Bat-Tunes: "Miranda" and More
Bat-Tunes: "Miranda" and More
Aug 08When I put the word “Batman” into my iTunes search box, 111 tracks come up.
Most of them are various soundtracks. A number of them are weirdo novelty songs. Several of them are quite entertaining, in a “holy crap they actually put this on record” kind of way.
As we’re currently still basking in another Summer of the Bat, I thought it might be fun to prowl through the virtual vinyl stacks of my external hard drive and offer a selection of…Bat-Tunes! I’ll probably try to do this a couple times, if I can remember, and carve time from my busy schedule of not doing anything truly productive or career-furthering with my valuable time.
What better way to kick off a run of Bat-Tunes than with the one that started it all?
In 1966, Adam West recorded a novelty single, “Miranda,” to capitalize on the success of the Batman TV series. Apparently, during his lean dark years of surviving off personal appearances as the Caped Crusader, he’d actually perform this song live in costume. I’d pay good money for a tape of THAT.
Pretty much every major cast member of the Batman TV series seemed to get in on the novelty record act, including Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, and Burgess Meredith, but one of these a day is more than plenty.
As a B-side to their “Drive” single, R.E.M. offered up their own unique take on the Caped Crusader. See if you can recognize the inspiration for their “Winged Mammal Theme.”
At the height of sixties’ Bat-Mania, it seems every musical artist in the country rushed to put out their Batman-themed single to move a few platters. Here’s LaVern Baker with a revised version of her “Jim Dandy” in honor of the Dark Knight Detective.
LaVern Baker, “Batman to the Rescue”
Given his modern portrayal as a stone-cold homicidal maniac, there’s something disturbing about this cut from an old childrens’ record featuring Batman-themed songs.
And of course, at the risk of earning a cease and desist letter personally signed by the Purple One himself, what Bat-Tunes post would be complete without the runaway dance hit of 1989?
Adam West “Miranda” image courtesy of Attack of the B-Movie Muzak. Many tracks culled from the fantastically weird Batmania: Songs Inspired by the TV Series compilation CD.
