"Partyman" is a song by American musician

Prince A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...

from his 1989 ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' album, and the follow-up to his number one hit, " Batdance". The song is one of the few on the album to be prominently featured in the film, accompanying the scene in which the Joker and his minions deface exhibits in the

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, t ...

Art Museum before meeting

Vicki Vale Victoria Vale (usually called "Vicki" or "Vickie") is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character debuted ...

. The song was inspired by Prince's meeting with

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

on-set during the filming of ''Batman''. Prince remarked in a 1990 interview, " icholsonhad this attitude that reminded me of Morris ay— and there was that song." 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 Garcia (born December 31, 1970) is professionally known as Anna Fantastic, a name given to her by Prince. She is an English actress, singer and model. Early life Born in London, England in 1970 to parents of Sicilian, British and America ...

. The

12" single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

extends the song to about six minutes in length (labeled as the "Video Mix"), and features the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

"Feel U Up", a previously unreleased '' Camille'' track which would later be available on ''

The Hits/The B-Sides ''The Hits/The B-Sides'' is a box set by American recording artist Prince. It was released on September 10, 1993, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album is a comprehensive three- disc set consisting of many of his hit sing ...

'' compilation. "Feel U Up" was originally cut in 1981, but re-recorded in 1986 for the ''Camille'' album. 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 bassline shares great similarities to " Talking Loud and Saying Nothing" by James Brown. The song's chant "young and old, gather round; everybody hail the new king in town" follows the same rhythm from the 1986 outtake "Rebirth of the Flesh".

Chart performance

The song became the only ''Batman'' single to perform better in the UK, where it peaked at number 14, than in the US, where it peaked at number 18.

Music video

The song's accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

, directed by

Albert Magnoli Albert Magnoli (born 1954)The San Bernardino County Sun: July 16, ...

, again presents Prince's "Gemini" alter ego dressed in a "half-Joker" costume. The video features Dutch musician

Candy Dulfer Candy Dulfer (born 19 September 1969) is a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. She is the daughter of jazz saxophonist Hans Dulfer. She began playing at age six and founded her band Funky Stuff when she was fourteen. Her debut album '' Saxuality'' ...

on saxophone. Due to licensing problems, "Partyman", like all of the ''Batman''-era hits, has failed to appear on any Prince compilation album with the exception of the UK singles promoting ''The Hits/The B-Sides''. The song's

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increased when it was featured in an episode of the 2020 documentary series '' The Last Dance''.

Formats and track listings

* 7-inch single # "Partyman" – 3:11 # "Feel U Up" (Short Stroke) – 3:44 * 12-inch 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-inch single (UK) # "Partyman" (Video Mix) – 6:20 # "Feel U Up" (Long Stroke) – 6:28

Charts

Usage in media

The song was used in episode 3 of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

documentary series '' The Last Dance''.

References

Prince (musician) songs 1989 singles Batman (1989 film series) Batman music Songs written by Prince (musician) Warner Records singles Songs written for films 1989 songs Song recordings produced by Prince (musician) {{1980s-single-stub