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- "Batman Theme", the title theme to the 1966 Batman TV series was composed by Neal Hefti. The song is built around a guitar hook reminiscent of spy film scores and surf music. It has a twelve bar blues progression using only three chords until the coda. The lyrics to the theme consist of ten cries of "Batman!" These ten repetitions of "Batman!" were then followed by a coda of horns which sound like "Na na na na Na na na na BATMAN!" The ten cries of "Batman!" which were originally thought to be sung by a female chorus; however, Adam West's book Back to the Batcave reveals the "voices" to actually be instrumental, rather than vocal. This claim is contradicted by another book -TV's Biggest Hits by Jon Burlingame. The book, published in 1966, focuses exclusively on TV theme songs, and includes an interview with Neal Hefti about the creation of the Batman theme song. According to Burlingame, the song consisted of "bass guitar, low brass and percussion to create a driving rhythm, while an eight-voice chorus sings 'Batman!' in harmony with the trumpets. " The theme was the most recorded song of 1966. In addition to Neal Hefti's original version, and the television soundtrack version by Nelson Riddle, versions were covered by The Marketts (single "Batman Theme" and album The Batman Theme by The Marketts), The Ventures (The Ventures Play the "Batman" Theme, Dolton BST8042, 3/1966), Al Hirt, The Standells and actor/musician David McCallum. There were also versions by groups who seemed to exist solely for covering the song, such as "The Sensational Batboys" and "Bruce and the Robin Rockers". The famously minimal song has been widely parodied in the decades since its debut, and remains a prominent pop-culture subject to this day. The theme has been re-recorded by dozens of artists, the most notable including Link Wray, The Kinks, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Eminem, John Zorn, The Flaming Lips, Voivod, Alien Sex Fiend (as Dynamic Duo), Mucky Pup, The Jam and The Who. The opening theme of this series can be heard at the 10th stage of the arcade game City Connection.
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