On September 25, the new theme song for the upcoming James Bond film Spectre, which is set to come out November 6th, was released. “Writing’s on the Wall” is performed by British singer Sam Smith and the song quickly rose the number one on Billboard and Twitter’s Trending 140 chart.
Although the song shot to number one, there have been many mixed reviews about the song. Here is a summary of the situation and past Bond themes from over the years. Earlier in September, Smith announced that he would be the next singer to release a song for the film’s franchise.
Although there was speculation that Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding or Adele would be performing the cut, Smith ultimately was passed the torch. In an interview with National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, Smith stated that he and Jimmy Napes wrote the song in 20-30 minutes.
Smith also mentioned that what we hear in the song is vocal from the demo because he never re-vocaled the song. The song had a “Bond-esque” feel with the orchestra and Smith’s smooth falsetto voice.
Once the song was released, mixed reviews came flowing in. A few thought it was a decent song with a little bit of a Bond feel while others thought differently. Many claimed that the song was “wimpy” and the lyrics were “blah”.
Another thing that seemed to bother people was the fact that the song was completed rather quickly. Many thought that Smith should have spent more time on it and it could have potentially came out better. This then leads to the question, “What Bond theme was the best”?
Ever since Adele’s critically acclaimed song “Skyfall” was released in 2012, it seemed that nothing could ever top that song. With Smith’s latest release, it seems that Adele’s hit still sits at the top. “Skyfall” won a total of five awards which, to name a few, included an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy.
The song is powerful and of course, includes an orchestra along with Adele’s powerhouse voice. Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger” is one of her better Bond themes that she has tackled. It was used in the title sequence for the 1964 film and set the tone for what would occur afterwards.
She even performed the song in 2013 at the 85th Academy Awards in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Bond franchise. Bassey received a standing ovation from the crowd for her performance.
The song has had a lasting impact on her career and will surely be one of her iconic songs.
For the film Thunderball, Tom Jones was originally not the first person they wanted to use to sing the song. Johnny Cash, Dionne Warwick, and Shirley Bassey all submitted songs but at the last minute, Jones was selected. “Thunderball” became the Welsh singer’s third Top 40 hit in the U.S.
The song contains very generic lyrics that capture the kind of man that Bond is. Jones even reportedly fainted in the studio after hitting the final high note in the song. Paul McCartney and Wings shook up the Bond themes and added their own unique rock and roll twist.
“Live and Let Die” had everything from raging guitars, piano, violins, etc. which made the song epic. The song was used for the 1973 film which was post-Sean Connery era but the song proved that the franchise could still rock even without him. The song even won a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals.
In 1977, something was done for the first in time in the history of Bond films. Carly Simon was the first artist whose song title was not the same as the movie title. Songwriters Carole Bayer and Marvin Hamlisch did manage to somehow fit “The Spy Who Loved Me” (the title of the movie) into the lyrics.
The song “Nobody Does It Better” is one of Simon’s signature songs and many do not realize that it is from a Bond film. The ballad was fitting for the film’s opening. Finally, you cannot forget about the iconic theme song from one particular James Bond film. Conducted by the John Barry Orchestra, the song was used in the opening credits of the Bond film Dr. No.
The song feels like it should be in a spy movie and it fit very well with the movie. When you think of Bond movies, this is probably the first theme song that might pop into your head.
Other artists like Duran Duran, Louis Armstrong, Tina Turner, Nancy Sinatra, Madonna, Gladys Knight, and many more have had the opportunity to sing a theme song for the franchise. The themes from the Bond movies are sure to leave a lasting impression for years to come.
Elizabeth Granato
Features Editor