✦Partyman — Maxi‑Single US: Sept. 1989

GlamSlamEscape
Sep 14, 1989
2 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

A riotous Batman‑era funk blast with Camille DNA and Prince‑crafted remixes

— SUMMARY

“Partyman” was released on September 15, 1989 as the second single from Batman, Prince’s eleventh album and the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s blockbuster film. Arriving two months after the album, the single continued the hugely successful commercial tie‑in between Prince and the Batman franchise.

The B‑side, “Feel U Up (Short Stroke),” was previously unreleased, though originally intended for the aborted Camille album in late 1986 — making its appearance here a notable resurfacing of that era’s material.

The maxi‑single featured three Prince‑created remixes, including “The Purple Party Mix,” which opens with a collage of samples from Prince’s hits spanning 1979–1988. This playful self‑referential approach made it one of the most distinctive extended mixes of the Batman era.

The artwork continued the visual branding established with “Batdance,” again using the Batman logo — this time in a simplified yellow‑on‑black design. The same symbol, recoloured, would appear on the next single, “The Arms of Orion.”

Commercially, “Partyman” performed well, reaching No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart.