193: Electric Chair

Batman (1989)
The Joker goes all Minority Report by putting his thoughts on trial and finding himself guilty for future crimes. The result is industrial rock hewn from rough onyx. Other than a short section in Batdance, Electric Chair is the only time on the album Prince lets loose with the axe, making it his last rock song of the 80s. But the funk is still close to hand. While you’re left reeling from the one-two punch of staccato chorus and sledgehammer kick drum, the bass nips in to mop up the blood and massage your back. A William Orbit remix, released on The Future single the following year, largely dispenses with the guitars and could be left in 1990 as far as I’m concerned, but you should definitely search out the unreleased, instrumental remix which ups the kick drum voltage to lethal levels. As did Electric Chair’s live debut on Saturday Night Live.