Batdance
"Batdance" is a song by American musician Prince, from the 1989 Batman soundtrack. Helped by the film's popularity, the song reached number one in the U.S., becoming Prince's fourth number-one single, and his first since "Kiss" in 1986.
Song development
"Batdance" was a last-minute replacement for a brooding track titled "Dance with the Devil", which Prince felt was too dark. Incidentally, although "Dance with the Devil" remains unreleased, some of the lyrics appear on the album's liner notes.
"Batdance" is almost two songs in one—a chaotic, mechanical dance beat that changes gears into a slinky, funky groove before changing back for the song's conclusion (except on the single version in which it eliminates the guitar solo before the middle section, then goes straight to the mechanical Joker laughter from the end of the movie and an earlier movie soundbyte of Michael Keaton saying "Stop"). The track is an amalgam of many musical ideas floating around in Prince's brain at the time. Elements from at least seven songs (some unreleased) were incorporated into "Batdance": "200 Balloons", "We Got the Power", "House in Order", "Rave Unto the Joy Fantastic" (later released on the album, Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic), "The Future", and "Electric Chair", as well as the 1966 "Batman Theme" by Neal Hefti. Some of these were mere snippets, and other segments showed up only in remixes of the track. The song was also loaded with dialog samples from the film.
Podcasts:
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by Prince
Batdance
by: PrinceBatdance [Controversy Music, ASCAP - 1989]
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"Oh, I got a live one here!"
Get the funk up!
BATMAN
Get the funk up!
BATMAN
Get the funk up!
"Go, go, go with a smile!"
BATDANCE
Do it
Keep bustin'
["do it" repeated in the background]
I've seen the future and it will be
I've seen the future and it will be
BATMAN, BATMAN
I've seen the future and it will be
BATMAN (house, do it, house)
"And where, and where ... is the BATMAN?"
Do it, do it
let's do it, let's do it
Do it, do it, do it, do it
"Stop the press..."
"Stop the press, who is that?"
"Vicky Vale", "Vicky Vale"
"I like..."
BATMAN, BATMAN, BATMAN
"Oh - that's nice"
"Hi, Bruce Wayne"
"I've tried to avoid all this, but I can't"
"I just gotta know... are we gonna try 2 love each other?"
"Stop the press - who is that?"
"Vicky Vale"
"She's great, isn't she?"
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
I wanna bust that body
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
I wanna bust that body right
"I'd like 2"
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
"But he's out there right now"
I wanna bust that body
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah 2 night
"Well, miss Vale"
"Ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?"
"I always ask that of all my pray."
"I just like the sound of it."
(screams)
"I've got 2 go 2 work"
BATMAN
"I've got 2 go 2 work"
BATMAN
If a man is considered guilty
WORK!
4 what goes on in his mind
WORK!
Then gimme the electric chair
WORK!
4 all my future crimes-OH
WORK!
Electric chair
Hey Ducky, let me stick the 7-inch
In the computer
HA, HA, HA
Hey, we got the power
Oh, we got the soul
Hey, we got to sho'nuff get off
2 make the devil go, go
"This town needs an enema!"
"I'm gonna kill U"
POWER
"I'm not gonna kill U"
SOUL
"I'm gonna kill U"
POWER
"I'm not gonna kill U"
SOUL
Let's do it
"I'm BATMAN"
BATMAN
Don't stop dancin'
"I'm BATMAN"
BATMAN
Don't stop dancin'
Do it, do it, do it, do it
BATMAN, BATMAN, BATMAN
Don't stop, don't stop
Let's do it
Don't stop dancin'
Let's do it, BATMAN
Let's do it, BATMAN
Don't stop dancin'
Don't stop dancin'
No, damn it! Turn the music back up!
You son of a bitch!
"Have you ever heard of the healing power of laughter?"
Who's gonna stop 200 balloons?
Nobody!
Batman