The History of Music Through the Themes of James Bond

The Name's Bond

For over 60 years, James Bond has been a staple of the silver screen. From fast cars, killer action, high-stakes espionage, romance, high-tech technology, and the nicest suits ever, 007 has somehow never gone out of style. From the classic spy tales, to the slow-motion 90s-inspired action, and even the shaky cam action of many of today’s movies, the franchise has always been able to seemingly find a way to evolve and stay with the times.  Afterall, Sean Connery and Daniel Craig look nothing alike, but they do share the ability to channel the spirit and charisma of James Bond. And you may think that is what we will be taking a look at today, but no. See early on, the Bond films established a tradition of these elaborate intro credit sequences with music from some of the greatest artists in their eras. Like a time capsule of sorts, every James Bond movie gives us a look at what the music of the time was at the film’s release. In fact, I would argue that the Bond film’s perfectly highlight the evolution of music from the 1960s to today here in the 2020’s. So, join us as we take a shot at chronicling the history of music through 007’s silver screen journey of 25 films.

The 1960s

Things started a bit slow with Bond’s first two outings with Sean Connery at the helm.  The first two films didn’t have the traditional songs the Bond films would become known for, as 1962’s Dr. No has the iconic James Bond theme written by Monty Norman and 1963’s From Russia with Love has another theme written by Norman with help from Barry Bond (Cross, 2021). That second movie though has what could be considered the first Bond song with lyrics though as the credits feature “From Russia with Love” by Matt Munro. It’s a slow, orchestrated song in the style of many famous 1950s singers like Frank Sinatra. It’s an intriguing piece and one that sets up how the rest of the 1960s Bond films’ music would turn out. That is to say, nothing experimental or crazy.

The first intro credits song with lyrics arrived with Connery’s third outing in 1964’s Goldfinger, which is widely considered his best work. “Goldfinger” was written by John Barry, who is going to become a very important name in Bond’s history and had Shirley Bassey as the lead singer of the song. Harry Salzman allegedly said that it was “the worst ******* song” he had heard in his lifetime (Cross, 2021), but I disagree. It set the bar for what a Bond theme should be. The song was a hit and had long-term staying power, with a poll conducted by BBC Radio 2 in 2002 having it placed at 46 for favorite pieces of the last 50 years performed by British acts (BBC, 2002). Goldfinger’s theme falls perfectly in line what could be expected out of Hollywood and its music at the time, simple orchestral pop. Many of the stars of the 50s had gone elsewhere and the Beatles were just about to change the world with a performance on the Ed Sullivan show that took place in… hey what a coincidence…1964.

As the music industry started to get experimental with rock n’ roll, 1965’s Thunderball had to change things up. The movie almost had a different song called Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, with Shirley Bassey returning, but it was seen as unusable because it didn’t have the name of the movie (and how sad because it is a much better song). So, John Barry came in and wrote it pretty fast and had Tom Jones come in to sing the song. A high point of the song, literally, is the final note, where Jones apparently passed out recording it in the studio (Taysom, 2022).

At this point, it was pretty apparent that each Bond movie’s intro and song was becoming something that needed to be treated with a grandiose respect. Tom Jones showed that bringing in well-known singers could pay off. So, for 1967’s You Only Live Twice, Nancy Sinatra was brought in hot off the heels of her new single “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” to sing Barry’s new song titled after the film. And here, the late 60s rock inspiration starts to take focus. Electric guitars make their appearance combined with the orchestral feel each Bond intro was starting to become known for. I mentioned The Beatles earlier, and it’s very apparent here how their influence on music was taking place. But, this was still very much a movie song.

As the 60s came to a close, Sean Connery walked away from Bond and George Lazenby was brought in to take over the role, the first in many recasting’s to come. 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a beautiful film, one that took 007 to new heights. John Barry made the decision to have an intro without lyrics, akin to the first two movies. But that didn’t mean the movie didn’t have anybody come onboard though, as Louis Armstrong wrote a song to be used during the movie in “We Have All the Time in the World”. Who better to close out the 60s than one of the greatest musicians of all time. It would be one of Armstrong’s final pieces of music. With the star power of Sinatra and Armstrong, a tradition had been put in place. James Bond movies deserved stars, and if you were chosen, it probably meant you were one of the biggest in your respective decade.

