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Ooh, I must have it!
Who Does It Better: re-evaluating the Bond songs
- Thread starter Willie Oleson
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Is it the full version from the vinyl single or part of that medley from the original soundtrack?
Bond Song #11
Since Bond went "pop" courtesy of McCartney & Wings, followed by the even poppier Golden Gun song, it would have made absolutely perfect sense to use Bond '77 for the titles opening sequence.
But since it actually was the first piece of music featured in The Spy Who Loved Me they sort of had their cake and ate it.
I'd be very surprised if Carly's theme wouldn't make the Top 5 because...what's not to love about this great song?
But whereas several other themes informed the audience of Bond's upcoming predicament, and they just had to wait and see how it would all pan out, Nobody Does It Better already announces him as the winner, and that "James Bond is everything!" approach almost makes it sound like a fanclub song.
I think it works better as Carly's conclusion and shout-out in the end credits - and in its own right as the cherry on the cake - but I would have preferred the full version minus that Village People thing-y right after the final scene.
It was fortunate that You're So Vain, was released in 1972 and not after her Bond affair as it could be interpreted as a change-of-heart follow-up song.
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It's the medley, I must confess.
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Bond Song #12
And look at the lineup of artists who were considered for the main vocal track: Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Kate Bush (!!).
I'm surprised they didn't approach Barbra Streisand but maybe she only wants to sing in her own movies.
Whether it was a good idea to send 007 on a space odyssey is a different discussion altogether but all I want to say is that if had to happen then this was their last opportunity to do so. There's something about space-kitsch that only really worked in the 60s and 70s, imho.
The Moonraker song is a fantastic composition and Shirley Bassey balances the velvety parts with her trademark crescendos. In many ways it sounds like a sci-fi version of You Only Live Twice and that can never be a bad thing.
Production-wise I think it's one of best Bond songs, with its rich and complex orchestration that can be easily overlooked because it is so good.
There's something very interesting going on in the last 10 seconds and I wish it would last a little longer.
It's a tricky one.
Maybe there isn't enough oomph in it to make this a truly memorable contender but it's also possible that the Bond aficionados dismiss it as the theme of "that Bond movie" that should never have been made in the first place.
But purely from a Moonraker perspective I honestly don't know how they could have bettered it.
And look at the lineup of artists who were considered for the main vocal track: Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Kate Bush (!!).
I'm surprised they didn't approach Barbra Streisand but maybe she only wants to sing in her own movies.
Whether it was a good idea to send 007 on a space odyssey is a different discussion altogether but all I want to say is that if had to happen then this was their last opportunity to do so. There's something about space-kitsch that only really worked in the 60s and 70s, imho.
The Moonraker song is a fantastic composition and Shirley Bassey balances the velvety parts with her trademark crescendos. In many ways it sounds like a sci-fi version of You Only Live Twice and that can never be a bad thing.
Production-wise I think it's one of best Bond songs, with its rich and complex orchestration that can be easily overlooked because it is so good.
There's something very interesting going on in the last 10 seconds and I wish it would last a little longer.
It's a tricky one.
Maybe there isn't enough oomph in it to make this a truly memorable contender but it's also possible that the Bond aficionados dismiss it as the theme of "that Bond movie" that should never have been made in the first place.
But purely from a Moonraker perspective I honestly don't know how they could have bettered it.
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K
Karin Schill
Guest
Is that the same Anthony Newley who was married to Joan Collins?
No clue if this is true or not. But the Colonel did prevent Elvis career from blossoming. I mean insisting Elvis only perform in the US and also that Elvis do a particular type of movie instead of branching out into more serious roles like for instance in West Side Story (1961). I've heard they wanted him for the male lead but his manager said no.
Then as for the Bond songs. I have a fun memory from High School dancing to a bunch of Bond Songs for a performance togehter with some friends. Good times.
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Bond Song #13
The whooshy/icy intro of the main vocal theme is most intriguing. Could it be the sound of the Moonraker reentering the stratosphere to bring us a refreshed James Bond who looks uncannily like Simon MacCorkindale or Stephen Collins? Anything is possible when you're out there.
