Hello, folks...
As we approach the the November release of SKYFALL, the 23rd Bond film marking the franchise's 50th Anniversary, we turn our attention to the element that the casual moviegoer often takes for granted - but which we avowed movie geeks know contributes greatly to the experience of watching a James Bond film: the theme song.
The theme songs of the Bond films are significant. Their lyrics often reflect the plot and characters, and their melodies (minus the lyrics) are often used as a basis for the film scores that play throughout the movie. You'd think it would be difficult for a franchise that has been around for 50 years, with 23 entries, to continually come up with fresh music. But the James Bond franchise always manages to musically surprise us. The answer is simple: as each theme song changes with each movie, the music (and mood) for the film changes, as well. The only thing that remains constant is the 007 theme. The rest, however, is dictated by the song that plays over the opening credits. It's really quite remarkable.
Without further ado, please find below our TOP FIVE Bond Theme Songs...
5. "A View To A Kill"
PLAYED IN: A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)
SUNG BY: DURAN DURAN
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: At the height of the 80's, Duran Duran was at the pinnacle of their popularity. The Bond producers, always looking to keep up with the times, gave the British band the honor of performing the theme song for Roger Moore's last Bond film - and they delivered strongly. "A View To A Kill" really divides both Bond fans and general audiences alike. Truth is, it is a great song that manages to give the traditional "Bond Song" a contemporary edge, while also remaining timeless and not being "too much of its time" the way some Bond songs have been. It is also one of the most underrated Bond theme songs.
SAMPLE LYRICS: "Meeting you with a view to a kill. Face to face in secret places, feel the chill. Nightfall covers me, but you know the plans I'm making..."
TRIVIA: "A View To A Kill" is the only Bond song to hit #1 in the Billboard Charts in the U.S.
4. "Thunderball"
PLAYED IN: THUNDERBALL (1965)
SUNG BY: Tom Jones
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Losing third place by a very narrow margin to "Goldfinger" simply because the latter was the song that truly established the "Bond Song" tropes, this song takes those qualities and really cements them. So much so that every Bond song that would follow would try to imitate "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball's" larger-than-life, sweepingly operatic landscape. Few have succeeded.
SAMPLE LYRICS: "He always runs, while others walk. He asks, while other men just talk. He looks at this world that wants it all. So he strikes - like Thunderball..."
TRIVIA: Johnny Cash's submission for THUNDERBALL was not accepted. Tom Jones got the gig instead.
3. "Goldfinger"
PLAYS IN: GOLDFINGER (1964)
SUNG BY: Shirley Bassey
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: This song, like the movie itself, truly established the Bond formula that would set the tone for the rest of the movies to come in the franchise. Bassey's dramatic voice and the brazen lyrics really capture the flavor of the series: playful, yet sometimes serious. This is the song that most future theme songs would try to duplicate. Only two have succeeded - and they are our # 1 and # 2 songs...
SAMPLE LYRICS: "He loves only gold. Only gold! He loves gold! He loves only gold! HE LOVES GOLD!!!"
TRIVIA: The soundtrack album for GOLDFINGER reached #1 in the United States during the film's release, although the song itself did not.
2. "The World Is Not Enough"
PLAYS IN: THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999)
SUNG BY: Garbage
WHY IT MAKES THE CUT: Above, we mentioned that many Bond theme songs have tried to copy the template created by "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball," but few have surpassed them. The problem is most of these songs have tried to copy them too much, so much so that they don't really bring anything new to the table. Either that, or they diverge too much from the formula and end up becoming something mediocre and unacceptable for a Bond film - such as "Another Way To Die" by Jack White and Alicia Keys from QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008). This song, on the other hand, takes all the classic Bond Song elements - and gives them its own sleek and sinister spin. It also does what every great Bond Song should do: tell you a little something about the story and its characters. In this case, the lyrics are basically an analysis of the psyche of the film's villainess, Elektra King.
SAMPLE LYRICS: "I know how to hurt. I know how to heal. I know what to show, and what to conceal. We know when to kiss. When know when to kill. If we can't have it all, then nobody will..."
TRIVIA: The soundtrack album for THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH has a different final track in Japan. It is a song by a Japanese band, while the album released in the rest of the world (Europe and USA) has Scott Walker's "Only Myself To Blame", which was initially supposed to play over the end credits, but was too serious and melancholy for the film's light ending. An alternate ending with Elektra surviving and Bond visiting her in an asylum at the end of the film was never filmed. Walker's song would've been ideal for that ending.
And our Number 1 Bond Song Of All Time:
1. "You Know My Name"
PLAYS IN: CASINO ROYALE (2006)
SUNG BY: Chris Cornell
WHY IT IS # 1: When the Bond producers rebooted the franchise in 2006, they not only gave us a meaner, grittier James Bond in the form of Daniel Craig, but they also reinvigorated the way Bond songs are done. Chris Cornell's song gives me chills whenever I listen to it, especially, the last stretch starting at 2:51 of this video. We mentioned earlier that many Bond songs have faltered by straying too far from the template, ending up very unlike a Bond song. "You Know My Name" successfully avoids this by just concentrating on being a truly kick-ass song - and therefore works against all odds. I usually work out this song because it really gets my blood going, and I can't think of a better recommendation than that.
SAMPLE LYRICS: "Arm yourself because no one else here will save you. The odds will betray you, and they will replace you. You can't deny the pride that will never fulfill you. It longs to kill you, are you willing to die?"
TRIVIA: Chris Cornell was part of the very popular band Soungarden.
Have a great evening, folks... Please expect the reviews for THE FOG, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and THE ORPHANAGE to post by this weekend...
