The Best (and worst) James Bond Theme Songs
The 25th James Bond film (depending how you count) is around the corner. No Time To Die will be Daniel Craig’s fifth and last outing as the debonair gentleman spy after a decade-and-a-half of ups and downs for the franchise.
This Thursday, Billie Eilish’s theme song for the film was released to some fanfare. The theme song is integral to each Bond film and an indispensable tradition for the series. It sets up the mood and story, and permeates and punctuates the entire proceedings through the film’s score. Eilish’s song, simply titled No Time To Die, is inoffensive to my rather conservative Bond-sense. It is, however, rather unremarkable and does not have much in the way of the Bondian oomph — much the same as Spectre’s theme song five years ago. In fact, it feels like a rewrite of that particular song, Sam Smith’s Writing’s On The Wall, although admittedly somewhat improved. Interestingly, the song’s piano motif is reminiscent of Adele’s Skyfall and I wonder if that is intentional.
It is too soon to make a final judgment on Eilish’s effort so for the time being I am putting it on parole and excluding it from this article. It may grow on me but looking back over the James Bond catalogue of music, I am rather expecting it to end up somewhere in the bottom half of the list.
In the meantime, let us take a look at the best and worst songs the Bond films have brought us through the decades.
The Worst:
Let’s get this bit out of the way, shall we? In chronological order.
All Time High (Octopussy, 1983): A sappy easy-listening love ballad, complete with a cringy saxophone, cheesy strings and a disinterested delivery of clichéd lyrics. The song sounds like something you might hear accompanying a montage in an Eighties romance. There is nothing to indicate that this is the theme song for a spy thriller, there is no attitude and no sense of excitement or mystery. To add insult to injury, Octopussy is no more a love story than most other entries in the series, less so than some. It is almost an advertisement jingle, utterly dispensable.
Die Another Day (2002): No surprise here. To be fair, though, I do not think it is that terrible. As a pop song it is passable but as a Bond theme song… not so much. The intro is spooky and mysterious, setting the mood for a worthy Bond song. The first sign of trouble is when Madonna’s voice, drenched in autotune, comes in. Then the entire affair falls flat on its face when the beat comes in. “Sigmund Freud! Analyse this!” the Queen of Pop exclaims, to which the audience naturally responds “say whaddawhat?” And that horrendous, obnoxious gliding synth, good grief.
The one thing that actually works for the song is the string arrangement, which is thoroughly Bondian and quite appropriate. Alas, this alone is not enough to save the song from itself. Or the film it is attached to, one of the weakest of the series.
Writing’s On the Wall (Spectre, 2015): Yes, I am aware that Sam Smith won an Oscar for it. But hey, so did It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp. It’s not a bad song by any measure. What it comes down to is its appropriateness as a Bond song. There is no bravado or swagger and except for the Thunderball-esque motif in the opening and at the end of what passes for the song’s chorus, there is nothing cool or suave about the song. When the song seems to be reaching its climax, we get Smith’s whiny falsetto and the bleak pronouncement that the writing is indeed on the wall.
It is all rather underwhelming and defeatist. The song is a sad ballad, understated and wistful, hardly the sort of music that gets you pumped for a martini-soaked adventure with her Majesty’s ablest secret servant.
While choosing the top five was not particularly difficult, choosing the absolute best theme song was a bit harder than expected. In fact, the top three all held the top spot at some point. Eventually, however, the pieces fell into place. And I think I got it right.
Anyway. Here goes.
5. A View to a Kill (1985)
With some input from the great John Barry, Duran Duran cooked up a hit song for Roger Moore’s last go as James Bond. It’s a classic in its own right and the band plays it in concert to this day.
Reflecting the lighter tone of the Roger Moore era, the Durans lean more toward suave than swaggering, a raised eyebrow rather than a puffed chest, but the oomph is still there, albeit somewhat understated. Clever synths and funky guitar licks over a chunky bassline and an unbeatable chorus add up to the perfect Eighties Bond anthem, irresistibly pulling the audience into the glamourous world of double-O-seven.
4. You Know My Name (Casino Royale, 2006)
Casino Royale is the mother of all reboots, throwing decades of history and baggage out the proverbial window. Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name is in keeping with this severance from the franchise’s past. A hard rock Bond song? Could it possibly work?
