The Slasher Roots of Flashdance’s Manic
Most people remember the song “Maniac” from 1983’s film Flashdance, but few know knew about the song’s horror-based origins.
Believe it or not, “Maniac,” which was written by Dennis Matkosky and Michael Sombello (who also provided the track’s vocals), actually began life as a joke. Late one evening after watching a news segment about a serial killer on the loose, Matkosky began to imagine what it would be like to live next door to such a killer. In only took him a few minutes to come up with the following lyrics, which he wrote as a joke:
“He’s a maniac. He just moved in next door.
He’ll kill your cat and nail it to the floor.”
Inspired by his new masterpiece, Matkosky presented friend and musical partner Sombello with the lyrics and the two of them quickly put together an entire song about this imaginary killer. The song was “a joke,” according to Matkosky. The memorable alternating synthesizer notes in the song’s bridge were inspired by the Bloodrock song “D.O.A.” and were intended to mimic the sound of an approaching ambulance. The notes leading into the guitar solo were lifted directly from “Chopsticks.”
The pair needed more lyrics to flesh out their song and began doing research for inspiration. The men soon discovered a movie by the same name had already been released. Matkosky quickly rented the movie, and with this new material, the two were able to complete and record their tongue-in-cheek project.
By complete coincidence, a copy of the pair’s song was included on a cassette tape full of demo tracks submitted to Phil Ramone, who just so happened to be looking for songs to use on his upcoming film, Flashdance. Ramone loved the song’s frantic pace, and thought the music (but not those lyrics) would work great during a dance sequence. Over the phone, Ramone convinced Sombello to rewrite the lyrics and record a new version. In the updated version, the imaginary maniac next door was changed to a maniac on the dance floor.
(Unsurprisingly, the line about nailing cats to the floor didn’t make the final cut.)
The changes Sombello made to the final version worked out, turning the song into a hit single. “Maniac” spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually hitting number one. It received Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance. The Flashdance soundtrack, thanks in part to “Maniac,” won Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. “Maniac” was the ninth biggest single of 1983, and the second-best selling song from the soundtrack (after the title track).
Not bad for a song that started out as a joke.