Sheena starts to sing and it sounds mysterious and I'm feeling optimistic. But then.....PLING! PLANG! PLONG! followed by a draining chorus that stays on one flat, shriek level.
I find it impossible to comprehend how a song with such a promising start could end up sounding like that, but on the other hand I can't deny that it stays safely within the parameters of Bond theme formula. At least I can believe that they thought they were doing the right thing here.
Ironically, the soundtrack as a whole is actually quite good, and then there's thatico...famous cover art. They look like Mandy Winger's legs, don't you think?
I don't know if Blondie's For Your Eyes Only was the finished movie -version of the song. I like it but it would take some serious reworking before I could embrace it as an ee pee ay cee Bond theme.
The whooshy/icy intro of the main vocal theme is most intriguing. Could it be the sound of the Moonraker reentering the stratosphere to bring us a refreshed James Bond who looks uncannily like Simon MacCorkindale or Stephen Collins? Anything is possible when you're out there.
Sheena starts to sing and it sounds mysterious and I'm feeling optimistic. But then.....PLING! PLANG! PLONG! followed by a draining chorus that stays on one flat, shriek level.
I find it impossible to comprehend how a song with such a promising start could end up sounding like that, but on the other hand I can't deny that it stays safely within the parameters of Bond theme formula. At least I can believe that they thought they were doing the right thing here.
Ironically, the soundtrack as a whole is actually quite good, and then there's that
I don't know if Blondie's For Your Eyes Only was the finished movie -version of the song. I like it but it would take some serious reworking before I could embrace it as an ee pee ay cee Bond theme.
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On the subject of Bond themes and rock...
Off the back of this thread I've been dragging some of Bond-related tracks into my Favourites playlist, and I've realised that the reason I so enjoy Shirl's 1995 redo of Goldfinger (even though the very idea of messing with such
UnfortunatelyI can't find a video of that version to make sense of what I'm saying, but I've typed it so I'll post it.
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The story so far: a mid-re-evaluation retrospective.
Looking at the variety of songs and themes I think it's safe to say that it's getting more and more difficult to decide what makes a Bond song a good Bond song or, for that matter, a good movie song.
I'm pretty sure that most people consider GOLDFINGER (or at least several elements thereof) as THE template for a successful Bond theme - a combination of Hollywood grandeur, Harold Robbins-style sex and Batman-style camp.
But since the first three themes were very different and successful I believe nothing was carved in stone yet.
I think it's the copy that confirms the legitimacy of its predecessor. And that copy was THUNDERBALL.
To compare: I don't think that DALLAS wouldn't have continued to be successful without DYNASTY, but since the Texan soap was one of a kind for several years it simply couldn't have been THE standard in prime time soap opera. It's funny to think that DYNASTY helped DALLAS to become bigger than it already was.
There is nothing of that Hollywood/Harold Robbins/Batman in NOBODY DOES IT BETTER and WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, and the connection is more emotional than on-the-nose.
Carly Simon is not in the movie and yet, in her song, she's closer to Roger Moore than any of the Bond girls in that movie.
Perhaps there's no such thing as a "Bond Song", and that idea makes me feel less confident about this re-evaluation. On the other hand, I think I've managed to rate the songs on a case-by-case basis, although, admittedly, not always 100% consistently.
Looking at the variety of songs and themes I think it's safe to say that it's getting more and more difficult to decide what makes a Bond song a good Bond song or, for that matter, a good movie song.
I'm pretty sure that most people consider GOLDFINGER (or at least several elements thereof) as THE template for a successful Bond theme - a combination of Hollywood grandeur, Harold Robbins-style sex and Batman-style camp.
But since the first three themes were very different and successful I believe nothing was carved in stone yet.
I think it's the copy that confirms the legitimacy of its predecessor. And that copy was THUNDERBALL.
To compare: I don't think that DALLAS wouldn't have continued to be successful without DYNASTY, but since the Texan soap was one of a kind for several years it simply couldn't have been THE standard in prime time soap opera. It's funny to think that DYNASTY helped DALLAS to become bigger than it already was.
There is nothing of that Hollywood/Harold Robbins/Batman in NOBODY DOES IT BETTER and WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD, and the connection is more emotional than on-the-nose.
