✦ Batman – Album US: Jun. 1989

A dark, electric collision of pop genius and blockbuster cinema — Prince vs. Gotham.

✦ Summary

Released on June 20, 1989, Batman served as both Prince’s eleventh studio album and the official soundtrack to Tim Burton’s film. Warner Bros. saw the project as a perfect synergy: their biggest pop star paired with their biggest movie of the year. Prince delivered the entire album in six weeks, weaving film dialogue, character perspectives, and Gotham’s atmosphere into a tight 42‑minute set.

Three earlier tracks — “Electric Chair,” “Scandalous!,” and “Vicki Waiting” — were repurposed, while the rest was newly written. Prince revealed in a 2010 interview that the soundtrack was originally conceived as a duet project with Michael Jackson, with Jackson singing for the heroes and Prince for the villains. Scheduling conflicts and label politics prevented it.

Prince performed nearly everything himself, with select contributions from Sheena Easton, Eric Leeds, Atlanta Bliss, Clare Fischer, and Sounds of Blackness. The album’s character‑coded liner notes deepen its conceptual framing, and “Batdance” — a chaotic, sample‑driven collage — became a No. 1 hit.

✦ Highlights

• Recorded in six weeks

• Originally intended as a Prince/Michael Jackson collaboration

• Prince performs nearly all instruments and vocals

• “Batdance” became a No. 1 single

• Character‑coded liner notes tie each song to a film persona

• Double‑platinum success and six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard 200

✦ Track Details

LP / CD / Cassette – Warner Bros. – 1989

The Future — 4:07

Electric Chair — 4:07

The Arms of Orion — 5:02

Partyman — 3:11

Vicki Waiting — 4:51

Trust — 4:23

Lemon Crush — 4:15

Scandalous — 6:14

Batdance — 6:13

✦ Production and Context

• Produced by Prince

• Recorded June 1988 – March 1989 at Paisley Park

• Sheena Easton duets on “The Arms of Orion”

• Eric Leeds & Atlanta Bliss sampled on “Trust”

• Clare Fischer strings sampled on “The Future”

• Sounds of Blackness choir sampled

• Dialogue sourced from a workprint of the film

• “Partyman” inspired by Prince meeting Jack Nicholson

• Gemini persona introduced — half Batman, half Joker

✦ Singles Released

Batdance — June 8, 1989

Partyman — August 18, 1989

The Arms of Orion — October 16, 1989

Scandalous! — November 28, 1989

The Future — May 18, 1990 (EU)

✦ Chart Performance

• US Billboard 200 — #1 (six consecutive weeks)

• RIAA — 2× Platinum

• Lead single “Batdance” — #1 Billboard Hot 100

✦ Discography Sidebar

Lovesexy — 1988

Batman — 1989

Graffiti Bridge — 1990

✦ Prince Era Mini‑Timeline

Feb–Mar 1989 — Batman recorded in six weeks

June 1989 — Album released

Summer 1989 — “Batdance” hits No. 1

1989–1990 — Prince adopts darker, Gotham‑inspired aesthetic

✦ Glam Flashback

Batman is Prince in full pop‑alchemy mode — a soundtrack that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. It’s theatrical, chaotic, seductive, and brilliantly tied to the film’s psychology. With “Batdance,” he reinvented the idea of a movie single, turning samples and character voices into a chart‑topping collage. It remains one of the boldest soundtrack experiments ever released.

✦ Image & Artwork Copyright Notice

All images, photographs, and artwork referenced or displayed in this post remain the property of their respective copyright holders. They are included strictly for historical, educational, and archival purposes under fair‑use principles.

✦ Sources

Prince Vault

Discogs

Warner Bros. Records documentation (from your provided text)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzBmOEAIOHc