People today just can't understand what a huge deal Tim Burton's Batman was when it came out 30 years ago. It was such a big deal that Prince's accompanying soundtrack was an event unto itself as well (this does not diminish Danny Elfman's score, which was profoundly influential in its own right). The first track off Prince's album was the surreal "Batdance," and it was a monster hit. The second single, which actually featured in the movie, was the wildly flamboyant "Partyman," which I've long considered the best work on that disc. Oddly, "Partyman" was only a top 20 hit, and I never saw a video for it (despite "Batdance" running what seemed like 24/7 on MTV at the time). Turns out, MTV refused to air the extended video because of the sexuality of the girl in the water tank and Prince's supervillain move of killing everyone at the party (oops! Spoiler alert!). In any event, Prince's estate has no aversion to the interwebz, and in the last few years has released all manner of Prince videos on YouTube for us all to enjoy, and this gem is a dandy piece of 1989 frozen in amber.
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