Carly Simon is not in the movie and yet, in her song, she's closer to Roger Moore than any of the Bond girls in that movie.
Perhaps there's no such thing as a "Bond Song", and that idea makes me feel less confident about this re-evaluation. On the other hand, I think I've managed to rate the songs on a case-by-case basis, although, admittedly, not always 100% consistently.
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Great!
That said, I think they've done a good job remixing it into the contemporary dance style of the late 90s.
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Bond Song #14
But since I'm going to include the instrumental opening themes and rejected projects this is actually #....20?
I'm getting a little nervous as 007 drags us deeper into the eighties, especially if the previous Bondvision entry is anything to go by.
Thankfully, the theme from OCTOPUSSY turns out to be the tranquilizer to repress that anxiety.
All Time High opens with a sultry sax sound that we've heard (or going to hear) in many soap opera scenes, showing an adulterous couple in bed or jacuzzi, drinking champagne and telling the audience how sexy their scene is (because it usually isn't).
I guess it could also apply to James Bond and one of his conquests.
There's not much difference between All Time High and For Your Eyes Only - thematically or structurally - except that the Octopussy theme sounds warmer, and to hear Rita Coolidge singing her theme so soothingly and effortlessly is a vast improvement over Sheena Easton's performance.
Apparently it's not a fan-favourite because the Bond fans think it sounds too generic, but I don't wholeheartedly agree with that.
There's also no movie theme in For Your Eyes Only or Nobody Does It Better (save the shoehorned in movie title) and Rita informs us of the upcoming romantic adventure from a female point of view.
"I don't want to waste a waking moment" ("I intend to make this dream come true because I only live twice"), "we'll take on the world and win" (before "the world was not enough"), "doing so much more than falling in love" (like, dismantling bombs and stuff).
I do wish they had incorporated an "8" theme into the lyrics or, alternatively, brought back Tom Jones to perform What's New Octopussy?
But I'm not saying that ALL TIME HIGH couldn't have been the theme to an eighties mini-series.
But since I'm going to include the instrumental opening themes and rejected projects this is actually #....20?
I'm getting a little nervous as 007 drags us deeper into the eighties, especially if the previous Bondvision entry is anything to go by.
Thankfully, the theme from OCTOPUSSY turns out to be the tranquilizer to repress that anxiety.
All Time High opens with a sultry sax sound that we've heard (or going to hear) in many soap opera scenes, showing an adulterous couple in bed or jacuzzi, drinking champagne and telling the audience how sexy their scene is (because it usually isn't).
I guess it could also apply to James Bond and one of his conquests.
There's not much difference between All Time High and For Your Eyes Only - thematically or structurally - except that the Octopussy theme sounds warmer, and to hear Rita Coolidge singing her theme so soothingly and effortlessly is a vast improvement over Sheena Easton's performance.
Apparently it's not a fan-favourite because the Bond fans think it sounds too generic, but I don't wholeheartedly agree with that.
There's also no movie theme in For Your Eyes Only or Nobody Does It Better (save the shoehorned in movie title) and Rita informs us of the upcoming romantic adventure from a female point of view.
"I don't want to waste a waking moment" ("I intend to make this dream come true because I only live twice"), "we'll take on the world and win" (before "the world was not enough"), "doing so much more than falling in love" (like, dismantling bombs and stuff).
I do wish they had incorporated an "8" theme into the lyrics or, alternatively, brought back Tom Jones to perform What's New Octopussy?
But I'm not saying that ALL TIME HIGH couldn't have been the theme to an eighties mini-series.
K
Karin Schill
Guest
It says this song was by Bill Conti, who I think is the same song writer who worked on Dynasty and North & South.
I don't know who's legs that is, but unless the model has been airbrushed I would say she's anorexic since the size of her thighs are not normal.
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Bond Song #15
Everything about this movie and its soundtrack screams "obscure".
It was 007 vs. 007, and with the recast and the return of the original actor it all feels very Alison Carr vs. Pamela Hudson.
Sean Connery was one of those men who never stopped looking handsome and he probably never looked as bad again as he did in this movie. Thunderbald indeed, and it wasn't even a gadget.