The 1970s

            In a weird series of events, 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever saw Sean Connery make a return to play 007 one more time officially. He wasn’t the only returnee though as Shirley Bassey came in to sing the title track. The movie itself is a stepdown over many of its predecessors, but that doesn’t carry over into the song. It’s easily Shirley’s best in my opinion, with a cinematic orchestra that gives away to a bombastic sound. It’s a fantastic bridge between the classic Bond intro sound and the modern rock sound that would immediately follow.

            1973’s Live and Let Die saw a new actor take over for Bond, Roger Moore, who would end up being the one to star in the most films. For the first time ever, John Barry was not available to work on the film’s theme. Producer Albert Broccoli, the man behind every 007 outing, had an idea. “Let’s rock it up…and we’ll do it with a Beatle” (Cross, 2021). Who better to demonstrate the evolution of music in the mainstream than a Beatle? Afterall, they had revolutionized the world and were staples of British culture, just like Bond. Paul McCartney was courted, so he read Ian Fleming’s novel that inspired the film, and within a day, sent over the song to EON and Broccoli (Fisher, 2024).  To say this was a match made in heaven would be an understatement. “Live and Let Die” is a masterpiece. McCartney’s song goes from a slow build up, to a heavy rock blast with one of the most iconic guitar riffs of all time, to an orchestrated closure that makes you feel alive. For the first time ever, a James Bond movie had a full blown rock and roll song. A new era of Bond themes was upon us and we finally had music that could make its way onto the radio as a regular song. This would also mark the first time that a Bond theme would be nominated for an Academy Award (Sherlock, 2023). With all that experimenting that had come before, the Broccoli’s and EON had finally cracked the formula. It just took a Beatle to show them.

So, with a perfect formula ready to go, the producers decided to just throw that out and go back to their old habits. 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun’s main theme is…something. John Barry returned and Lulu, a Scottish singer, sang the song. I can only describe it as cheesy and borderline parody. It would be the first time a Bond song wouldn’t chart anywhere (Cross, 2021). The film did have a fast turnaround which could explain the quality control slipping for the entire score. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Alice Cooper actually wrote a theme for the film, but it wasn’t delivered in time to the producers, and we were left with the mess we received (Moran, 2019). The band’s “The Man with the Golden Gun” did actually find its way on to the album they were working on though, “Muscle of Love” (and it’s so much better).

            The late 70s was a time for disco and 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me’s main score followed that trend.  But its main theme “Nobody Does It Better”, the first time the theme wouldn’t share a name with the film, predicted an upcoming trend. Power ballads. Carly Simon’s vocals are amazing, covering the power ballad melody perfectly. It immediately certified itself as a hit and sat at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The theme became something of Hollywood legend, going on to be nominated for an Academy Award and featured in many future movies.

So, two new formula Bond themes, and two going back to the 60s style of doing things. How did the last 007 outing of the 70s decide to go about things? Well, it's our old friend Shirley Bassey. And how about combining everything together.1979’s Moonraker has a ballad version for the intro and a disco version for the ending. Very fitting for the 70s disco craze (that’s not even getting into Moonraker’s crazy space adventures inspired by Star Wars). It also marked the start of a very bad trend of turning away talent and needing last minute replacements, as Kate Bush and Frank Sinatra both declined to do the song, with Bassey coming in last minute (Cross, 2021). And I believe that is no way to treat Bond royalty. But the 70s was over, disco was dead, and the 80s was on the horizon.

The 1980s

            The 80s were a time of revolution in the music industry. With the advent of MTV, there was a chance for superstars to rise more than ever. As George Patient puts it in his article on the 80s, “Music in this decade was not only about catchy hooks and electronic beats, but it also became a powerful medium for self-expression and political commentary” (Patient, 2024). Remember those power ballads we talked about? So, the Bond films of the 80s had a lot to live up to musically.

