The Future (song)

"The Future"
German 7-inch single
Single by Prince[1]
from the album Batman
B-side "Electric Chair"
Released May 18, 1990
Format
Recorded 1989
Studio Paisley Park
Genre
Length
  • 7-inch remix edit: 3:30
  • Album: 4:08
  • Remix: 6:25
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Prince
Producer(s)
  • Prince (Original version)
  • Mark Moore & William Orbit (Remix version)
Prince[2] singles chronology
"Scandalous!"
(1989)		 "The Future"
(1990)		 "Thieves in the Temple"
(1990)
Prince (GER) singles chronology
"Scandalous!"
(1989) Scandalous!1989		 "The Future"
(1990) The Future1990		 "Thieves in the Temple"
(1990) Thieves in the Temple1990

"The Future" is a song from Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack, and the final single released from the album.[3] The single was not the album version, but a remixed version by S'Express' Mark Moore and William Orbit. "The Future" was released as a single only in Europe. The standard European 7-inch single was backed with the album version of "Electric Chair", but on the maxi-single, "Electric Chair" was also remixed by Moore and Orbit. Moore and Orbit's remix of "The Future" is house-inspired, whereas Prince's original is minimalistic. Moore and Orbit substituted a muted, pulsating beat in place of the original elements of Prince's song. Moore and Orbit also removed Prince's original bassline, synthline, and snippets of sampled dialogue. This would be the last time Orbit would work with Prince for several years. In most countries, neither "The Future" nor its B-side were a hit on the pop or dance floors. The single peaked at #9 in the Dutch charts.

The LP version of "The Future" features the sampled strings of Clare Fischer lifted from the then-unreleased 1986 track "Crystal Ball", and samples the Sounds of Blackness choir. The lyrics speak of a bleak future, recalling the fictional DC Comics location Gotham City, and that it needs "spirituality that will last".

"Electric Chair" was recorded well before the album concept had begun, being cut in June 1988. Despite this, it fits well into the theme of the film and evokes the Joker's madness. The track blends hard rock and funk with a loud, booming drum machine pattern, and aggressive bass and lead guitar wailing throughout. The bridge combines a funky, percussive bass line with a meshed guitar synth phrase.

Track listings

7-inch single

  1. "The Future" (remix edit) – 3:30
  2. "Electric Chair" – 4:13

12-inch / CD single

  1. "The Future" (remix) – 6:25
  2. "Electric Chair" (remix) – 5:36

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 22
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 39
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[7] 15

References

  1. ↑ http://www.markmoore.com/discography/the-future-electric-chair/
  2. ↑ http://www.markmoore.com/discography/the-future-electric-chair/
  3. ↑ "Prince - The Future (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
  4. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Future". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Future". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
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