For legal reasons they couldn't do the traditional opening title sequence and it inadvertently creates the idea of a direct-to-video Bond.
Which....it was, I think.
I don't know if the term "mockbuster" already existed in 1983 but that would have been an awesome title for the unofficial James Bond release.
The 1983 soundtrack LP was only released in Japan and the first NSNA CD was made 10 years later. Then there's the singer of the main vocal theme, Lani Hall, who's never enjoyed mainstream pop appeal as a solo artist.
The song is such an underdog that most Bond song rankers don't even bother to mention it.
It kinda sounds like a mediocre Eurovision song, not bad enough to dislike it, and her voice has a French timbre as if she's not singing in her native language (she's American, I looked it up).
Well, the soundtrack was written by Michel Legrand - generally speaking not a composer to be sniffed at.
Lani's video of the obscure Bond anthem is a fabulous thing to behold, and there's something about the posture, the ferocious head-spin and the 4 screen split that reminds me of ABBA's Take A Chance On Me video.
I don't know what happened but it's become a real earworm even though I'm still not sure if I like it or not. It's going to be very exciting to rank it in the worst-to-best-list.
Then there's the rejected NSNA by Phyllis Hyman. I remember liking it very much when I heard for the first time (in the fake Bond themes thread, I think) but....no, it's not the same without Lani's one-hit(ish) wonder.
Everything about this movie and its soundtrack screams "obscure".
It was 007 vs. 007, and with the recast and the return of the original actor it all feels very Alison Carr vs. Pamela Hudson.
Sean Connery was one of those men who never stopped looking handsome and he probably never looked as bad again as he did in this movie. Thunderbald indeed, and it wasn't even a gadget.
For legal reasons they couldn't do the traditional opening title sequence and it inadvertently creates the idea of a direct-to-video Bond.
Which....it was, I think.
I don't know if the term "mockbuster" already existed in 1983 but that would have been an awesome title for the unofficial James Bond release.
The 1983 soundtrack LP was only released in Japan and the first NSNA CD was made 10 years later. Then there's the singer of the main vocal theme, Lani Hall, who's never enjoyed mainstream pop appeal as a solo artist.
The song is such an underdog that most Bond song rankers don't even bother to mention it.
It kinda sounds like a mediocre Eurovision song, not bad enough to dislike it, and her voice has a French timbre as if she's not singing in her native language (she's American, I looked it up).
Well, the soundtrack was written by Michel Legrand - generally speaking not a composer to be sniffed at.
Lani's video of the obscure Bond anthem is a fabulous thing to behold, and there's something about the posture, the ferocious head-spin and the 4 screen split that reminds me of ABBA's Take A Chance On Me video.
I don't know what happened but it's become a real earworm even though I'm still not sure if I like it or not. It's going to be very exciting to rank it in the worst-to-best-list.
Then there's the rejected NSNA by Phyllis Hyman. I remember liking it very much when I heard for the first time (in the fake Bond themes thread, I think) but....no, it's not the same without Lani's one-hit(ish) wonder.
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Bond Song #16
Microchips and an MTV/EON merger, I guess you could call it the perfect eighties reflex response.
Or maybe it was Duran Duran's answer to Live And Let Die, since McCartney & Wings brought a little Top Of The Tops into the Bond universe.
And they already danced into the fire in 1973.
The lyics describe clubbin 'n shaggin' in a Gothic poetic way (maybe other people read it differently) but it also makes references to the movie itself.
"Snowflakes on your body" (the kiss in the intro scene), "whole earth opening wide" (the earthquake plot) and there are other things that could refer to Zorin and May Day's judo practice.
The point being, whatever the lyrics are about, it really feels like A View To A Kill movie song. And maybe that's more important than being a good Bond franchise song.
It sounds as if a lot of thought and fun went into the mixing process and I think most of the elements from the famous Dr. No theme can be heard throughout.
Linking it to the movie I'd say it sounds a bit too modern for the aging Roger M and this could have been the perfect opportunity for Timothy Dalton to step into 007's shoes since the introduction of a new Bond could capitalize on Duran Duran's smash hit and vice versa.
