Batman Theme

"Batman Theme", the title theme to the 1966 Batman TV series was composed by Neal Hefti. The song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression using only three chords until the coda. The lyrics to the theme consist of ten cries of "Batman!" These ten repetitions of "Batman!" were then followed by a coda of horns which sound like "Na na na na Na na na na BATMAN!"

The ten cries of "Batman!" which were originally thought to be sung by a female chorus; however, Adam West's book Back to the Batcave reveals the "voices" to actually be instrumental, rather than vocal. This claim is contradicted by another book -TV's Biggest Hits by Jon Burlingame. The book, published in 1966, focuses exclusively on TV theme songs, and includes an interview with Neal Hefti about the creation of the Batman theme song. According to Burlingame, the song consisted of "bass guitar, low brass and percussion to create a driving rhythm, while an eight-voice chorus sings 'Batman!' in harmony with the trumpets."^[1]

The theme was the most recorded song of 1966. In addition to Neal Hefti's original version, and the television soundtrack version by Nelson Riddle^[2], versions were covered by The Marketts (single "Batman Theme" and album The Batman Theme by The Marketts), The Ventures (The Ventures Play the "Batman" Theme, Dolton BST8042, 3/1966), Al Hirt, The Standells and actor/musician David McCallum. There were also versions by groups who seemed to exist solely for covering the song, such as "The Sensational Batboys" and "Bruce and the Robin Rockers".

The famously minimal song has been widely parodied in the decades since its debut, and remains a prominent pop-culture subject to this day. The theme has been re-recorded by dozens of artists, the most notable including Link Wray, The Kinks, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Eminem, John Zorn, The Flaming Lips, Voivod, Alien Sex Fiend (as Dynamic Duo), Mucky Pup, The Jam and The Who.^{[citation needed]}

The opening theme of this series can be heard at the 10th stage of the arcade game City Connection.

Adaptations

• English rock band The Who recorded a cover of the theme in 1966. It was originally released on the EP "Ready Steady Who". It has since been re-released on CD pressings of "A Quick One".
• British band The Jam covered the "Batman Theme" on their debut album, In the City.
• Jan and Dean released an entire (self-written) concept album titled Jan and Dean Meet Batman with a song titled "Batman".
• In 1966 an album called Batman and Robin - The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale was released featuring members of the Sun Ra Arkestra and The Blues Project^[3]. The opening track is a cover of the Batman theme, while the rest of the album is taken up with a combination of instrumental jams and modernised workings of classical pieces, all given Batman-oriented names.

• In addition, artists Prince and R.E.M. used the variations of (but did not remake) the TV show theme in their work: Prince, in the song "Batdance" (which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1989 movie), and R.E.M. in a rejected song for the Batman Returns soundtrack, later released under the title "Winged Mammal Theme," as a "B-side" to the single "Drive."^[4]. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince played the theme on a piano in response to the question "What was the first song you taught yourself to play on the piano?"

• Careful listeners will notice a higher-pitched version of the tune in the theme music for the third season of The Batman.

• Snoop Dogg did a rap adaptation that makes reference to many of the villains that appeared in the comic books, but not the actual TV series.

• The main riff in Space Truckin' by Deep Purple is based on the Batman theme, according to guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.^{[citation needed]}

• In Mother 3, the track "Mr. Batty Twist" pays homage to the theme^[5].

References