About The Song
“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 US, becoming Prince’s fourth American number-one single and served as his first number-one hit since “Kiss” in 1986.
“Batdance” was a last-minute replacement for a brooding track titled “Dance with the Devil”, which Prince felt was too dark. (Although “Dance with the Devil” remains unreleased, some of the lyrics appear in 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 of Prince’s 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”. Some of these were mere snippets, and other segments showed up only in remixes of the track. The song was also loaded with dialogue samples from the film, making it one of the earlier songs where Prince dabbled in sampling.
The song’s accompanying music video was filmed on May 27 and 28, 1989 in Culver City, California. It was directed by Albert Magnoli and choreographed by Barry Lather, and featured dancers costumed as multiple Batmen, Jokers and Vicki Vales. Prince appears as a costumed character in face paint known as “Gemini”, with one side of his face and costume representing the Joker (evil) and the other, Batman (good). This creation was also likely a nod to one of Batman’s classic adversaries, “Two-Face”, who also has his face split down the middle (with one side disfigured) and whose alter ego Harvey Dent had originally appeared in the 1989 movie, with the villain himself set to appear in later sequels.
The video starts with Prince receiving a transmission from Gemini where he makes a face. The Batman and Jokers alternate dance sections, while Prince (as both himself and Gemini) sings. The video ends with Gemini hitting a detonator, exploding an electric chair (referenced in the song), and Prince (actually Michael Keaton’s voice) saying “Stop” as the video abruptly ends. The video also features one Vicki Vale wearing a black dress with the words “All this and brains too”, a reference to The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, in which a female news presenter wears a top with the same slogan.
Gemini is Prince’s astrological sign, and is a reference to the duality in his music. “Gemini” would also make an appearance in the “Partyman” video, but this time the costume would be all-Joker. The video earned Prince a 1990 Soul Train Music Award nomination for Best R&B/Soul Music Video, and nomination for Best Video From a Film from the MTV Video Music Awards of the same year.
Video
Lyrics
Oh, I got a live one here
Haha, haha, haha
Haha, haha, haha
Ooh hoo hoo, hoo hoo hoo hoo
Get the funk up
Batman
Get the funk up
Batman
Get the funk up
(Go, go, go with a smile)
Bat dance
Do it
Keep bustin’
I’ve seen the future and it will be (do it, do it)
I’ve seen the future and it will be (do, do)
Batman
Batman
I’ve seen the future and it will be
Batman (house, do it, house)
(And where, and where, is the Batman?)
Let’s do it
Let’s do it
Do it, do it
Do it, do it
Batman, Batman, Batman
(Oh, that’s)
(Hi, Bruce Wayne)
(I’ve tried to avoid all this, but I can’t)
(I just gotta know)
(Are we gonna try to love each other?)
(Stop the press, who is that?)
(Vicky Vale)
(She’s great, isn’t she?)
Oh yeah, oh yeah
I want to bust that body
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
I want to bust that body right (I’d like to)
Oh yeah, oh yeah (but he’s out there right now)
I want to bust that body
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Tonight
Well, Miss Vale
You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
I always ask that of all my prey
I just like the sound of it
Batman
(I’ve got to go to work)
Batman
If a man is considered guilty (work, work)
For what goes on in his mind (work, work)
Then gimme the electric chair
For all my future crimes, oh
(Work)
(Work) Electric chair, oh, ooh
Hey Ducky
Let me stick the 7-inch in the computer
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha
Hey, we got the power
Oh, we got the soul
Hey, we got to sho’nuff get off
To make the devil go, go
Ow (This town needs an enema)
Power
(I’m not gonna kill you) (Let’s do it)
Soul
(I’m gonna kill you)
Power
(I’m not gonna kill you)
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
(Don’t stop dancin’)
Bat-Bat
(Batman) (Don’t stop dancin’)
(No, damn it, turn the music back up)
(You son of a bitch)
Who’s gonna stop 200 balloons?
Nobody
(Haha, haha, haha, haha, haha)
Batman
Stop