. As far as the album, songs such as "The Future" were ahead of it's time. Prince was a living oracle.
"Scandalous" continues to be one of the best and baddest Prince songs ever!!!
I've seen the future and it will be .
I would rather drink six razor blades from a paper cup.
I've seen the future and it works.
@@braviafeed , yellow smiley offers me it.
My favourite song on the album, well...aswell as Partyman.
Scandalous is 1of the greatest R&B songs ever recorded and yes ik you can't put prince in a box I'm only saying because that song has been a quiet storm staple for year's 💜🕊💧
dizo dixon. Believe it or not, and it is hard to believe, sad but true. Most people have no clue when you mention Quiet Storm...
This is still one of the greatest movie soundtracks in history. Batdance was pure insanity/genius, Partyman was incredibly fun, and Electric Chair is one of Prince's all-time most under-appreciated classics.
yessir..
Hope no one attackz me, but TBH, I'm glad Prince & Micheal never worked on a project together..
Anotha gem of an album..
My favorite is "Scandalous"
"Girl 6" is another film Prince made a soundtrack to for someone else, although those were mostly old, previously released songs.
i think this was a masterpiece. to this day it's my second favorite Prince album behind Purple Rain. Lemon Crush is the most under rated Prince song. I think that could've been a hit single if released on another album.
Prince’s Batman album and singles were a major highlight in his career! Electric Chair was one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Batman sold over 6 million US copies and still stands as the period in Prince’s career that almost brought him back to the commercial heights and success of his Purple Rain era.
If a man is considered guilty 4 what goes on in his mind then give me the electric chair 4 all my future crimes -and the Saturday Night Live performance of this -like the song itself -eternally sublime ...imo. love your shows man!
I love everything about that song!
The SNL performance of that song was tight. I still love it.
Huge fan of Prince, specially this album. When it came out, loved every track with the exception of Vicky waiting which I thought was a little bit of a filler. Nowadays it’s one of my favorite songs. Never realized how brilliant the song was until a few years later.
Probably one of his most underrated album.
One of my favorites. 'Vicki Waiting' is an all-time fav. 'Partyman' is Hilarious with its one liners like: "If it break when it bend, you betta not put it in". 😄
yes that's classic. FYI that was a shout to Little Richard's "If it don't fit, don't force it just relax and let flow" I believ from "Good Golly Miss Molly".
The first Prince album I actually bought. Great concept album. It's the inner monologues of the main characters.
I love when the guitar hits on “Batdance!”
I always loved this album.....no fillers in it.....i would classify the Batman album as progressive pop.....it was so ahead of it's time.....also huge Batman fan
If a man is considered guilty for what goes on in his mind, then give me the electric chair for all my future crimes.
🔥🔥🔥
Loved this Soundtrack. My favorite song is Lemon Crush, but loved them all.
i loved lemon crush as well those chimes sounds what ever there were great
I love jamming my guitar to 'Future', 'Electric Chair' and the 'Batdance' breakdown is sooo funky!
I would say that my favorite is Batdance! This was a good soundtrack! It doesn’t beat Purple Rain as being the best soundtrack from Prince. Prince was such a musical genius! It you closely listen to this soundtrack, you can’t help to be amazed at the quality. Prince was a perfectionist! It was just in his DNA! He was such a prolific artist. He could finish an entire album in one night, if he had too. How many artists can do that? Not many, if any! Prince still reigns! Peace.
"If I need trombone, my dog is handy. When I want sax, I call Candy..."
"Vicki Waiting is my S***. The ending of it is haunting. I'd love to hear the original "Anna Waiting"
I love the Batman soundtrack. I simply cannot get enough of 'Lemon Crush'.
Mixed bag? More like LOADED bag! Batman soundtrack is the bomb!
This album has stood up well over time. I wish it had a longer version of Scandalous with the guitar solo from the suite, as well as a finished version of Dance with The Devil. Not sure why they would choose to drop that one. Too dark? But it fit the Joker to a tee.
