While the latest big-screen incarnation of the Caped Crusader continues to rake in the moolah at the box office, I wanted to travel back to that magical summer of 1989. I was eight years old when Tim Burton’s Batman arrived in theaters and had a blast seeing the film on the big screen in Lubbock, Texas, at South Plains Mall, Cinema 4.
One of the biggest things about the 1989 film version of Batman was the merchandising, and the film’s soundtrack was a key component. Warner Bros., the studio that released the film, had an ace up its sleeve given that Prince, one of the decade’s biggest music stars, was on the label as well. Therefore, if you have not already guessed, Prince and his song “Scandalous” is the week’s Slow Jam Saturday Pick.
Similar to Jamie Starr’s first soundtrack, Purple Rain, the soundtrack for Batman featured nine songs, of which two were ballads. The first ballad on this soundtrack was a duet with Sheena Easton titled “The Arms of Orion”. However, something about “Scandalous” artistically alludes to sensuality.
From the moment the first chord of the song begins up until Prince utters the first lyric 41 seconds later, the listener knows their ears are about to experience a musical euphoria. Set to an almost haunting instrumental, Prince creates an atmosphere where satin sheets are in place, and the aroma of Jasmine Candles fills in the air. Even in just reading the lyrics, you can tell that whomever Prince was singing about (popular theory is Kim Basinger) that he means every note.
“Come Closer
Feel what you’ve been dyin’ for
Don’t be afraid, baby
Touch it and explode
Understand, understand that I love you
Oh, but more than that, I want you
Everybody always told me
Good things come to those who wait
But I’ve got so much on the menu
I just can’t, I just can’t, I can’t wait baby
I can’t wait baby
I can wrap my legs all around you girl
‘Cause sugar, you know you’re just the kind of lover
That I’ve been looking for
Tonight why don’t we skip all the for play, mama
And just get down here on the floor”.
Serving as the album’s fourth single, “Scandalous” is easily one of Prince’s most popular slow jams. One of the most fantastic trivia facts about this song is that Prince recorded the song during a day off from the “Lovesexy” Tour. The original version appears on the album, but this is Prince. So naturally, he had more plans for the song. In the late fall of 1989, Prince would release The Scandalous Sex Suite, a three-part suite of 19 minutes of the song, with the parts titled ‘ “The Crime,” “The Passion,” and “The Rapture.”
Thirty-three years after its release, “Scandalous” is not only one of the best songs from any Batman soundtrack but a song better than the entire catalogs of some artists who made their record industry entrances in the years that followed.
Final Grade: A +
“Scandalous” from the Batman soundtrack is available on all streaming platforms.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I want to revisit 2004 and highlight Romeo’s debut solo album, formerly of Immature. Titled “Food for Thought” and released on June 22nd, this project marked the singer’s change of name to Young Rome in an effort to distance himself from the youthful sound of his group, much like his bandmate Marques Houston had done a year earlier.
In the nineties, Hip-Hop reigned supreme, and every label CEO wanted a share of the lucrative R&B market. One strategy was to keep singers on their roster who could deliver catchy hooks, keeping everything in-house and saving money. Bad Boy had Carl Thomas, Death Row had Danny Boy, and Roc-A-Fella had Rell, our featured artist for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday
Growing up in the eighties, I was surrounded by incredibly talented male R&B singers who could deliver unforgettable love songs. Artists like Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, and Peabo Bryson dominated the airwaves, but Freddie Jackson was another voice that truly deserved recognition.