How Batman Forever Saved One Man’s Entire Career
Fans of the Batman franchise can engage in endless debate over which film is the best, with many online arguing over the supremacy of the Christian Bale-led Dark Knight trilogy, while others champion the latest Matt Reeves-directed The Batman. Regardless of your feelings on the best Batman film or actor, most fans can agree that Joel Schumacher’s 1995 stab at the IP, Batman Forever, was a bit of a flop, to say the least.
However, according to a write-up in Cinema Blend, Batman Forever is responsible for one major ripple effect: saving the career of British singer/songwriter Seal, by utilizing his track “Kiss From a Rose” in its end credits.
Batman Saved Seal’s Career
Seal, born Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, has had a handful of successes and failures during his decades-long career as a recording artist, resulting in some surprising professional twists and turns. Fans likely know him best for his performance of the smash hit song “Kiss From a Rose” which was prominently featured during the closing credits in Schumacher’s critically-panned Batman outing.
Kiss From A Rose Was A Flop Before Batman
However, before the song brought Seal to international fame and fortune, eventually winning him 3 Grammy awards, it was a massive flop, which nearly killed the singer’s career before it began. Seal has discussed this setback himself, explaining to fans that the song was first released in the Summer of 1994, to a deafening silence from the music industry.
A Love Song For Batman
Seal explained that “Kiss From a Rose” premiered on the charts somewhere near number 60, before promptly dropping to below 80, in a devastating turnout that threatened financing and distribution for his second studio album. It was at this time that Joel Schumacher reached out to the singer, inquiring about a love song that could be used to illustrate the relationship between Nicole Kidman’s Dr. Chase Meridian and Val Kilmer‘s Batman.
Almost Appeared In The NeverEnding Story
At first, Seal, lamenting the terrible lack of interest in his new single, offered nothing to the filmmaker, explaining that all his recent studio time had been poured into the commercially doomed album. Eventually, Schumacher convinced Seal to send in something, even if it wouldn’t necessarily be used in the final product, resulting in “Kiss From a Rose” coming across the filmmaker’s desk. The track was originally enlisted to appear in the film The NeverEnding Story III, so licensing the music to a major motion picture was already a consideration.
Grammy Wins And A Second Chance
cters, but he did love the track, enough to place it over the film’s end credits. Ironically, critics and audiences hated Batman Forever, but loved “Kiss From a Rose,” offering Seal a second chance at stardom, and even earning the singer a host of Grammy awards and nominations. To this day, Seal claims that he owes his entire career to this choice, as the push from audiences of the film completely reinvigorated the song, launching Seal into place as the household name we know and love.