Microchips and an MTV/EON merger, I guess you could call it the perfect eighties reflex response.
Or maybe it was Duran Duran's answer to Live And Let Die, since McCartney & Wings brought a little Top Of The Tops into the Bond universe.
And they already danced into the fire in 1973.
The lyics describe clubbin 'n shaggin' in a Gothic poetic way (maybe other people read it differently) but it also makes references to the movie itself.
"Snowflakes on your body" (the kiss in the intro scene), "whole earth opening wide" (the earthquake plot) and there are other things that could refer to Zorin and May Day's judo practice.
The point being, whatever the lyrics are about, it really feels like A View To A Kill movie song. And maybe that's more important than being a good Bond franchise song.
It sounds as if a lot of thought and fun went into the mixing process and I think most of the elements from the famous Dr. No theme can be heard throughout.
Linking it to the movie I'd say it sounds a bit too modern for the aging Roger M and this could have been the perfect opportunity for Timothy Dalton to step into 007's shoes since the introduction of a new Bond could capitalize on Duran Duran's smash hit and vice versa.
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A View To A Kill was a bit of a landmark for me. While not the first Bond title track I'd have been aware of, it was certainly the first new one to register with me, because of the TOTP element you mentioned. At the time it was the highest-charting Bond song (#2 in the UK; #1 on the American Billboard chart), and it was the first Bond track that kids at school (even the cool ones in years above mine) were buying and singing and enjoying (Live And Let Die was recorded before I was born, so I missed out on the contemporary associations with that one). We played the single a lot, and I still smile when I think of a friend goofing round by dancing into the room doing faux ballet John Barry's B-side:
It's notable that - unlike Live And Let Die - John Barry was actually involved in the single. He created the final arrangement.
It's remarkable that Barry was still involved in the franchise at this point.
I've been listening to this album a fair bit this week:
It's great. Not too Bond-heavy (around 5 Bond tracks, including That Fatal Kiss and Shirley Bassey's version of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), but also other film and TV themes, sweeping, haunting instrumental tracks and some Sixties weirdness.
It's notable that - unlike Live And Let Die - John Barry was actually involved in the single. He created the final arrangement.
It's remarkable that Barry was still involved in the franchise at this point.
I've been listening to this album a fair bit this week:
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Bond Song #17
The blend of late eighties synths and classic orchestration makes it a proper soundtrack (especially the version with the bonus tracks) and the main composition sounds new and original to me.
There's a recurring flute sound in it that I really like (I don't know what instrument they used it just sounds very flute-y).
As for the vocal theme, I can't make head nor tail of the lyrics, the voice of a-ha doesn't sound very good on this one and the chorus is beyond lame-ass.
To add insult to injury, there's also nothing particularly memorable about the two vocal tracks by another artist, although Where Has Everybody Gone sounds kinda fun.
Conclusion: I think it would have been better to repeat "Secret Service" and give Bond #4 his own great and unique instrumental main theme.
This won't do, child.
The blend of late eighties synths and classic orchestration makes it a proper soundtrack (especially the version with the bonus tracks) and the main composition sounds new and original to me.
There's a recurring flute sound in it that I really like (I don't know what instrument they used it just sounds very flute-y).
As for the vocal theme, I can't make head nor tail of the lyrics, the voice of a-ha doesn't sound very good on this one and the chorus is beyond lame-ass.
To add insult to injury, there's also nothing particularly memorable about the two vocal tracks by another artist, although Where Has Everybody Gone sounds kinda fun.
Conclusion: I think it would have been better to repeat "Secret Service" and give Bond #4 his own great and unique instrumental main theme.
This won't do, child.
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Sounds intriguing, I'll check it out!
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Bond Song #18
The title track is a very slick and polished production and Gladys Knight's vocals are phenomenal, as is to be expected from an artist of her calibre.
However, I feel it's the earnest and typically American R&B-meets-Pop genre that makes it the most dated-sounding Bond song so far.
The fact that it was written, produced and arranged by Narada Michael Walden explains a lot, I guess.
I think what I'm starting to miss is a certain warmth and intimacy in the Bond songs. Shirley Bassey is a vocal power and yes, Goldfinger is widely regarded as her signature song, but I never feel it's about her as an artist.