It could. It did. Despite being, at its core, a no-frills rock song, it still retains that Bondian feel — in no small part due to David Arnold’s wonderful orchestration. There is mystery, there is danger, there is death. Cornell conveys both bravado and vulnerability in his performance, neatly capturing the rebooted character of James Bond. His lyrics impressively capture several themes of the film; gambling, duplicity and betrayal, and what it means to take a life. And the refrain is unbeatable:
The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
Yes. Yes we do. Rest in peace, Chris.
3. Goldfinger (1964)
I bet y’all thought this one would top the list. And with good reason: This is the template for so many subsequent theme songs, you might say this is the mother of all Bond themes.
The only artist to perform more than one Bond theme is Dame Shirley Bassey. And she did three of them. Goldfinger was her first go and her best effort.
Ably supported by John Barry’s strings and punctuated by that intimidating brass motif, Bassey belts out a character analysis of Mr Goldfinger, warning of his web of sin and cold heart. Her powerful and emotive mezzo-soprano brings the point home brilliantly, conveying both danger and mystery. Let there be no doubt, this Goldfinger chap is one bad dude.
2. Thunderball (1965)
Yes, to some extent it’s a rewrite of Goldfinger but hear me out on this one.
The song is clearly based on the same blueprint as its immediate predecessor, down to splicing in bits of Monty Norman’s James Bond Theme, but I argue that this is a more fleshed out and more sophisticated composition. The brass motif is more more thought out and dramatic, providing a perfect counterpoint to the vocals. The melody is more substantial and there is a recurring tension and release between it and the instrumentation. As with Goldfinger, the words seem to refer to the villain of the film but they could just as well be about James Bond himself and this adds a layer of intrigue.
Tom Jones’ rich voice (that vibrato!) matches Bassey’s pound for pound but it is the instrumentation and arrangement which make the difference. It’s all a little slicker and more confident, there is more bravado and oomph, a bit more of everything that made Goldfinger so great.
Thunderball is not so much a rewrite as it is a refinement, an attempt at perfection of the particular art form of the Bond theme song.
Honourable mentions:
Before revealing the number one spot, let’s look at some worthy compositions which didn’t break into the top quintet. You can also just scroll down, I won’t hold it against you.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971): Admittedly, if one were to read the words too thoroughly, one might cringe a bit at some of the double entendres but the song still manages to combine sensuality, intrigue and a veiled menace to great effect. Bassey’s delivery is impeccable and build-up of the song lends it an urgent feel despite the smooth groove and instrumentation.
The World is Not Enough (1999): Garbage. The band Garbage. The song is a haunting and mysterious and hits the spot splendidly. Singer Shirley Manson’s sultry yet emotional performance is beyond excellent. The arrangement and orchestral work are top notch as well, with a sense of foreboding and impeding doom. The words tie in nicely with both the film’s plot and Bond’s family motto.
Skyfall (2012): Another Oscar winner! A clear throwback to the pre-Craig days, after the gritty theme songs of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Adele delivers a somewhat by-the-numbers theme song for Skyfall. A little light on the oomph, the chorus is understated and Adele voice croons pleasantly rather than soars. Even in the climactic final passage, when soaring seems all but inevitable, she appears content with just the slightest crescendo. Regardless, a thoroughly worthy entry.
1. GoldenEye (1995)
Leave it to Tina Turner to outdo any and all competitors and set a new gold standard.
Cool, menacing, emotional, sexy. These are just the few of a plethora of adjectives that spring to mind when you hear GoldenEye. Composed by U2’s Bono and the Edge, the song is a master-class in what a Bond theme song should be. The opening thrum of strings herald mystery and intrigue, the brass motif signals thrills and danger. The sharply percussive beat is tantalising and the chord movement creates an ebb and flow of tension.
Enter Tina Turner. At first she sensually purrs the words but then she crescendoes her way to the chorus, a bitter lament and an oath of vengeance over a forlorn keyboard refrain. An interesting chord change underscores the venom of her words, the depth of her determination, and heightens the intensity but suddenly, almost teasingly, she goes back to the verse instead of letting the song reach its pinnacle. “See him move through smoke and mirrors,” and the second verse is more a snarl than a purr, the volume and tempo have picked up. Then it’s on to the final chorus and this time she will not be denied, she will have her “revenge, it’s a kiss, this time I won’t miss” and the song reaches its soaring climax. “Now I’ve got you in my sight.”
Simply spectacular. There is mystery and intrigue, bombast and bravado, allure and menace, death and danger. Plenty of oomph to go around. Bring on the martinis, girls and guns. It’s beautifully done, it’s flawless.
This is the one to rule them all.
