So this afternoon, I heard this story on the radio about fellow blogger totalmusicgeek.com’s list of best and worst theme songs from James Bond movies.
The complete list, with links to all the songs, is here. Unlike many lists on the web, this one is good. There’s an underrated classic — “You Only Live Twice” — at #1, and with one glaring exception (“The Living Daylights” at #3? Rly?), it’s hard to argue with anything in the top 10.
He’s also honest, pointing out that recent theme songs–including the newest one–have been, let’s face it, a bit lame. (I’d forgotten about the Madonna one until it got dredged up in the list.) I chalk some of this up to bad timing and missed opportunities–I’m convinced that “Crack Hitler” by Faith No More (sample here ), was a theme song in search of a movie, but I guess no one else in the early 90s wanted Bond infiltrating a South American neo-Nazi operation funding itself with a massive drug-running scheme. After all, Bond had just fought a drug smuggler in the forgettable “License to Kill.” But I digress. . . .
Anyway, can anyone rescue 007 from his musical doldrums? I think the band to do it is Bitter:Sweet. Their stuff has been in some TV shows and commercials, but their best songs have all the elements of a good Bond theme: just-over-the-top arrangement, big brass punches, and lyrics evoking danger and sin–both inside and outside the bedroom. And it doesn’t hurt for the inevitable video that the lead singer is very easy on the eyes:
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Bitter:Sweet very cool. Get Barbara Broccoli on the phone we have a winner for the 23rd film. Now on to Drew Kerr’s list. Without a doubt, Madonna’s “Die Another Day” is the worst of all time. I have real problems with his Top 5. Personally I would say:
1) “Diamonds Are Forever,” by Shirley Bassey
2) “Live and Let Die,” by Paul McCartney and Wings
3) “Nobody Does It Better,” by Carly Simon
4) “The Living Daylights,” by a-ha
5) “The Man With the Golden Gun,” by Lulu
Ok this is harder than I thought. I agree with Kerr, “The Living Daylights” is melodic and dare I say memorable. Unlike the film. I need to do 6 thru 10.
6) “Goldfinger,” by Shirley Bassey
7) “From Russia With Love,” by Matt Munro
8 ) “A View to a Kill,” by Duran Duran
9) “License To Kill,” by Gladys Knight
10) “For Your Eyes Only,” by Sheena Easton
I’m listening to the songs now. I stand behind a-ha at #4. I don’t know why Kerr includes the instrumental OHMSS but leaves out the two songs from the film: “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” and “We Have All The Time In World”. At the last minute I switched out “Thunderball” for “For Your Eyes Only”. “Thunderball” is over the top and that’s what Lulu accomplishes in “The Man With the Golden Gun” without that crazy last note.