Favorite track: SCANDALOUS! The album is in my TOP 10 favorite Prince albums! The fact that he has such a list among the nearly 20 he released while he was still with us is a testament to his genius, creativity and old fahioned hard work!
This is was cool. Cheers. NOTE: Danny Elfman wrote the BATMAN Orginal Motion Picture Score - while Prince wrote the soundtrack album for the film.
LOVE the "Batman" soundtrack from start to finish!
As a huge admirer of the artist I was very dubious about this album before it was released . I remember being in Cornwall and my 18 year old self nervously went to the record store on the day of its release and took it home to play and much to my surprise I absolutely loved it . I thought all the songs flowed and followed the movie Brilliantly. So when I heard some mixed reviews I was quite surprised as to me this was the perfect album to end the 80’s with . And yes I love the song Lemon Crush 😊
Walked down the isle to partyman in 2019 so I would have to say its stood the test of time
The Electric Chair performance during SNL might be his best TV performance for me. He was on fire, the band was on fire, Michael Bland was there for the first time ever (I guess). Pure perfection😍
Irena Kopečková Yes great performance 4 a great song 👍🏽
Batman was one of my first cassettes I ever bought. I didn't watched the movie yet back then.
Back then it was fun, but as a non English speaker kid, I didn't understand (or care much) about the lyrics. It was just fun sounds (specially for a fan of MJ at that time).
Later in the years, I appreciated more and more this album. Batdance is a mindblowing experimental masterpiece.
With more listens as an adult I noticed how ahead of its time this album was.
Thanks for this collection of facts, I had no idea of most of them! MJ was in the project? I didn't know what was this Gemini coming from. Now it all makes sense!
Prince vs MJ would have been wild
I remember buying batdance on cassette single back in the day, 200 balloons was the b side on the cassette. I love this soundtrack , its a classic prince album and goes well with the mood of the film. My favorite track is batdance and scandalous.
I was 10-11 when I first heard Batdance. It totally blew me away and needless to say it it still one of my favourite songs over 30 years later....
Best track on the album?
BATDANCE!
I remember the first time I ever heard it like it was yesterday. It was a supposed 'first-listen exclusive' on the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show on BBC Radio 1 and it blew my mind. I still love it to this day :-)
by far, one of the most solid albums ever and one of my favorite Prince albums as a whole... i am obsessed with Electric Chair
BatDance was one of the best dance songs prince ever made. The whole album is terrific. Great Video!!
All of these beauty shots of Prince remind me of how truly gorgeous he was. Thanks for posting! ♥️
The album was given to me by a friend who thought it was the orchestral version of the sound track to the movie. I then played the heck out of it over the years. Especially liking Batdance, Trust, Vicki waiting, and Arms if Orion. Really there is no throw away song on this album. An experiment that worked to show Princes ability to adapt anything to his genius. Thank you for the revisiting and facts I did not know.
Batman soundtrack is one of *THE BEST* soundtracks ever producer, composed, arranged, and released; to date. Hands down.
Now, yes, of course I’m a massive Prince fan; I grew up listening to his music in the 80’s & 90's when my dad would play his albums & songs. He DJ’d clubs in Madison & Milwaukee, WI and was (and still is - as am I) a huge fan of music in general, but Prince just always has that something special. His music made you ‘feel’ everything around you. My earliest remembrances of listening to his music are when I was just 4 years old. And my very first Cassette tape ever, that was my own possession, was the Purple Rain album; released June 25th 1984, when I was just 4 year's old... My dad gave it to me when I was 7 year's old. My Dad gifting me Prince cassettes and CDs continued into my 20's, as birthday presents and often just when I wanted it to listen to....