            Following Moonraker, EON and MGM wanted to being the franchise in a grittier direction (Kielty, 2020).  1981’s For Your Eyes Only would have Roger Moore focusing on his intelligence. For the film’s theme, the studio went to one of the biggest stars of the 80s, Debbie Harry of Blondie. They had found success with using huge stars like this, so this was bound to work. But, when the studio only wanted Harry and not the band, she walked away (Kielty, 2020). So, they went in another direction. Sheena Easton was brought in and sang a power ballad for the film. And boy did it work out. It’s heavy, sweet, and carries an emotion found in so much music of that era. The choice also paid off because Easton’s song would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award (Sherlock, 2023).  1983’s Octopussy follows a very similar pattern to “For Your Eyes Only”. The theme was titled “All Time High” and is a power ballad sung by Rita Coolidge. It was another hit and was able to chart fairly high.

We now come to 1985’s A View to Kill, another Roger Moore classic and his last outing. So, here’s the story, Albert Broccoli approaches bassist John Taylor of Duran Duran, one of the biggest bands of the 80s, at a party. Taylor tells Broccoli how much he loves Bond, while also being very drunk (Taylor also owns an Aston Martin, Bond’s signature car). Taylor cuts to the chase and says he thinks the last couple of themes have been mediocre. Cut to a couple of weeks later, and Duran Duran has worked with John Barry to make “A View to Kill” (Kemp, 2022). It was bombastic and captured the 80s in a bottle. The song would go onto chart number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In an interview with the AV Club in 2012, Taylor said the following: “But Bond songs have to be big songs, don’t they? They have to have the grandiosity. It’s like designing a Rolls-Royce. You want it to be completely state of the art” (Harris, 2012). At this point it was clear what every James Bond theme from this point forward needed to be.

Timothy Dalton took over the role of James Bond to close out the 80s. His first film The Living Daylights had A-Ha come in for the title theme and you really can’t get much more 80s than A-Ha. It’s a catchy, popping song that really excels from John Barry’s contributions. It is also important to note that this would be Barry’s final film as composer. He didn’t leave without innovating though as he had sequenced electronic rhythm tracks put over with the orchestra, the first of its kind. He somehow found a way to allow modern music to keep that classical Bond feeling. Dalton’s second and final film License to Kill kept with that 80s superstar spirit bringing in Gladys Knight to sing an R&B-inspired track. The first of its kind and a beautiful farewell to the 80s and classic Bond.

The 1990s

            James Bond had lost his edge. The series needed to hold itself to a new standard. Movies were becoming events and Bond needed to be a tentpole franchise if it wanted to survive. Barbra Broccoli, who had mostly taken over for her father, had a new vision. Pierce Brosnan was brought in as the new 007 with Martin Campbell directing 1995’s GoldenEye. The theme needed to be big. 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It, a biopic about Tina Turner had brought her back into the spotlight. So, she was brought in to sing the theme written by Bono and the Edge (Hill, 2023). That is a whole lot of star power, and it was another certified hit.

1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies decided to approach things differently. While composer David Arnold was originally going to write it, MGM wanted to stick to the plan of popular artists of the time writing the theme. So, a competition was held with k.d. Lang, Pulp, Swan Lee, , Saint Etienne, and even Duran Duran all throwing their hats in. But it was 90s country rock star Sheryl Crow who won out with a pop-infused ballad (Harrison, 2023). And with a Grammy nomination, MGM’s bet had paid off. The same approach was taken for 1999’s The World is Not Enough, except Arnold played a role in writing the theme. Scottish rock band Garbage took the reins on its performance. In a word of music that was fast becoming electronic-filled, the theme had a huge injection of this in its beats. But it still remained true to Bond’s orchestral roots.

The 2000s

It could probably be said that the 90s didn’t have a single bad Bond theme. The 2000s had a formula to follow. A popular artist’s sound of the time infused with a classic 007-orchestra. But you see at this point, the producers had become too involved, and Bond’s identity had been lost once more. So, if you’re going to make a theme for 2002’s Die Another Day, what is basically non-arguably the worst James Bond movie ever (and very sadly Pierce Brosnan’s last outing), why not throw the formula into the fire. If there anything I can say positively about Madonna’s “Die Another Day”, it’s that it truly lives up to being an early 2000s song. It’s described by Wikipedia as “electroclash/industrial pop”, and sure why not? For me, it’s biggest problem is just how basic it is. Having some generic strings near the end doesn’t make it 007. It feels like a song for any 2000s action movie. This is James Bond. Remember what John Taylor said a Bond theme should be. It feels like the producers had forgotten half of their winning formula.

