The Future (song)

"The Future"
"The Future"
	German 7-inch single
Single by Prince
from the album Batman
B-side	"Electric Chair"
Released	May 18, 1990
Recorded	1989
Studio	Paisley Park
Genre	Pop; funk; synthpop; minimalist;
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 singles chronology
Prince (GER) singles chronology

"The Future" is a song from Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack, and the final single released from the album.^[2] 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. A raspy grunt from "Electric Chair" can be heard in the Underworld remix of William Orbit's "Water From A Vine Leaf"^[3] as well as some tracks from Underworld's Dubnobasswithmyheadman, perhaps owing to Underworld's Karl Hyde serving as guitarist at Prince's Paisley Park in 1989.

Critical reception[]

Music & Media wrote, "A brilliant house remix of one of the best tracks on Batman by Mark Moore (S'Express) and William Orbit. The track has been skilfully converted into an up-to-date dance floor number."^[4]

Track listings[]

7-inch single

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

12-inch / CD single

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

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[5]	22
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[6]	66
Germany (Official German Charts)^[7]	39
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[8]	7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[9]	9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[10]	15

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1990)	Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[11]	74
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[12]	62

References[]

^ http://www.markmoore.com/discography/the-future-electric-chair/
^ "Prince - The Future (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
^ "William Orbit – Water From A Vine Leaf at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
^ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. June 9, 1990. p. 18. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
^ "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. July 21, 1990. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Future" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 22, 2020.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Future". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 22, 2020.

This 1990s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] ttp://www.markmoore.com/discography/the-future-electric-chair/

[2] "Prince - The Future (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.

[3] "William Orbit – Water From A Vine Leaf at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2020-05-26.

[4] "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. June 9, 1990. p. 18. Retrieved November 3, 2020.

[sc_Flanders_Prince-5] "Ultratop.be – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

[6] "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. July 21, 1990. Retrieved June 19, 2021.

[sc_Germany_Prince-7] "Offiziellecharts.de – Prince – The Future" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

[sc_Dutch40_-8] "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved May 22, 2020.

[sc_Dutch100_Prince-9] "Dutchcharts.nl – Prince – The Future" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

[sc_Switzerland_Prince-10] "Swisscharts.com – Prince – The Future". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 3, 2016.

[11] "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 22, 2020.

[12] "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 22, 2020.

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show v t Prince singles
1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"
1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Purple Medley" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "Somebody's Somebody" "The Truth" "Extraordinary" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K."
2010s	"Breakfast Can Wait"
Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "The Rest of My Life" "5 Women" "It's About That Walk" "Man'O'War" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart"
Airplay-only songs	"International Lover"
Internet downloads	"Guitar (original "demo" version)"
EPs	The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master
Other songs	"I Feel for You" "Private Joy" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U"