Batman (Score) - Danny Elfman

By the late 1980's, Batman was still pretty much considered as being a rather hokey and campy, as well as exceedingly silly, TV series made in the 1960s. The bright Gotham City, the easy-going and wooden Bruce "Batman" Wayne (Adam West), the constantly "holying" Dick "Robin" Grayson (Burt Ward), and the untroubled histories of the "Dynamic Duo" were a far cry from the original comic books on which it was based. ...
...the macabre and dark, made Batman much more closer to the claustrophobic, brooding, and sinister style of the comics. Burton's Gotham City was a dark and decadent metropolis of gloomy skyscrapers, wet streets, and long shadows, with evil seemingly spawning at every dark corner.

Playing Bruce Wayne was Michael Keaton, a much more fitting actor for the part than Adam West, in that he conveyed a sense of gloominess and introversion much ... more

By the late 1980's, Batman was still pretty much considered as being a rather hokey and campy, as well as exceedingly silly, TV series made in the 1960s. The bright Gotham City, the easy-going and wooden Bruce "Batman" Wayne (Adam West), the constantly "holying" Dick "Robin" Grayson (Burt Ward), and the untroubled histories of the "Dynamic Duo" were a far cry from the original comic books on which it was based. However, a decided change came when director Tim Burton decided to make a feature film of Batman. Burton, always with a penchant for the macabre and dark, made Batman much more closer to the claustrophobic, brooding, and sinister style of the comics. Burton's Gotham City was a dark and decadent metropolis of gloomy skyscrapers, wet streets, and long shadows, with evil seemingly spawning at every dark corner.

Playing Bruce Wayne was Michael Keaton, a much more fitting actor for the part than Adam West, in that he conveyed a sense of gloominess and introversion much more appropriate for the character. Perhaps not the best actor to play Bruce Wayne, Keaton certainly worked for the film and was right at home in the gray Gotham City. His main nemesis in this first movie was Jack Napier aka. the Joker, played with great wackiness by Jack Nicholson, certainly an actor born for the part. In his first confrontation with Batman, Napier falls into a tank of toxic chemicals and is resurrected as the insanely grinning Joker, with plans to take the city over as the new head of Gotham's criminal hierarchy. Providing for the more romantic moments is Kim Basinger as Vicky Vale, a reporter investigating the Batman mystery, only to get the attention of both Bruce and Joker. Although not perfect by any means, Batman is one of the best comics-turned-into-films ever and part of the success can be attributed to the score by Danny Elfman.

By 1989, Danny Elfman was still relatively unknown to many. As the lead singer of the rock group Oingo Boingo, Elfman's transgression to scoring films came in the mid-1980's with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. This film saw the beginning of the long-standing composer/director relationship of Elfman and Tim Burton, a relationship that would stretch for all the subsequent Burton films as well, apart from Ed Wood, which was composed by Howard Shore. Elfman's highest profile job after Pee-Wee came with 1988's Beetlejuice that was another zany Burton film starring Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton. Elfman's work on Beetlejuice was equally zany and established many of the basic characteristics that define his music, namely quirky rhythms, diverse percussion, and simply out-of-the-wall weirdness. Many other contemporary composers were baffled at exactly how to react to the highly original man, with admiration or digust? In 1989 however, the perception of Elfman changed drastically.

Batman was the most ambitious project Elfman had ever embarked upon and he took full advantage of the opportunity. The musical duties were divided between Elfman, whose score would fill about 80% of the film, and Prince, who wrote a number of songs to be used at various points in the film as background music or more prominently during few sequences (like the art museum scene and the money-parade scene). With Prince taking care of the song-part of the movie, Elfman would employ the use of a large symphony orchestra of gothic proportions to create the dramatic, comic book-like over-the-top feel of Gotham City and it's dark hero. While still lacking the kind of experience inherent with older composers, Elfman more than compensates this with keeping the energy level high at all times and offering towering thematic presentations of his themes at key points. Almost completely shrouded in darkness, Batman is Elfman's call to fame in a grand and noticeable way that did not go unnoticed and Elfman soon had a number of loyal fans behind him.

The score is dominated by the main theme, which is an amazingly simple, five-note motif. According to Elfman he originally came up with the theme on an airplane and had to go into the bathroom to hum it into a taperecorder. The simplicity of the theme, while not usually that subtly integrated, is easily assimilated and quoted at appropriate places and as such doesn't require to spend much time in establishing Batman's presence. The fanfare-like theme makes appearances throughout the score, beginning with the memorable "The Batman Theme." The most spectacular appearances of the theme come in the cues "Batman to the Rescue" (the first time it really makes an impact), "Descent into Mystery" (notable for its choral use and sense of mystery), "Charge of the Batmobile" and "Attack of the Batwing" (two major action cues), and "Finale" (a grand and triumphant culmination for the score).

