Synopsis

Prince performs in a surreal Batcave-like setting while shifting between his flamboyant alter ego Gemini and comic-book imagery drawn from Batman. The video moves through rapid costume changes, theatrical poses, dancers, instruments, and appearances by Batman, the Joker, and Vicki Vale lookalikes. Prince plays up the song's collision of funk, rock, pop, and sound effects, turning the promotional clip into a campy, high-energy character piece rather than a straightforward narrative or collection of scenes from the film.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed at Culver Studios in Culver City, California, and runs for approximately seven minutes.

• Prince's main character is called Gemini, a name connected to both his astrological sign and the duality expressed through his contrasting Batman and Joker-inspired appearances. Gemini also appears in the "Partyman" video.

• The video does not rely on footage from Batman. Instead, it builds its own stylized world around the film's characters and imagery.

• Michael Keaton's voice is heard saying "Stop" at the end. The audio comes from the 1989 Batman film, where Batman uses a voice command to halt the Batmobile.

• The song incorporates elements of Prince's "The Future" and "Electric Chair," along with the Batman television theme by Neal Hefti. It also contains an early version of "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic," which Prince would not release in finished form until 1999.

• Vicki Vale's black dress carries the phrase "All this and brains too," a visual reference to Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.

• "Batdance" became Prince's fourth US number one single and was the lead single from the Batman soundtrack.

• The video received nominations at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards and the 1990 Soul Train Music Awards.

• Licensing connected to the Batman franchise kept the song off several of Prince's earlier greatest-hits compilations. It was later included on the 2016 collection 4Ever.