"The Future" is a song from Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack, and the final single released from the album. The single was not the album version, it was a remixed by William Orbit and released as a single in Europe. The 7" single was backed with the album version of "Electric Chair", but on the maxi-single, "Electric Chair" was also remixed by Orbit. Both 12-inch remixes add little to the originals, although "The Future" becomes more of a house-record than a Batman tune. Unfortunately, neither the pop charts or the dance floors reacted well to the remixes, and the single charted in only one country. As a result, this would be the last time Orbit would work with Prince for several years.
The LP version of "The Future" features the sampled strings of Clare Fischer lifted from the then unreleased 1986 track "Crystal Ball" and samples of the Sounds of Blackness choir. The song of heavily synth-based and includes a unique drum machine pattern and funky rhythm guitar. The song is rather menacing, evoking the theme of the film. The lyrics speak of a bleak future, recalling Gotham City and that it needs "spirituality that will last".
The B-side, "Electric Chair", was recorded well before the album concept had begun, being cut in June, 1988. Despite this, it fits well into the theme of the movie and evokes the Joker's madness. The track blends hard rock and funk with a loud, booming drum machine pattern and aggressive bass and lead guitar wailing throughout the song. The bridge combines a funky, percussive bass line with a meshed guitar synth phrase.
