Behind the 1989 Comic Book Movie Soundtrack That Prince Wrote From Top to Bottom

In 1989, one movie captured the hearts and minds of the American public more than any other. And that film was Batman. Some say it’s the original comic book movie, the first true blockbuster that helped to pave the way for decades of superhero films.

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But did you know who wrote the movie’s iconic soundtrack? Let’s dive in here below.

Tim Burton

In the mid-to-late 1980s, Tim Burton had a dream. The movie director with the wild hair wanted to bring his cartoonish, noir sensibilities to the big screen. And he did just that. It began with the beloved Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985. Then he followed it up with Beetlejuice in 1988.

Then he made an even bigger leap. He took on Batman. And for the film’s soundtrack? He tapped Prince. Or, maybe we should say, he asked Prince and the Purple One agreed. But no matter how it came together, if the rock icon agrees to write your songs, you nod right along with him.

Batdance & Beyond

When your movie is directed by Tim Burton and it stars people like Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, and Kim Basinger, you need a high-wattage name to do the music. And Prince was just that.

He wrote all nine songs for the film, including “Batdance”, which reinterprets the famous theme song for the 1960s Batman television show while also including dialogue samples from the 1989 film.

Other fun tunes on the soundtrack album include “The Future” and “Partyman”, which melds Prince’s sexually charged rock with the over-the-top comic book style of the movie. It’s a blast! Even if some people didn’t totally get it or understand the songs at the time.

Criticism

Somehow, Prince took crap for this album from some critics (though today those reviews are largely being revisited and revised). Maybe he had brought the level of expectation so high with records like Purple Rain or Sign O’ the Times that no one knew how to understand an out-of-the-box offering like this. But the Batman soundtrack was not met with total acclaim.

Nevertheless, today, the real ones know. So… let’s dance! No, let’s Batdance!

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