Similarly, Rita Coolidge's contribution kinda feels like overhearing her singing the Octopussy ballad in the privacy of her bathroom.
Licence To Kill must become a hit, come hell or high water, and it's almost as if the movie is derived from the song rather than vice versa.
It's simply too good to consider it a low-ranker but, personally speaking, I'm having more fun with Lulu's Bond tune.
Timothy Dalton looks like James Bond's evil twin on the LP/CD cover art. Maybe they should have done that in the story.
The title track is a very slick and polished production and Gladys Knight's vocals are phenomenal, as is to be expected from an artist of her calibre.
However, I feel it's the earnest and typically American R&B-meets-Pop genre that makes it the most dated-sounding Bond song so far.
The fact that it was written, produced and arranged by Narada Michael Walden explains a lot, I guess.
I think what I'm starting to miss is a certain warmth and intimacy in the Bond songs. Shirley Bassey is a vocal power and yes, Goldfinger is widely regarded as her signature song, but I never feel it's about her as an artist.
Similarly, Rita Coolidge's contribution kinda feels like overhearing her singing the Octopussy ballad in the privacy of her bathroom.
Licence To Kill must become a hit, come hell or high water, and it's almost as if the movie is derived from the song rather than vice versa.
It's simply too good to consider it a low-ranker but, personally speaking, I'm having more fun with Lulu's Bond tune.
Timothy Dalton looks like James Bond's evil twin on the LP/CD cover art. Maybe they should have done that in the story.
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Bond Song #19
Whereas Lani Hall and Gladys Knight tried persuade "the man" to love them back - and from their viewpoint it doesn't even matter if the man is Bond or the villain - there's not much room for compromise or forgiveness in Tina's song.
In this regard it's more similar to the Bond songstress scorned in Diamonds Are Forever, also because both the diamonds and the goldeneye have a particular purpose in the story.
And aren't we glad that Goldfinger wasn't a device for the Pussy Galore?
Even the anonymous opening sequence girls seem to be fed up with their roles as they're smashing various sculptures with a hammah!
A View To A Kill was the epitome of the Bond video clip (or perhaps the epitome of all music videos) but Tina's music video restores much of that Ian Fleming casino-glamour as we watch her prowl and vamping it up like there's no tomorrow.
Almost every long-running series (movies or TV) ends up in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario and a link on wiki brought me to a GoldenEye soundtrack review (rated 1 star) stating that it deviates too much from the original John Barry sound while simultaneously agreeing that the main vocal theme is too much of a classic John Barry rehash.
I've listened to the soundtrack on youtube and I think it's an interesting mix of ambient and industrial techo, and with a lead single that has a nicely updated retro feel to it (they did it so well in the 1990s).
But I honestly don't recognize any of the previous songs in GoldenEye, or at least not blatantly.
Whereas Lani Hall and Gladys Knight tried persuade "the man" to love them back - and from their viewpoint it doesn't even matter if the man is Bond or the villain - there's not much room for compromise or forgiveness in Tina's song.
In this regard it's more similar to the Bond songstress scorned in Diamonds Are Forever, also because both the diamonds and the goldeneye have a particular purpose in the story.
And aren't we glad that Goldfinger wasn't a device for the Pussy Galore?
Even the anonymous opening sequence girls seem to be fed up with their roles as they're smashing various sculptures with a hammah!
A View To A Kill was the epitome of the Bond video clip (or perhaps the epitome of all music videos) but Tina's music video restores much of that Ian Fleming casino-glamour as we watch her prowl and vamping it up like there's no tomorrow.
Almost every long-running series (movies or TV) ends up in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario and a link on wiki brought me to a GoldenEye soundtrack review (rated 1 star) stating that it deviates too much from the original John Barry sound while simultaneously agreeing that the main vocal theme is too much of a classic John Barry rehash.
I've listened to the soundtrack on youtube and I think it's an interesting mix of ambient and industrial techo, and with a lead single that has a nicely updated retro feel to it (they did it so well in the 1990s).
But I honestly don't recognize any of the previous songs in GoldenEye, or at least not blatantly.
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