James Bond needed another reinvention. The Borne movies had redefined the action/espionage genre and Austin Powers had deconstructed classic Bond. So how do you get things back on track following the worst 007 film ever? Well, you bring back Martin Campbell, hire the very talented (and blonde) Daniel Craig as 007, have Chris Cornell write a song that acts as a theme for a young James Bond, and make the greatest movie ever in 2006’s Casino Royale. Cornell, of Soundgarden and Audioslave fame, brought an edge that the franchise severely needed with his theme “You Know My Name”, an alternative rock song that kicked off Craig’s run as 007 with an absolute bang. In an interview in 2007, Cornell said he was asked because EON needed a song and singer that would reflect Bond’s new direction. As for why he took it: “as a kid I really liked the Bond films [with] Sean Connery…I’m a big Daniel Craig fan…and I knew he would be great as James Bond… I’m a Paul McCartney fan, and I remembered how he had written and sung ‘Live And Let Die.’ So it was thrill that I could do a Bond theme, like my hero Paul McCartney had done earlier” (Kawashima, 2007). Cornell brought back the edge and grandiose that a James Bond theme needed.

David Arnold continued his run on composing Bond movies and decided to bring in Jack White of The White Stripes to make the theme for 2008’s Quantum of Solace. White had actually always wanted to do a 007 theme and famously shared that the iconic “Seven Nation Army” riff was one he hoped to use in a Bond film (Maxwell & Leslie, 2024). He thought it would never happen and used it in a song. White would bring in one of the biggest stars and singers of the 2000s, Alicia Keys, to do a duet, a series first. What they came up with was “Another Way to Die”, a killer symphonic rock theme that brings back that iconic orchestra feel with some of the best guitar riffs the series had ever seen.

The 2010s

            As we entered the 2010s, the landscape of movies had changed. Characters were being deconstructed and actors wanted to explore emotions that had never been touched. Craig and EON wanted to take Bond in a different direction, and the music that followed would reflect that. To say they made the right choice would be an understatement.

2012 marked 50 years of James Bond movies. Sam Mendes’ Skyfall had to be perfect, and it would go on to be nothing short of a masterpiece. When selecting an artist to sing the theme, the producers knew they needed a star. Adele had just come off winning 6 Grammys and was one of the biggest selling artists. Her voice had certified itself as one of the greatest of all time. So, if you’re making a movie to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond, you go and get the greatest singer in music at the time. Lia Vollack, the president of music at Sony for the time said: “Stylistically, it just felt right to bring back that classic Shirley Bassey feel that you associate with those early Bond films” (Burlingame, 2012). Adele’s “Skyfall” might just be the greatest James Bond theme, if not one of the best songs ever made. It’s an orchestrated masterpiece that reaches into your soul. It’s placement is also I believe one of the best ever, following Bond being shot off a moving train into the sea below him. “Skyfall” would go on to be the first Bond theme to be nominated at the Oscars for Best Original Song since the 80s, and go on to win the Academy Award.

2015’s Spectre had a bit of a different path. Director Sam Mendes was a Radiohead fan and knew the film was going to need a deeply emotional song. So, Radiohead wrote “Spectre”, which was a orchestral ballad that was sadly turned down because Mendes could not find a place for it to be used (Greene, 2021). So instead, Sam Smith was approached, another standout singer of the 2010s, with the producers hoping to reproduce some of Adele’s magic. He came up with “Writing’s on the Wall”, which was met with mixed reviews, but I think the song fits the movie pretty well and finds a way to capture the orchestral feel that a Bond theme should be known for. It would also go on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The 2020s

            While Daniel Craig somehow played James Bond for the longest, he didn’t catch up to Connery and Moore’s numbers. Movies take longer to make nowadays, but the quality seemed to be more consistent with his run. Almost retiring after Spectre, Craig agreed to do one more film with 2021’s No Time to Die. We can look back to every decade from this point and see how EON and MGM had seemingly become talented at picking out the best musicians of an era. That talent is at its best showcase with their latest pick in Bilie Eilish, who at 18, was the youngest artist to record a Bond theme (Savage, 2020). And as we move further through the decade, that choice is aging very well. Eilish’s “No Time to Die” is beautiful and a perfect song for Craig’s emotional last outing. Written with her brother Finneas O’Connell, the alternative/indie sound coincides magically with the orchestra that rings in its background, as Eilish’s voice carries an emotion that cannot be described. “No Time to Die” would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song (Sherlock, 2023), the third consecutive theme to do that and something that was becoming a tradition for them.

