I'e always liked "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell for the "Casino Royale" film. I didn't like the track by Alicia Keys & Jack White, I always thought that Adele's "Skyfall" was overrated. I really don't like Sam Smith's effort either.
"Live & Let Die" is a classic. I've also always loved "The World Is Not Enough".
I think most of them are pretty incredible up to the end of Dalton's run on the films. I don't think its a coincidence that when John Barry was forced into retirement things went down hill and became a mixed bag. Faves I suppose would be all the classic 60's ones, Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better, View to a Kill and A-Ha's Living Daylights. Chris Cornells You Know My Name was the best of the more recent tracks for me.
In recent years the songs have just felt like after thoughts and they've just picked name artists who have no grasp of the Bond sound but are guarenteed to get in the charts even if the song is crap. Which sadly they seem to be all too often now.
I've been listening to them to psyche myself up for Spectre after SS's caterwauling and my favourites are Goldfinger/Diamonds are Forever, Goldeneye, Tomorrow never Dies (which surprised me as I didn't rate it originally) and You know my name from Casino Royale
Weaker ones were All time high (which for some reason I can't stand) and more obviously Die Another Day and Another Way to Die
1. We have all the time in the World - should have been played over the end credits as Tracy lay dead
2, Nobody Does it better
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5 Moonraker
6 Live and Let Die
7 For Your eyes Only
8. You only Live Twice
9 Goldeneye
10 Skyfall - unfortunately the song only made real sense after you had seen the movie
I think most of them are pretty incredible up to the end of Dalton's run on the films. I don't think its a coincidence that when John Barry was forced into retirement things went down hill and became a mixed bag. Faves I suppose would be all the classic 60's ones, Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better, View to a Kill and A-Ha's Living Daylights. Chris Cornells You Know My Name was the best of the more recent tracks for me.
In recent years the songs have just felt like after thoughts and they've just picked name artists who have no grasp of the Bond sound but are guarenteed to get in the charts even if the song is crap. Which sadly they seem to be all too often now.
What is the Bond sound though?
I liked Madonna's Die Another Day as something fresh for a Bond theme, not some over the top orchestral thing with a diva. I haven't liked any of the Craig songs and I feel both Sam Smith and Adele are more paint by numbers Bond. None of the choices of the Craig years have been overly edgy or different, very mainstream choices.
What is the Bond sound? The music of John Barry obviously!
Look I dare say there aren't any real rules. Anything that captures the mood of the film series and stands up as a great song outside of that. It’s all about something that has a bit of magic and imagination in it. To me most of the 90's onwards Bond songs have totally failed to do that. They've either felt like a pastiche, Bond by numbers or being a total musical mess. Or all 3 of those in the case of Jack White and Alicia Keys effort.
And talking of total mess, sorry I've always had a soft spot for Madonna but her Die Another Day track was one of the very worst Bond songs going. An electronic Bond song could have been really cool but the only fresh thing it was I am afraid, was a turd. You know it’s a bad when even David Arnold was coming out and admitting it was the worst Bond songs ever. I found it highly appropriate it was played over a sequence of Bond being brutally tortured. I felt Bond's pain listening to it. That track was a prime example of everything I was saying about just signing a big name artist who could deliver a chart hit rather than a song that lived up to rich musical heritage of the series.
And talking of total mess, sorry I've always had a soft spot for Madonna but her Die Another Day track was one of the very worst Bond songs going. An electronic Bond song could have been really cool but the only fresh thing it was I am afraid, was a turd. You know it’s a bad when even David Arnold was coming out and admitting it was the worst Bond songs ever. I found it highly appropriate it was played over a sequence of Bond being brutally tortured. I felt Bond's pain listening to it. That track was a prime example of everything I was saying about just signing a big name artist who could deliver a chart hit rather than a song that lived up to rich musical heritage of the series.
You don't have to be sorry because I'm sure you're not the only person who thinks DAD is turd.
I've always liked Madonna's music and waited for years for her to do a Bond theme and believed she would have been a dead cert to record one (especially in the eighties when she was in her heyday) so when I heard she was doing one at last I was so disappointed when I heard it as the music is so tuneless and her vocals are disjointed and affected.
However she did record Beautiful Stranger for Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me so that sort of makes up for it I suppose.♥♥:-):-):-)
Totally agree with that comment about Beautiful Stranger-Madonna did a better song for spoof Bond than she did actual Bond. Really like that tune!
That's why I find it so wacko artists can't do decent Bond songs anymore. I suspect as much as anything else its pressure. Artists contrive to order to try and live up to the Bond heritage rather than just do what they would normally do and just write a good song.
