Seal’s song “Kiss from a Rose” became a massive hit, strongly associated with promoting Batman Forever. It’s almost impossible to think of the third film in the franchise without recalling the song. Hoping to replicate that success, the studio aimed to capture the same magic with the fourth instalment. However, R. Kelly’s lyrics make it evident that the R&B singer had very little knowledge of Batman or Gotham City.
Promoting Batman & Robin
No matter how much we all love the Caped Crusader, there’s one universal truth we can all agree on: Batman & Robin was pretty terrible. The 1997 film allowed us to see a side of Batman we never want to see again – a side that goes around using a Bat Credit Card to buy a date with Poison Ivy. At least Arnold Schwarzenegger had fun with all the ice-related puns he had to say as Mr. Freeze.
Batman & Robin effectively buried the live-action Batman craze for nearly a decade, returning with a grittier, more grounded iteration of the character that would never come close to the classic Adam West shenanigans like George Clooney did. But this was the late 90s when everyone just “went with it.” A new Batman film is coming out? You need R. Kelly to promote it! After all, he’s not controversial at all. Surely, he’ll understand what Batman is all about, right? Right?
R Kelly & Gotham City
“Gotham City” would be R. Kelly’s attempt to capture the spirit of Bruce Wayne’s corrupt metropolis. Anyone even remotely familiar with the Batman mythos knows that Gotham isn’t precisely a utopia. From corrupt officers to petty criminals – and the occasional clown-themed supervillain – Gotham City isn’t the kind of city that would host the Olympics.
Still, in true 90s fashion, R Kelly composed a song that aimed to capture the more “positive” said of Gotham City. Gotham City kept the same positive vibes of I Believe I Can Fly, only with a darker edge. At least, that’s what Kelly apparently was trying to do, but the lyrics tell an entirely different story.
“A city of justice
A city of love
A city of peace“
That’s how Kelly describes Gotham in his song. Immediately, something seems wrong about the way R Kelly describes the criminal paradise that’s Gotham City. There’s a reason why Batman has been fighting bad guys there since 1939.
Nonsensical Lyrics
You could scratch the nonsensical lyrics to R Kelly speaking of the way Gotham City should be, but even that doesn’t make sense either. If the Batman comics have taught us anything, it’s that for every crook the Dark Knight captures, twelve more will take its place. Sure, Batman keeps Arkham Asylum busy and the streets relatively safe, but Gotham is far from being a “City of Love” of all things.
Even the song’s cry for unity falls on deaf ears when we talk of the Gotham City from the comics. The lack of real “unity” from the Gothamites is what makes Batman a solo vigilante.
As catchy as it is, “Gotham City” was just a quick movie tie-in designed to convince people to go see Batman & Robin. After all, Kelly was at his peak in 1997. That also explains why the song avoids any specific Batman references outside of saying “Gotham City” one too many times.
The song is a relic of its time, and to be honest, it’s far from the worst part about Batman & Robin. The only way someone could think Gotham was a haven for love, peace, or even justice is if they were criminals themselves. Maybe that’s why the lyrics make no sense for most Batman fans.
Tell us, what are your thoughts on R Kelly’s Gotham City? Listen to the song again below.
Batman & Robin |
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Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City. |
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| Studio: Warner Bros. |
| Running Time: 125 minutes |
| Release Date: June 20, 1997 |
| Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Elle Macpherson |
| Director: Joel Schumacher |
| Writers: Akiva Goldsman |
| Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Superhero |
| Box Office: $238 million |