My initial point was, I was literally JUST listening to this soundtrack last week, mid-Oct 2020 - 30 or so years after it released 😬 it's truly one of those rare albums that you just start at the first song, press play, and let it run. There are no "throw away" tracks. That's rubbish - Plus the B-Sides are definitely some of the best ever released... So this is a perfect example of why critics' opinions mean nothing to me; why would I let some other self-proclaimed 'expert' tell me what music is "good" and what isn't? Music is subjective. What humans like & dislike is subjective, based on experiences, state of mind, feelings & emotions, and personal preference.
To be clear --- There are _some_ Prince albums that are 'better' than others, for sure, of course! But take a step back for a moment and realize this: - _Prince released essentially _*_one album per YEAR_*_ for almost TWO DECADES!_ And he STILL had more material for bootlegs & B-Sides, singles, side projects, AND am incredibly massive catalogue of unreleased material! 😳
There are very few musical artists who can claim those statistics, yet still have their music be adored by fans, top charts, sell units, and not be filler material.
So yes: I'm a die hard Prince fan, and he's released so much great music and so many albums that it's still difficult (even for someone like me) to remember the exact release dates and order of his albums, chronologically....
Prince was amazing. His body of work IS amazing. And to this day there exists hundreds, possibly _thousands_ of unreleased songs & starts & ideas, that 99.999999% of people will never hear. The only comparable musical artist off the top of my head that completed songs with such speed & fervor, was 2Pac. His first album was in 1991 and he died in 1996, and had enough material (the majority of which was completed in roughly the last 11 MONTHS leading up until his death) to now, have released more albums posthumous, than alive. The count is 5 alive to 7 posthumous. And *almost all* of the posthumous releases are double albums. And if Afeni (his mother) hadn't been so misguided by greedy cretin lawyers, there would have been even more releases... There's supposed to be another album this year or thereabouts; 2020/2021.
Anyway.... If you read all of this and got this far: great video! A couple of these things I actually didn't already know. Good list!
Well done 👍
Cheers
I LOVE this sound track. I love Bat Dance. I enjoyed dancing to it during that time. Lots of good memories when I hear this song. Trust is another good one.
Lemon Crush has always held a special place for me among Prince songs. 200 Balloons and Partyman are also excellent tracks on this album.
Arms of Orion, that's where I want to be.
LOVE this album from top to bottom
Passionate performance on each song
One of my all time favorite Prince albums!
I loved this album and at the time it was a return to form. It also charged well and while it never really had been considered a proper Prince album , to me it was great. I just loved it.
This album was my gateway into Prince. My sister was a big fan so always heard Prince from her but being tired to a Batman movie got my interest. Such interesting facts in these vids of yours I never knew.
Prince could've made a pretty creepy Joker honestly.
at 7:28 when he mentioned one version of bat dance featuring Big Daddy Kane, I would have loved to have heard that. I wonder if it's released anywhere?
Thanks for the video.
I never knew that MJ was considered for the soundtrack. It was rumoured that Jack Nicholson wanted Prince to do it and that Time Burton highly objected against it.
And it was rumoured that Jerk Out as considered for the scene with Vicky, but turned down by Tim and replaced with Partyman.
Well done, as usual! I love this series so much! I’ve been a Batman fan since I was 4 and a Prince fan since ‘82. So, you know this is a special album to me. My favorite song is “Electric Chair.” But, I love “Arms of Orion,” “Batdance,” and “Scandalous,” too. “Partyman” and “Lemon Crush” still get some play by me. Interesting also that reportedly the first song that Prince learned to play on piano was ... you guessed it, the theme from the “Batman” television show.
My favorite single on the album is Batdance. The way it has so many changes in its totality are amazing
A classic album that has stood the test of time. The arms of Orion best love song ever
As a fan of Prince, I don't care too much for the whole soundtrack Batman, but I only love Scandalous. It's one of sexiest Prince songs ever.
Batman is such a great album. I love Electric Chair, Future, Vicky Waiting, Batdance, and the B side track 200 Balloons.
