tijdloze.rocks

Maniac is een nummer van Michael Sembello dat door hem en Dennis Matkosky werd geschreven. Het maakt onderdeel uit van de soundtrack van de film Flashdance uit 1983. In mei van dat jaar werd het nummer op single uitgebracht.

"Maniac" is a song by American musician Michael Sembello, co-written with Dennis Matkosky, and best known for its inclusion on the soundtrack of the 1983 film Flashdance. Originally conceived as a darkly humorous track inspired by a television report on a serial killer and the 1980 horror film Maniac, the song was later rewritten with new lyrics at the request of Flashdance director Adrian Lyne and music supervisor Phil Ramone to better align with the film's narrative about a young dancer's intense training and ambition. The revised version was featured prominently in a key sequence of the film, accompanying a montage of the protagonist's home workout routine.

Following the unexpected commercial success of Flashdance, Paramount Pictures produced a music video for "Maniac" using scenes from the film, which premiered on MTV in May 1983. The video's heavy rotation helped propel the single to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks, and contributed to the film's broader cultural impact. The success of "Maniac" played a significant role in establishing the music video as a viable and powerful tool for promoting motion pictures. The song earned multiple Grammy nominations and was included on Sembello's debut album, Bossa Nova Hotel, though he distanced himself from attempts to replicate its style. "Maniac" later inspired cover versions and remixes, including a 2000 Irish hit that became one of the country's best-selling singles of all time.