Partyman
Encyclopedia
"Partyman" is a song by Prince
from his 1989 Batman
album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, "Batdance
". The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene where the Joker and his minions gleefully desecrate the Gotham City
Art Museum before meeting Vicki Vale
.
The song became the only Batman single to perform better in the UK
charts, where it peaked at number 14, as opposed to the U.S.
(where it peaked at number 18). The upbeat and humorous number features horn samples and Prince's sped-up "Camille" vocals, as well as a vocal performance by Anna Fantastic
. The 12" single
extends the song to about six minutes in length (labeled as the "Video Mix"), and features the B-side
"Feel U Up", a previously unreleased Camille track which would later be available on The Hits/The B-Sides
compilation.
"Feel U Up" was originally cut in 1981, but re-recorded in 1986 for the Camille album. Despite being intended for a totally different project, the horn arrangement and vocal style complement "Partyman" perfectly. The 12" single also included a "Purple Party Mix", which starts with a string of samples from Prince's earlier hits and contains different lyrics. A track identified as a "music mix" is an instrumental of the "Purple Party Mix".
The song's accompanying music video
, directed by Al Magnoli, again presents Prince's "Gemini" persona dressed in a "half-Joker
" costume.
Owing to licensing problems, "Partyman", like all of the Batman-era hits, has failed to appear on any Prince compilation album
, barring the UK singles promoting The Hits/The B-Sides.
12" single (US)
12" single (UK)
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
from his 1989 Batman
Batman (album)
Batman is the eleventh studio album by musician Prince and the soundtrack for the 1989 film Batman. As a Warner Bros. stablemate, Prince's involvement in the soundtrack was designed to leverage the media company's contract-bound talent as well as fulfill the artist's need for a commercial revival...
album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, "Batdance
Batdance
"Batdance" is a song by 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 first since 1986's "Kiss".-Song development:...
". The song is one of the few on the album that is prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene where the Joker and his minions gleefully desecrate the Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
Art Museum before meeting Vicki Vale
Vicki Vale
Victoria Vale is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Batman #49 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.-1940s-1960s:...
.
The song became the only Batman single to perform better in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts, where it peaked at number 14, as opposed to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(where it peaked at number 18). The upbeat and humorous number features horn samples and Prince's sped-up "Camille" vocals, as well as a vocal performance by Anna Fantastic
Anna Fantastic
Anna Garcia , professionally known as Anna Fantastic, a name given to her by Prince, is an English female actress, singer and model.-Early life:...
. The 12" single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
extends the song to about six minutes in length (labeled as the "Video Mix"), and features the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Feel U Up", a previously unreleased Camille track which would later be available on The Hits/The B-Sides
The Hits/The B-Sides
-Disc 2 :-Disc 3 :...
compilation.
"Feel U Up" was originally cut in 1981, but re-recorded in 1986 for the Camille album. Despite being intended for a totally different project, the horn arrangement and vocal style complement "Partyman" perfectly. The 12" single also included a "Purple Party Mix", which starts with a string of samples from Prince's earlier hits and contains different lyrics. A track identified as a "music mix" is an instrumental of the "Purple Party Mix".
The song's accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Al Magnoli, again presents Prince's "Gemini" persona dressed in a "half-Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
" costume.
Owing to licensing problems, "Partyman", like all of the Batman-era hits, has failed to appear on any Prince compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, barring the UK singles promoting The Hits/The B-Sides.
Track listings
7" single- "Partyman" – 3:11
- "Feel U Up" (Short Stroke) – 3:44
12" single (US)
- "Partyman" (The Purple Party Mix) – 6:02
- "Partyman" (Partyman Music Mix) – 4:31
- "Partyman" (The Video Mix) – 6:20
- "Feel U Up" (Short Stroke) – 3:44
12" single (UK)
- "Partyman" (Video Mix) – 6:20
- "Feel U Up" (Long Stroke) – 6:28