The 1989 movie version of "Batman" shall always be the best, in the same sense that the 1978 version of "Superman" shall always be the best, imo. As far as the soundtrack, most of the songs were ahead of their time, just as Prince himself was.
"Scandalous"! Hands Down, then "Batdance"! The Batdance breakdown is in a league by itself! I enjoyed the entire album. He was dating Kim Basinger at the time and it made for some great steam. Prince was a genius-period. 💜
this was the point where even casual fans started saying he was a musical genuis...fans always knew. you really started hearing that sentiment pick up steam at this point ...him playing everything in the video certainly helped further that along...
"Batdance" is one of if not *the* weirdest song to ever hit number one on the US pop charts. Utterly bonkers (and delightfully so). Of course, a fair amount of its commercial success is due to the the film just being so completely massive - you couldn't go anywhere in the summer of '89 without being inundated with all manner of Batmania. One of my favorite stories from the time was of a friend of a friend who popped into Astor Place Hairstylists for a quick trim before a job interview, only to be greeted by his barber with the question, "Ya wanna a Batman on ya head?"
As for the LP, I think it's simultaneously underrated and weirdly inessential. Taken individually, the majority of these songs shine pretty hard, but as an album it just feels a little slapdash (by Prince standards, I mean). That said, "The Arms of Orion" is like a candlelit bath, with Prince doing one of his finest Joni Mitchell impressions; "Electric chair" is classic PRN funk rock strut with the kind of riff that's not so much "casually tossed off" as it is shedded from his guitar neck (see also "She's always in my hair," "100 MPH"); "Scandalous" is another swelling, purple seduction in the tradition of "International lover," filled with heaving and squirming and punctuated with shivers of ecstasy; and "Vicki waiting" does the Prince thing of wedding stream-of-consciousness filigree to a treadmill steady groove - it focuses on a moment and lets it go all fractal with possibilities.
Essentially, all the best moments on _Batman_ recall past highlights of his own catalogue. I think the exercise of composing for a film while also trying to shoot it all through with his own idiosyncracies ultimately results in a slightly watered-down version of a Prince collection. As a soundtrack, it becomes less an intrinsic component of the film than a piece of _Batman_ paraphernalia. So...unsatisfying on both levels.
It's an album I rarely reach for, but there isn't a song on it I dislike, either.
Okay, I just now heard "Dance with the devil" for the first time. Holy moley. If it had made it to the final tracklist, it would've easily been the best song on *_Batman,_* hands down. What a gem!
The Batman soundtrack was my introduction to Prince (I was 12 in 1989) and I've been a fan ever since. So that critics didn't like it, baffles me. As for favorite song, I've have to say Partyman, but specifically the Extended Version which I only recently heard when it was put on RUclips. "When I want trombone my dog is handy, but when I want sax I call Candy."
Another fun fact is...The #1 hit song “Kiss” by Prince and the Revolution was also another one of those super hit first song played on the airwaves to lead the charge but was the last and final song created for the album “Parade” MPS “Under The Cherry Moon”.
"Batman" is a work of genius and one of my favorite Prince Albums. The video for "Batdance" is like Prince's opera; it's just that epic!
Scandalous still sounds so unique and original in terms of its tempo, sound
I love this album! This is one of my all time favorite Prince as albums.
If a man is considered guilty
For what goes on in his mind
Then give me the electric chair
For all my future crimes-oh! 💜
Cannot understand the dislike for Batman. Electric Chair is in my Prince Top 5.
I went to the Batman movie opening night just because the music was Prince. I'm sure me and my best friend were the only ones in my small town to do so. We got crazy looks when we cheered when his name rolled over opening credits.
Prince was a musician's, musician.
Electric Chair is my favorite of this album, the guitar solo just rocks!!! It has so much vibe and energy, it's awesome!!! Long live Prince! 😘
In answer to your questions:
I'm not overly keen on it, still, as I felt when it was released. It was around this time, Lovesexy-ish, that I began to lose interest in Him (obviously my interest picked up again later!). I thought/think the LP is weak.
Favourite song: The Future (by a long way)
:-)
I wish a first pressing copy on 12 “ wasn’t so expensive now, but hey, it’s worth it!
🦇 one of the best soundtracks ever!🦇
I wish there was a longer version for lemon crush. That was my favorite song off Batman
*i wish Mj and Prince collabed*
Batdance is so much better than I remembered. Totally funky!
I always thought that Bat Dance was the Prince version of Thriller, I was just surprised it was not as big of a hit.
It was one of his best albums. Obviously before it's time.
🎶SCANDALOUS!!!!... Im talking about you and me,
MARVELOUS!!!!... baby baby can't you see!🎶
I was at the point that Prince could do no wrong after Lovesexy. My love for his music perhaps blinded me to the quality of this album. It happened during some of my best years as a high schooler. And for that Batman will always hold a high place in my list. Now older and wiser i see it’s faults but they don’t bother me because they remind me of better days. And i have the Bat Can!!!
The Batman soundtrack is still one of my fav Prince albums to date. I remember being 10yrs old & getting my grandmother to drive me to Wal Mart to buy the cassette tape of it. The cashier who was probably around 17 or 18 said "That's spicy album there, yeah?" and I just glared at him till he shut up.
I love his look during this time period, finding the Batman logo on his clothing and boots. His cloud guitar also had Batman fret markers during this time. Short lived period and not enough pictures of him during it. I'm always looking for more pics of him during the Batman era. Hopefully Jeff Katz will release more in the future. The Paisley Park fashion book revealed some Batman boots in various colors/patterns that I've never seen in photos before.
This album is the one that really got me interested in Prince. I had Purple Rain when it came out and though I enjoyed it, it didn't make me love Prince. I loved the Batman soundtrack so much that I just had to learn more about this Prince guy and started looking for more of his music. As mentioned in the video, the B-Sides on the singles just freaking blew my head off. I bought the follow up Graffiti Bridge on the strength of my love of the Batman soundtrack. From there I delved into The Hits, The B-Sides and by then I was a true official Prince fan. It's all thanks to this amazing album which I still listen to and thoroughly enjoy to this day. "Get the funk up!"
Loved the Movie and the Soundtrack.
Prince really sang that song Scandalous....l.have the tee shirt with his doing the spilt...
Prince Batman album is my favorite, and it is my favorite Bat man film period
The Arms Of Orion is my fave song from the album I had it as one of the 3 songs for my wedding and also Purple rain I had for my wedding. Miss Prince I am a life long Prince fan I have a tattoo of his symbol with date of birth and date of death working on another design for a Prince tattoo.
From what I've read, Tim Burton, a Prince fan, used "1999" and "Baby, I'm a Star" as placeholders during the filming of certain scenes (I think one of the scenes was when "Partyman" is used and the parade scene) because each song captured the vibe he was looking for in the scene. That's what probably got John Peters to contact Prince. Rumor has it that he was only asked to contribute two songs, but he got excited about the project and submitted a bunch more. At one point, Prince said, and I paraphrase, "When this movie comes out, it's gonna be mine," referring to his involvement overshadowing Batman and Burton. Oddly enough, Burton has given more than one interview where he's stated he wasn't thrilled about Prince's songs in the movie -- he said it dates the film. Of course, I could be wrong about all of this.
I love this album by Prince and I don't care if the so called "critics" think that it was not that great. Like you said, it's stood the test of time!!! Also, just want to say I LOVE this presentation you created about Prince and this album. Really smooth.. lovin' it!!
The Batman soundtrack has remained one of my favorites
My first Prince album in 1989. I I loved it back then but even more so now. It's amazing
Keep'em coming,guys. I wonder why he seemed to be partial to changing women's names? But anyway, I think that had they played into the media's sensationalism of the rivalry between Prince and Michael Jackson that movie and soundtrack would have been much more successful than it already was. Hey, you gotta give the people what they want.