Batman, Kim Basinger, and Prince might sound like three things that don't go together today, but in the late '80s, these three pop culture icons collided. Prince recorded the 1989 soundtrack for Tim Burton's Batman, which stars Michael Keaton as the superhero and Basinger, who Prince was dating at the time, as Vicki Vale. During their relationship, Basinger and Prince collaborated on a song, which became the subject of much gossip, because some claimed the stars' real studio hook-up could be heard in the final version. Read on to find out more about their short-lived relationship and how Basinger finally confirmed that the scandalous conspiracy theory was actually true.
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Prince's Batman album was a hit.
While Danny Elfman composed the score for this version of Batman, Prince recorded an entire soundtrack album for the film. It included the singles "Batdance," "Partyman, "and "Scandalous!" and was a hit, ending the year at No. 40 on the Billboard album chart.
The artist later recorded a maxi single for "Scandalous!" titled "The Scandalous Sex Suite," which features Basinger. This version consists of three parts and is 19 minutes long.
"The Scandalous Sex Suite" was apparently more than just suggestive.
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesIn a 1989 review, The Washington Post called "The Scandalous Sex Suite" Prince's "daffy new collaboration with actress Kim Basinger." The review continues, "Basically, Prince sings and talks suggestively, while Basinger talks, moans and breathes even more suggestively in what sounds like audio outtakes from 9½ Weeks. How did they keep a straight face in the recording studio?" (9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama that Basinger co-starred in with Mickey Rourke.)
As reported by Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Prince's publicist Jill Willisaddressed the song in a statement published by the newspaper Lawrence Journal-World. "The recording sessions were reportedly as hot as the tune. Paisley Park Records Vice President Alan Leeds visited the studio while Prince and Basinger were recording their vocals, but he left when Prince opened a jar of honey," the article reads. Willis was quoted as saying, "I think the fact that he felt uncomfortable enough to leave the studio tells you something. I don’t think they were making tea."
According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, the rumor was that the sound engineers went to the studio the next day and found honey all over the mixing board.
Basinger commented on their relationship years later.
Larry Busacca/WireImage via Getty ImagesIn 2015, Basinger spoke to The Daily Beast about Batman and her time dating Prince. Asked what it was like to go out with him, she said, "Oh god! You sound like my teenage daughter! He’s a brilliant talent. There’s no doubt about that. You know that, I’m sure."
She continued, "Hey, listen, I don’t really have boundaries, so I enjoyed that time of my life. It was a really special moment in time, and I have great memories. I don’t put a lot of restrictions on myself, let’s just put it that way. If there’s someone I connect with, we’ll go on these rides together. So that was a neat time in my life."
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She didn't deny the story behind the song.
DFree / ShutterstockThe Daily Beast also asked Basinger whether "The Scandalous Sex Suite" really includes the sounds of her and Prince actually hooking up. She laughed but didn't deny it.
"That song. Oh, I know. Oh dear! Ah, yes. Sex runs the world in a lot of ways!" the L.A. Confidential star responded. "If only women knew how powerful they were, they’d just say 'no, no more babies,' and then we’d run the world. So there you go!"
Prince and Basinger continued to work together on her album, Hollywood Affair. (It was never released.) Their relationship was pretty short-lived, however. In 1990, Basinger met her second husband Alec Baldwin when they co-starred in the 1991 movie The Marrying Man. She had been married to makeup artist Ron Snyder prior to the relationship with Prince. Baldwin and Basinger were married from 1993 to 2002.
Prince was also married twice: to Mayte Garcia from 1996 to 2000, and to Manuela Testolini from 2001 to 2006. He died at the age of 57 in 2016.
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