Maniac

This was featured in the movie Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals as a welder by day, dancer by night. Phil Ramone, who was the music supervisor on the movie, produced the track. He also made another contribution to the movie: After seeing some kids breakdancing in New York City, he alerted the movie's producer, who shot footage of the dancers that was used in the film.

Sembello wrote this with his songwriting partner Dennis Matkosky, who got the idea when he saw the William Lustig movie Maniac, which is about a serial killer who stalks his victims in New York City. Sembello told Songfacts: "He came up with the original kernel of inspiration and to me with the basic idea and groove and I believe the temporary lyrics for the chorus he had were: He's a maniac, maniac that's for sure He will kill your cat and nail him to the door That direction obviously wasn't going to work at which point the genius of Phil Ramone, producer of the soundtrack who had the vision to see the potential of the song, asked us to change it to the present concept of a girl possessed with the passion of a gift for dance. Without Phil it would not have happened."

The 1983 Oscar for Best Original Song went to another song from the movie, "Flashdance... What a Feeling." "Maniac" was nominated, but apparently disqualified. Michael Sembello explained: "It was nominated for an Academy Award and was disqualified according to 'academy rules' because the song was changed from the original and was not originally written solely for the film, which pisses me off to this day."