Gotham City (song)

"Gotham City"
Single by R. Kelly
from the album Batman & Robin soundtrack and R. (international release)
Released	June 3, 1997
Recorded	1996
Genre	R&B Soul [1] gospel [2] pop [2]
Length	4:55(album and single version) 4:40 (radio edit)
Label	Warner Bros. Jive
Songwriter(s)	Robert Kelly
Producer(s)	R. Kelly
R. Kelly singles chronology
"I Believe I Can Fly" (1996) "Gotham City" (1997) "Be Careful" (1998)

"Gotham City" is a song by American R&B singer R. Kelly based on the fictional city of the same name. It was featured on the soundtrack to the film Batman & Robin , and it reached number nine on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. In Europe, the song peaked within the top 10 in Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, and within the top 20 in Iceland, Ireland and Scotland. The music video for the song was directed by Hype Williams. A remix version for the song was released featuring rapper Strings with a video also directed by Williams.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard complimented the singer for "his spiritual side, infusing this atmospheric acoustic soul ballad with uplifting lyrics and a choral climax". He noted that "the whole tone and musical texture of this single are markedly different from anything that Kelly has previously recorded. It's a refreshing change that leaves you anticipating the direction he will take on his next album". ^[1] Pan-European magazine Music & Media declared it "a very well-crafted ballad".

Programmer Vranz van Maaren at the Netherlands' leading station, AC outlet Sky 100.7 FM, commented: "In general I am not that R&B-minded but when I first saw the clip I was just blown away and when I contacted the record company (Zomba) they handed me a copy as soon as possible, because they were afraid that I'd change my mind if I found out it was R. Kelly". He also added: "The song is far less R&B than many of his previous efforts, and shows that he's able to broaden his potential audience a great deal without alienating his traditional fan base". ^[3] Alan Jones from Music Week described it as "a pretty, semi-acoustic ballad not a million miles away from some of the stuff Babyface does. It has a rousing chorus on which Kelly is aided and abetted by the soulful interjections of the Chi-Towne Gospel Machine and Tyrone's Kids. Another smash." ^[4]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American director Hype Williams. ^[5] It features Kelly driving his motorcycle around New York City. He also passes Times Square. Kelly also drives the Batmobile. Singer Sparkle is featured in video as a dancer. Williams also directed the music video for the remix of the song. ^[6]

Track listings

• "Gotham City"

1. "Gotham City" (LP version)
2. "Thank God It's Friday"
3. "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (radio version)
4. "Gotham City" (acapella and music)

• "Gotham City" remix

1. "Gotham City" (LP version)
2. "Gotham City" (remix)
3. "Gotham City" (acapella and music)
4. "Gotham City" (instrumental)
5. "Gotham City" (remix instrumental)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [7] 100 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [8] 7 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [9] 27 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [10] 26 Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) 19 Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) 37 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [11] 15 Germany (GfK) [12] 3 Hungary (Mahasz) [13] 8 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [14] 18 Ireland (IRMA) [15] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [16] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [18] 20 Norway (VG-lista) [19] 10 Scotland (OCC) [20] 14 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [21] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [22] 9 UK Singles (OCC) [23] 9 UK R&B (OCC) [24] 3 US Billboard Hot 100 [25] 9 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [26] 9 US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [27] 21 US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [28] 18

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Gotham City" Chart (1997) Position Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [29] 68 Germany (Official German Charts) [30] 39 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [31] 36 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [32] 36 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [33] 56 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [34] 18 US Billboard Hot 100 [35] 70 US R&B/Hip Hop Songs (Billboard) [36] 62 Certifications Certifications for "Gotham City" Region Certification Certified units/sales Germany (BVMI) [37] Gold 250,000^ United States (RIAA) [38] Gold 600,000 [39] ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Flick, Larry (June 7, 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . p. 78. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
2. Unterberger, Andrew (June 29, 2017). "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs of 1997: Critic's Picks". Billboard . Retrieved January 15, 2025. ...but the straight-faced gospel-pop of the patently ridiculous "Gotham City" comes closer to the mark than you might remember...
3. "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media . July 26, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
4. Jones, Alan (June 21, 1997). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week . p. 11. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
5. "R. Kelly: The R. In R&B - the Video Collection (Video 2003) - IMDb". IMDb .
6. "Hype Williams | Videography".
7. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 152.
8. "R. Kelly – Gotham City" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
9. "R. Kelly – Gotham City" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
10. "R. Kelly – Gotham City" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
11. "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media . October 11, 1997. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
12. "R. Kelly – Gotham City" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
13. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media . August 30, 1997. p. 14. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
14. "Íslenski Listinn NR. 239 Vikuna 18.9. '97 - 25.9. '97" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. September 19, 1997. p. 22. Retrieved April 10, 2018.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Gotham City". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 36, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
17. "R. Kelly – Gotham City" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
18. "R. Kelly – Gotham City". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
19. "R. Kelly – Gotham City". VG-lista. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
20. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
21. "R. Kelly – Gotham City". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
22. "R. Kelly – Gotham City". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
23. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
24. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
25. "R. Kelly Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
26. "R. Kelly Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
27. "R. Kelly Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
28. "R. Kelly Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
29. "1997 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . December 27, 1997. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
30. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved April 17, 2018.
31. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
33. "Årslista Singlar – År 1997" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
34. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1997 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
35. "Billboard Top 100 - 1997". Archived from the original on 2009-06-11. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
36. "R&B Rap Hip-Hop Year-End Charts - 1997 - Soul System".
37. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (R. Kelly; 'Gotham City')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
38. "American single certifications – Kelly, R. – Gotham City". Recording Industry Association of America.
39. "Best-Selling Records of 1997". Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 5. BPI Communications Inc. January 31, 1998. p. 76. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved May 31, 2015.