Madonna should have gone with her original vision and included actual violins and symphonic rather than electronic remastering as requested by producers and director. But it was one of the best selling bond themes world wide in a long while and was the best selling dance song in the USA for two years? I don't think its the worst bond theme by a long stretch of the imagination but she is an easy target. At least she offered something uptempo or alternative to the ballad with brass theme.
for me the theme song has to be
1) identifiable to the the mystique of espionage of bond and contain references ...better with the song title too.
2) listened to alongside the opening credits
3) fit the theme and storyline of the film
4) represent the bond classic theme or current music scene
5) popular - critical acclaim or chart success or sales ...as this is the aim to gain interest and promotion for the film
Comments
"Live & Let Die" is a classic. I've also always loved "The World Is Not Enough".
That's actually way better than i remember it .. quite a decent Bond Theme really ..
I think most of them are pretty incredible up to the end of Dalton's run on the films. I don't think its a coincidence that when John Barry was forced into retirement things went down hill and became a mixed bag. Faves I suppose would be all the classic 60's ones, Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better, View to a Kill and A-Ha's Living Daylights. Chris Cornells You Know My Name was the best of the more recent tracks for me.
In recent years the songs have just felt like after thoughts and they've just picked name artists who have no grasp of the Bond sound but are guarenteed to get in the charts even if the song is crap. Which sadly they seem to be all too often now.
My votes go to:
1. Goldfinger
2.Diamonds Are Forever
3. For Your Eyes Only
4. Live and Let Die
5. Die Another Day
Weaker ones were All time high (which for some reason I can't stand) and more obviously Die Another Day and Another Way to Die
Live and let die
Sky fall
Spy who loved me
View to a kill
Man with the golden gun
License to kill
Tomorrow never dies...
Skyfall
Diamonds Are Forever
The World is not Enough
Licence to Kill
are all favourites but I like most
I like themed so much I coproduced a james bond cabaret, 11 years ago with a local drama company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zZ0VEtKy8w
The Man with the Golden Gun - Lulu
Live and Let Die.- Paul Mcartney & Wings
The Living Daylights - Aha
If I had to pick one of those I'd probably go with Live and Let Die.
2, Nobody Does it better
3. From Russia with Love
4. Goldfinger
5 Moonraker
6 Live and Let Die
7 For Your eyes Only
8. You only Live Twice
9 Goldeneye
10 Skyfall - unfortunately the song only made real sense after you had seen the movie
What is the Bond sound though?
I liked Madonna's Die Another Day as something fresh for a Bond theme, not some over the top orchestral thing with a diva. I haven't liked any of the Craig songs and I feel both Sam Smith and Adele are more paint by numbers Bond. None of the choices of the Craig years have been overly edgy or different, very mainstream choices.
Goldfingaaarrrr
For Your Eyes Only
Look I dare say there aren't any real rules. Anything that captures the mood of the film series and stands up as a great song outside of that. It’s all about something that has a bit of magic and imagination in it. To me most of the 90's onwards Bond songs have totally failed to do that. They've either felt like a pastiche, Bond by numbers or being a total musical mess. Or all 3 of those in the case of Jack White and Alicia Keys effort.
And talking of total mess, sorry I've always had a soft spot for Madonna but her Die Another Day track was one of the very worst Bond songs going. An electronic Bond song could have been really cool but the only fresh thing it was I am afraid, was a turd. You know it’s a bad when even David Arnold was coming out and admitting it was the worst Bond songs ever. I found it highly appropriate it was played over a sequence of Bond being brutally tortured. I felt Bond's pain listening to it. That track was a prime example of everything I was saying about just signing a big name artist who could deliver a chart hit rather than a song that lived up to rich musical heritage of the series.
A View To A Kill by Duran Duran
You don't have to be sorry because I'm sure you're not the only person who thinks DAD is turd.
I've always liked Madonna's music and waited for years for her to do a Bond theme and believed she would have been a dead cert to record one (especially in the eighties when she was in her heyday) so when I heard she was doing one at last I was so disappointed when I heard it as the music is so tuneless and her vocals are disjointed and affected.
However she did record Beautiful Stranger for Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me so that sort of makes up for it I suppose.♥♥:-):-):-)
Diamonds Are Forever
Live and Let Die
Die Another Day
Skyfall
Nobody Does It Better
From Russia With Love
Skyfall
You Know My Name
We Have All The Time In The World
That's why I find it so wacko artists can't do decent Bond songs anymore. I suspect as much as anything else its pressure. Artists contrive to order to try and live up to the Bond heritage rather than just do what they would normally do and just write a good song.
Diamonds Are Forever
Live And Let Die
Skyfall
Not a fan of the Sam Smith one
for me the theme song has to be
1) identifiable to the the mystique of espionage of bond and contain references ...better with the song title too.
2) listened to alongside the opening credits
3) fit the theme and storyline of the film
4) represent the bond classic theme or current music scene
5) popular - critical acclaim or chart success or sales ...as this is the aim to gain interest and promotion for the film