Favorite and Least Favorite Bond Themes (and discussion)

[All My Shadows]

Despite having never watched any of the 007 movies all the way through (though I always make it a point to watch the final act of Diamonds Are Forever whenever it comes on), I've always been strangely obsessed with the movies' main title songs. That obsession came back earlier this year when Dame Shirley Bassey performed Goldfinger at the Oscars, and I've been listening to the whole series of themes a lot lately.

Generally, I think all of the themes have been good, though some are better than others. My all-time fave is Diamonds Are Forever. I love the sensuality, the mystery, the bombastic torch song element of it, etc. Definitely Dame Shirley's best!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPeSPB68i2c

I also enjoy For Your Eyes Only, which I wasn't a huge fan of at first because of Sheena Easton's voice, but I've grown to love it and its purity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGrptJTswNg

Other faves are Moonraker, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (way better than the basic Bond theme IMO), Tomorrow Never Dies, You Only Live Twice, Nobody Does It Better, and The World is Not Enough. Oh, and also this campy gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqqYoLRTgI8

I think Live and Let Die is horrifically overrated. The lyrics are pretty weak ("I know ya did, I know ya did, I know ya did" WTF) and the music is repetitive. I actually think it's a good song in the beginning until the second half is basically identical to the first half. It doesn't really go anywhere.

[DaytimeFan]

For me, nothing will top 'Goldfinger,' it is quintessential Bond. The John Barry orchestra, the lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Tony Newley (Joan Collins' then husband), the gold and neon lights splashed across the perfect 1960s bikini body and Dame Shirley Bassey, the longest tenured Bond Girl of them all, belting out the often imitated, never duplicated final note.

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My least favourite is the Jack White & Alicia Keys song for Quantum of Solace which was just awful, had nothing to do with the film and didn't sound like Bond at all, I'm not even posting a video of it because I think it's so vile. What's particularly egregious is that Dame Shirley Bassey put forward a song and it was rejected and it is vastly superior. An intelligent YouTube savant applied Bassey's song with the credits of the film and the result speaks for itself.

[Khan]

I love this one just b/c it's Gladys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5G_05a5UU

[AllMyDaysatGH]

The only one I've listened to and probably will ever care about is "Goldfinger!" Ever since I heard it at the latest Oscar's I was in love. Not even the lyrics, just the full instrumental/orchestral base of the song. It's orgasmic! I was never into the Bond films so that was seriously the first time I heard it I think. Ever since, I still listen to it and have literally watched ALL of Dame Shirley Basseys performances of it

Here's my fave...

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@1:42-1:55 slays me Every. Single. Time.

I could talk about this video, and this woman, for days. She's just spectacular.

[All My Shadows]

Yes, Dame Shirley does a LOT in that performance! At :11 she has that look in her eyes that lets you know there's gonna be some shenanigans ahead.

I love Licence to Kill as well, especially the dramatic build up at the end of the middle eight, though the key change is so unnecessary.

[NothinButAttitude]

I'm in the minority but I love ALL the James Bond themes (and movies). I feel that the music director(s) of this saga ALWAYS has the intro on point. So picking them is like picking children, but the top five that resonate the most with me are:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRPWFzONm88

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[alphanguy74]

I think "Live and Let Die" is a perfectly great pop song, but as a Bond theme? NO. Shirley's themes are incomporable, of course... two other of note that I have always liked:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-_-pX7bIO0

[quartermainefan]

Goldfinger

Diamonds Are Forever

Spy Who Loved Me

Live and Let Die

I think these are the four quintessential Bond tunes and stand above the rest with Goldfinger above all.

[MissLlanviewPA]

I've never actually watched any of the Bond movies (someday!), but I do love Nobody Does It Better (because it's Carly! Duh), and A View to a Kill (Duran Duran ).

I love Live and Let Die as sung by Guns N' Roses .

[DaytimeFan]

This is the original version of Goldfinger that Dame Shirley Bassey recorded, that last note is held even longer in this one...amazing.

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[AllMyDaysatGH]

Oh my GOD. THANK YOU for this!!

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

1) The World is Not Enough

2) Skyfall

3) GoldenEye

4) Live & Let Die

5) Goldfinger

I listen to Skyfall at least once every week. Its such a haunting song

[SFK]

It hurt my heart when I found out that Shirley Bassey has never cared for the Moonraker theme (there was a time when I wondered how I could set my stereo as an alarm clock to smoothly wake me up to it each day). It was written with Johnny Mathis or some say Frank Sinatra in mind.

My non-Bassey favorite Bond ballads in no particular order are For Your Eyes Only (always a treat when this comes on in the grocery store), Nobody Does it Better (lol, this was my narcissistic MySpace page song for a time, and for years, I had no idea that this was even a Bond theme, I knew it mostly from commercials where the "the spy who loved me" lyric wasn't included), Goldeneye (Shirley re: Tina: "She hasn't got the range!"), and yes, I do like Skyfall, and I particularly like that they use a male chorus which you don't often hear.

[All My Shadows]

Moonraker was written for Johnny. I didn't know that DSB didn't care for it. I did watch a video of a live performance of it and she commented that she'd only sung it live once before (and this video was from like the late 90s or early 00s), and it was simply because she never considered it "her" song. 'fingahhhh and Dymuns were tailored to her humongous voice, and Moonrakuh always felt like a hand-me-down. I can see her just framing it that way so as not to take away from the audience's enjoyment. I can sorta see it being more suitable for a male singer, but Shirl tore it up anyway. And that musical arrangement! Just lush and beautiful, starry-eyed, etc.

[DaytimeFan]

Yes, as far as I'm concerned the only reason Dame Shirley doesn't like Moonraker is because it wasn't written with her in mind and IS a hand me down. Granted, she should enjoy it, it secured her place in Bond legend with three title tracks. Two doesn't have quite the same ring to it.