Batman (score)

Production

Burton hired Elfman to compose the music score for Batman. For inspiration, Elfman was given The Dark Knight Returns. Elfman was worried, as he had never worked on a production this large in budget and scale. In an interview with Keyboard in October 1989, Elfman said that he never read Batman as a child, preferring Marvel heroes such as Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. In addition, producer Jon Peters was skeptical of hiring Elfman, but was later convinced when he heard the opening number. Peters and Peter Guber wanted Prince to write music for the Joker and Michael Jackson to do the romance songs. Elfman would then combine the style of Prince and Jackson's songs together for the entire film score. Elfman worked separately from Prince, who was responsible for writing songs for the film. Prince proposed to extend his songs into the score, and the producers asked Elfman to collaborate with Prince on the score. Elfman refused because he was already working on the score, and did not want to serve as mere music arranger under Prince.

Elfman enlisted the help of Oingo Boingo lead guitarist Steve Bartek and Shirley Walker to arrange the compositions for the orchestra. Elfman was later displeased with the audio mixing of his film score. According to Elfman: "Batman was done in England by technicians who didn't care, and the non-caring showed. I'm not putting down England because they've done gorgeous dubs there, but this particular crew elected not to". Despite it, Elfman included several synthesizer cues in the film, mostly percussion samples. Elfman based his five-note Batman motif on his viewing experience on the rough cut of the film.

In rearranging Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer", Elfman added a "lovely climax" as the Joker twirls away. Elfman also recorded the composition twice, primarily on the violin.

Track listing

;Additional music credited:

Complete score

La-La Land Records released Danny Elfman's complete score to Batman on July 27, 2010.

Disc One: Original Score (film version)

Disc Two: Original Soundtrack Album (remastered)(tracks 22-29 are bonus cues)

(*) Previously unreleased

(**) includes "Scandalous!" composed by Prince with John L. Nelson

(***) includes "Beautiful Dreamer" composed by Stephen Foster

Chart positions

References

References

1. [[Danny Elfman]], [[Tim Burton]], ''Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of Batman'', 2005, [[Warner Home Video]]
2. (October 1989). "Danny Elfman - The Agony & The Ectasy of Scoring Batman". GPI Publications.
3. [[Tim Burton]], [[Sam Hamm]], [[Danny Elfman]], ''Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight—The Legend Reborn'', 2005, [[Warner Home Video]]
4. Mark Salisbury. (2006). "Burton on Burton". Faber and Faber.
5. (27 December 2023). "Danny Elfman on scoring Batman and refusing to collaborate with Prince: "It was a miserable period of time"".
6. Givens, Ron. (February 23, 1990). "The Elfman Cometh".
7. Judy Sloane. (August 1995). "Elfman on scoring". Film Review.
8. Meanwhile, in recording "Up the Cathedral", Elfman did not use a real church organ, but an electronic organ by [[Rodgers Instruments]]. Elfman cites his inspiration for “Up the Cathedral” to Bernard Herrmann’s score for the 1961 film ''Mysterious Island'', a film he enjoyed as a child. "The Batman Theme" was also influenced by Herrmann’s score for the 1959 film ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'', particularly the cues “Mountain Top / Sunrise.”Listen to How Bernard Herrmann Inspired Danny Elfman’s Batman Theme. ''Movies In Focus''. 2020. https://www.moviesinfocus.com/listen-to-how-bernard-herrmann-inspired-danny-elfmans-batman-theme/
9. "Batman (1989)".
10. "LA LA LAND RECORDS, Film Scores, Music Scores, Film Music, Film Composers, MovieMusic, Composers, Film Composers, Movie Composers, Soundtrack Composers". Lalalandrecords.com.
11. (17 July 2013). "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4560". [[RPM (magazine).