"The Arms of Orion" is a 1989 song by American musician Prince and Scottish singer and actress Sheena Easton. It was the third single to be taken from Prince's 1989 Batman soundtrack album. It was a #36 pop hit for them on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1989.
Background
The song is a slow, romantic ballad that is accompanied mainly by the piano. Synthesizers also play a strong role throughout the song, programmed to emulate a string section. The track also uses a subdued LinnDrum loop, and samples of rain and thunder. The lyrics, written by Sheena Easton at Prince's suggestion, allude to the constellation of Orion.[1] Prince had to surrender all publishing rights to the songs on the Batman album including "The Arms of Orion" to Warner Bros. as part of the deal to compose, perform, and produce the soundtrack.
Critical reception
David Giles from Music Week wrote, "Decidedly MORballad from the Batman LP which finds Prince duetting with Sheena Easton, the pair of them not sounding unlike Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston. Commercially viable, but once again "his highness" will get away with producing sub-standard floss."[2]
