Maniac (Michael Sembello song)


"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 training strenuously in her converted warehouse.
Sembello had originally written the song as a horror theme after watching a slasher film 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.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album Bossa Nova Hotel.
"Maniac" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks beginning on September 10, 1983 and is one of the highest-grossing songs ever written for a film. In addition to producing "Maniac", Phil Ramone produced the song that would dethrone it from the top spot, Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It". Original Soundtrack of Flashdance won the 1983 Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special.
The song was nominated for an Academy Award. Another song from the film, "Flashdance... What a Feeling" performed by Irene Cara, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983.

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Cover versions

Dance act 4 Rhythm covered "Maniac" in 1995; their version reached No. 28 in the Irish Singles Chart, the same position as the original track. "Maniac 2000", a performance of Mark McCabe rapping over the 4 Rhythm version, reached No. 1 on the Irish Singles Chart and remained in the charts for 21 weeks, re-entering for a further five weeks in 2007 and another in 2015.