1983 Michael Sembello – Maniac (US:#1 UK:#43)
“Maniac” is a song performed by Michael Sembello. The song was used in the 1983 film Flashdance.
“Maniac” appears during an early scene in Flashdance and is used as the backing track of a montage sequence showing Alex (Jennifer Beals) training strenuously in her converted warehouse.
The song was included in Flashdance after Sembello’s wife accidentally included it on a tape sent to executives at Paramount Pictures who were looking for music to use in the film. Sembello had originally written the song as a horror theme after watching a slasher film (possibly 1980’s Maniac) with lyrics such as “He’s a maniac, maniac, that’s for sure / He will kill your cat and nail it to the door.” Producer Phil Ramone convinced Sembello to write new lyrics to reflect the film’s subject matter.
Album
Bossa Nova Hotel is the debut album of rock singer/guitarist Michael Sembello. The album contained ten tracks including the hit “Maniac” from the motion picture Flashdance, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1983. The album itself peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200. “Automatic Man” and “Talk” were the other singles released from […]
Musicians
| Electric Drums | Carlos Vega |
| Guitar | Michael Sembello |
| Keyboards | Dennis Matkosky |
| Synthesizer | Michael Sembello |
| Synthesizer | Dennis Matkosky |
| Cello | Dennis Karmazyn |
| Vocals | Michael Sembello |
Produced By
Michael Sembello
Songwriters
Michael Sembello
Dennis Matkosky
Charts
US:#1
UK:#43