"Gotham City" is a song by American R&B singer

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

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 The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

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 A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song was directed by

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

. A remix version for the song was released featuring rapper

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with a video also directed by Williams.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' complimented the singer for "his spiritual side, infusing this atmospheric acoustic

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ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

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". Pan-European magazine ''

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'' 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". Alan Jones from ''

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'' described it as "a pretty, semi-acoustic ballad not a million miles away from some of the stuff

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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."

Music video

was produced to promote the single, directed by American director

. It features Kelly driving his motorcycle around New York City. He also passes

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. Kelly also drives the

Batmobile The Batmobile is the fictional car driven by the superhero Batman. Housed in the Batcave, which it accesses through a hidden entrance, the Batmobile is both a heavily armored tactical assault vehicle and a personalized custom-built pursuit a ...

. Singer

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is featured in video as a dancer. Williams also directed the music video for the remix of the song.

Track listings

* "Gotham City" # "Gotham City" (LP version) # "Thank God It's Friday" # "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (radio version) # "Gotham City" (acapella and music) * "Gotham City" remix # "Gotham City" (LP version) # "Gotham City" (remix) # "Gotham City" (acapella and music) # "Gotham City" (instrumental) # "Gotham City" (remix instrumental)

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1997 singles Batman music Batman (1989 film series) Music videos directed by Hype Williams R. Kelly songs Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by R. Kelly Song recordings produced by R. Kelly 1997 songs Jive Records singles 1990s ballads {{1990s-R&B-song-stub