60 Years of Music

            And that’s it! With the 2010s only bringing us two James Bond outings, we may only be getting one more Bond movie this decade, which means maybe only one more theme that represents whatever popular music sounds like in the late 2020s. From Shirley Bassey, to Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Chris Cornell, Adele, and Bilie Eilish, you can trace a clear path of popular music in the last 60 years. No matter how music evolved though, James Bond’s themes always still found a way to stay true to their roots. I hope you enjoyed our adventure through this very long history, and I for one am looking forward to see how the industry keeps changing.

Below I’ve attached a video of me ranking the Bond themes, and a film I made for a class last year inspired by James Bond using Arctic Monkey’s “Mirrorball” as the inspiration for the entire project.

Works Cited

BBC - Press Office - Best of British Top 50. (2002). Bbc.co.uk. https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2002/06_june/01/top50.shtml

Burlingame, J. (2012, December 12). Adele’s brush with Bond. Variety. https://variety.com/2012/film/news/adele-s-brush-with-bond-1118063293/

Cross, A. (2021, October 3). A not-so-brief history of every James Bond song - National | Globalnews.ca. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/8233071/every-james-bond-song/

Fisher, T. (2024, February 24). Financial Times. Ft.com. https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/live-and-let-die.html

Greene, A. (2021, October 7). Flashback: Radiohead’s Rejected James Bond Theme “Spectre.” Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/radioheads-rejected-james-bond-theme-spectre-1238295/

Harris, W. (2012, July 31). Duran Duran bassist John Taylor on some of the band’s most famous songs. AV Club. https://www.avclub.com/duran-duran-bassist-john-taylor-on-some-of-the-band-s-m-1798232854

Harrison, M. (2023, May 11). The many theme songs of Tomorrow Never Dies. Film Stories. https://filmstories.co.uk/features/the-many-theme-songs-of-tomorrow-never-dies/

Hill, S. (2023, January 6). Goldeneye: how one godawful U2 demo led to Tina Turner recording one of the most iconic James Bond themes ever. Louder; Louder. https://www.loudersound.com/features/goldeneye-how-one-godawful-u2-demo-led-to-tina-turner-recording-one-of-the-most-iconic-james-bond-themes-ever

Kawashima, D. (2007, May 11). Chris Cornell Interview - Solo Album “Carry On,” Writing His Songs. Songwriter Universe. https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/chriscornell123/

Kemp, S. (2022, May 2). How Duran Duran created a number one “James Bond” hit. Far out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/duran-duran-james-bond-number-one/

Kielty, M. (2020, March 13). Why James Bond Rejected Blondie’s Version of “For Your Eyes Only.” Ultimate Classic Rock. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/blondie-james-bond-for-your-eyes-only/

Maxwell, J., & Leslie, J. (2024, September 13). “I was sound-checking at the Corner Hotel in Australia when that came out. I thought about it as a possible James Bond theme”: Jack White on the origins of the iconic Seven Nation Army riff. Guitar Player; GuitarPlayer. https://www.guitarplayer.com/news/jack-white-seven-nation-army-origins

Moran, P. (2019, December 19). How Alice Cooper Almost Added James Bond Theme Song to His Resume. Ultimate Classic Rock. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-man-with-golden-gun/

Patient, G. (2024, February 13). 80s Music: Exploring The Iconic Decade. Www.merchmates.co.uk. https://www.merchmates.co.uk/blog/music/80s-music/

Savage, M. (2020, January 14). Billie Eilish to sing the new James Bond theme. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-51112742

Sherlock, B. (2023, March 5). All Oscar Nominations For James Bond Theme Songs (& Which Ones Won). ScreenRant; Screen Rant. https://screenrant.com/james-bond-theme-songs-oscar-nomination-winners/

Taysom, J. (2022, June 9). The song that saw Tom Jones nearly pass out in the studio. Far out Magazine. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/song-saw-tom-jones-pass-out-studio/