The secondary material is not as proficient, but it is nevertheless just as effective. The Joker is personified by the use of music box-like tingling, which culminates in a carnival-esque grand waltz in "Waltz to the Death." The love theme, which uses as it's basis Prince's song "Scandalous," is not as strong as it could be (its a little maudlin and understated), but works well enough in the film. The action music is traditional Elfman, with lots of exotic percussion like xylophones and bongo drums on top of the usual timpanis and cymbals. Elfman also integrates Robert Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" into a couple of places ("Photos/Beautiful Dreamer," "The Final Confrontation") which actually works really well.

Highlights are plenty in this score, but there are a few worthy of mention. In the cue "Flowers" we can hear a very pleasant rendition of the main theme by using mostly woodwinds and strings instead of brass. "Descent into Mystery" is a fabulous cue full of mystery and the use of the chorus chanting in Latin makes for a great addition. And when the Batman theme appears, it is blasted forward with epic vehemence. "Childhood Remembered" is an eerie cue, detailing the flashback of the death of Bruce's parents in the hands of the young Jack Napier and is full of the muddyness of film noir. The two action cues "Charge of the Batmobile" and "Attack of the Batwing" make for an impressive barrage of sound as does the earlier "Batman to the Rescue," all being cues that throw subtlety out of the window. A very gothic, organ-led sub-theme can be heard in "Up the Cathedral," which emphasizes the grandness and darkness of the old Gotham Cathedral in all its might. It is gothic music turned even more gothic, if possible. The sumptuous, yet carnival-like "Waltz to the Death" is a wonderful composition in itself and the "Finale" cue is a great example of the rousing triumphalism Elfman often manages to pull, with his trademark bells tolling in the end. A nice detail is the appearance of the dark Batman theme at the very end of that cue, ending the score proper in minor, not the reaffirming major.

Apart from the excellent use of music, Batman also stands out in being the first film to offer two soundtrack albums for sale. In a time when film scores were not a hot selling commodity and many producers were keen on producing song compilations under the movies name, Batman was a forerunner in producing albums of two completely different character. As expected, the heavy use of Prince's songs in the film yielded a song compilation that was released as "The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (the equivalent of today's "Music from and Inspired by…" albums). But due to Tim Burton's insistence, the actual score of Elfman's was also stipulated to be released if Prince's songs were. As it would turn out, Elfman's score would prove to be so popular that it more than outsold Prince's album, a fact that is quite remarkable in the world of today.

Offering a full 55 minutes of score, the album doesn't leave much out. Apart from a few smaller transitional cues, all the most important material is here and is a most satisfying album overall. Sound quality is very good and the performance of the Sinfonia of London under Shirley Walker (who would later write music to the animated Batman series as well) is full of energy and power. Elfman must have had a field day composing this score and it shows; the amount of fun and forward thrust apparent in the music easily suggests that Elfman was really revelling in the opportunity he had received in working with such forces at his disposal. And, although he tried, he would never quite achieve the same kind of level of excitement in his consequent comic book scores like Batman Returns, Men In Black, and Spider-Man. This score is a must for any soundtrack enthusiast and a magnificent tour-de-force all around. It should still be widely available both used and new even 15 years later and often seems to go out fairly cheaply.

1. The Batman Theme (2:38)
2. Roof Fight (1:20)
3. First Confrontation (4:43)
4. Kitchen, Surgery, Face-Off (3:07)
5. Flowers (1:51)
6. Clown Attack (1:45)
7. Batman to the Rescue (3:56)
8. Roasted Dude (1:01)
9. Photos/Beautiful Dreamer (2:27)
10. Descent into Mystery (1:31)
11. The Bat Cave (2:35)
12. The Joker's Poem (0:56)
13. Childhood Remembered (2:43)
14. Love Theme (1:30)
15. Charge of the Batmobile (1:41)
16. Attack of the Batwing (4:44)
17. Up the Cathedral (5:04)
18. Waltz to the Death (3:55)
19. The Final Confrontation (3:47)
20. Finale (1:45)
21. Batman Theme Reprise (1:28)

Music Composed by Danny Elfman
Performed by The Sinfonia of London Orchestra
Conducted by Shirley Walker
Orchestrated by Steve Bartek
Additional Orchestrations by Shirley Walker and Steve Scott Smalley
Recorded and Mixed by Eric Tomlinson
Music Editors: Bob Badami and Robin Clarke
Recorded at CTS Studios, London, England

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