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Blankman New Power Generation compilation
Epic Soundtrax
compilationGive us what U give your brothers then U’ll understand
Super Hero is a track Prince wrote in September 1992 to be recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire for release on their 1993 album Millennium (released on 14 September 1993 under Warner’s Reprise imprint).
Prince recorded his own version of the song at Paisley Park Studios in the summer of 1994 and credited it to the New Power Generation for inclusion in the band’s second sole-credited studio album Exodus but dropped it from the album’s published configuration. Super Hero was instead given to the soundtrack for Mike Binder’s Columbia Pictures movie Blankman. The movie, a spoof on the super hero genre, tells the story of a man (played by Damon Wayans) and childlike genius who invents gadgets out of items of junk and eventually manages to turn his clothes bulletproof and so decides to become a low budget crime-solving super hero.
The song Super Hero was released as a single on the same day the full Blankman soundtrack album dropped, 9 August 1994. This version of Super Hero is the sole Prince contribution on the Blankman OST and is sung by the Minneapolis gospel vocalists The Steeles (Jevetta, JD, Fred and Jearlyn Steele). Having followed their career since 1977, Prince first met The Steeles in 1990 inviting them to Paisley Park Studios to provide backing vocals for Mavis Staples’ Melody Cool for the movie Graffiti Bridge, as well as the soundtrack’s title track. The Steeles consequently appear on Prince’s thirteenth LP Diamonds And Pearls for Willing And Able and the following Love Symbol Album for The Sacrifice Of Victor. From their 1990 session, Prince contributed a newly written track titled Well Done for their debut album Heaven Help Us All which The Steeles released on 8 June 1993. Prince also continued to work with Jevetta Steele to help her progression on a solo career, giving her two tracks Hold Me and Skip To You My Darling which were released on her debut solo album Here It Is in August 1993.
Prince (since 1993 going under the name Prince Love Symbol) sings backing vocals on Super Hero as well as plays the drums and keyboards, with NPG members Sonny T on bass, and Tommy Barbarella and Morris Hayes on keyboards. Several remixes of the song were done, without Prince’s input, by various producers and available on the 12″ single.
Blankman movie opened in theatres on 19 August 1994 two weeks after the release of the soundtrack. It would gross $7.9 million in box office takings.
Performers
- All instruments
- Prince Love Symbol
- Drums
- Michael B
- Bass Guitar
- Sonny T
- Keyboards
- Tommy Barbarella
- Morris Hayes
Data
- Producer
- Prince
- Label
- Sony Music Entertainment
- Distribution
- Epic Soundtrax
- Released
- 32 years ago on 9 August 1994
- Running Time
- 48:45
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Orig. Formats
-
Tracklist
- Super Hero [New Power Generation] (5:01)
- Could It Be I’m Falling In Love [II D Extreme] (4:30)
- Dig Deep [Tag Team] (3:55)
- Do You Wanna Get Down [Portrait] (3:48)
- Anyone Can Be A Hero [Lalah Hathaway] (4:05)
- Cry On [Silk] (3:44)
- Do You Like It Baby [Domino] (4:22)
- Live Into The Future [Keith "KB" Ball] (5:36)
- Here He Comes [G-Wiz] (4:25)
- Never Say Never [Funky Poets] (4:30)
- Talk Of The Town [K-Dee] (4:45)
Released as a single
Singles from Blankman
Super Hero
Sony Music Entertainment
12"/Maxi-Single
- Released
- 9 August 1994
- Distribution
- Epic Soundtrax
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Format
-
- Super Hero [InDaSoul Mix] [remix by M Doc & Jere MC] (4:00)
- Super Hero [sung by The Steeles] (5:01)
- Super Hero [Denair Old Skool Mix] [remix by Denair] (4:12)
Super Hero
Sony Music Entertainment
12"/Maxi-Single
- Released
- 9 August 1994
- Distribution
- Epic Soundtrax
- US Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- UK Chart Peak
- Did not chart
- Format
-
- Super Hero [InDaSoul Mix] [remix by M Doc & Jere MC] (4:00)
- Super Hero [Silk’s House Mix] [remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley] (4:38)
- Super Hero [Hero Slow Motion Mix] [remix by Kirk Johnson] (4:53)
- Super Hero [Denair Old Skool Mix] [remix by Denair] (4:12)
- Super Hero [New Power Hero Mix] [remix by Kirk Johnson] (7:15)
- Super Hero [Silk’s Deep House Mix] [remix by Steve "Silk" Hurley] (4:37)
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