Rest in Peace, Joel Schumacher.

Despite what some sites on the internet would have you believe, this song was not written for a Batman film.  It was featured in 1995’s Batman Forever but it was not actually written for the movie.  Instead, the song was first written in 1987 and then it was first recorded and released in 1994.  When it was first released as a single, it didn’t get much attention and it quickly fell out of the charts.  Then it was featured during the end credits of Batman Forever and it was re-released and promoted with this Joel Schumacher-directed video and it became a huge hit.  This is one of those songs that will never die.  As long as there are weddings and funerals, this song will live.  As long as there are comedy shows that want to do over-the-top falling-in-love montages, this song will live forever.

I used to know a guy who would sing this song every Saturday night for karaoke and, every single time, he would start crying about halfway through the song.  When I asked him why the song always made him cry, he replied, “Showmanship.”  I’m not really sure what happened to him, as it’s been more than a while since I last went to any sort of karaoke night.  I hope he’s okay, wherever he is.  The world of karaoke can be very competitive and ruthless.  Someone should make a movie about it.  It would probably have a really good soundtrack.

Enjoy!