Definitive Ranking Of The James Bond Theme Songs Part III: 5-1
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Here’s how we see the third part of this three-part series.
5. Diamonds Are Forever – Diamonds Are Forever By Shirley Bassey
This is the second entry from Dame Shirley Bassey, the famous Welsh singer, on the list. The song and movie came 7 years after her first song (more on that to come) and carries a great hook that YE would eventually sample it in his own song, Diamonds From Sierra Leone.
4. The Spy Who Loved Me – Nobody Does It Better By Carly Simon
Carly Simon is an iconic singer with a discography that rivals anyone on this list. Not only does she tell us in the song that Bond not only “does it better” but he is also the “spy who loved me,” which, if that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about Bond, then maybe stop watching the films.
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3. Live And Let Die – Live And Let Die by Paul McCartney And Wings
The oddly placed reggae section aside, the song was a killer on the charts and introduced Roger Moore as the next Bond following the wildly popular Connery era. When the movie was coming out, and they were looking for an artist to sing the title track, McCartney famously tells how he had to audition to be the main singer of the song, which producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli wanted a female to sing it, The producers had intended for another performer to record McCartney’s song. McCartney and Martin, however, had other ideas. They recorded a full studio version at George Martin’s AIR Studios in London in a single day, recorded in a handful of takes simultaneously with the orchestra. Martin then took it to the Caribbean location where filming was taking place. The film producers found a record player. After the record had finished, they said to George, ‘That’s great, a wonderful demo. Now when are you going to make the real track, and who shall we get to sing it?’ And George said, ‘What? This is the real track!’” The song would go on to be Oscar-nominated.
2. Skyfall – Skyfall By Adele
Adele, in the mid-00s, could do no wrong. She sang with such power and feeling that everything she put out was phenomenal. The song was really a throwback to the themes of old. She truly told a story with the music and how she sang.
1. Goldfinger – Goldfinger By Shirley Bassey
The third movie in the franchise and truly one of the best themes. It set the bar for everything that came after and is the divining rod to which we all gauge our Bond themes. The musical notes hit the Bond theme well, and the lyrics painted a picture of just how sinister the villain is going to be in this movie. Add the title sequence to keep you drawn in, and you can’t lose.
As we close the book on the Daniel Craig era of Bond films and rumours continue to swirl on who is next, almost as much as the actor, the theme will undoubtedly be on the lips once we get started.
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