Hey there hi there ho there good people.
I’ve been promised that eventually we will do a podcast on the Rockford Files, Match Game and! Best songs from movies. All of these are important to me but because of my love of movies, soundtracks and scores have always been a favorite subject of mine.
One of the longest running franchises in movie history is, of course, James Bond.
Maybe one day we’ll debate who has been the best Bond and who would make a great Bond in the future … what’s that? You want to know my picks now? Ok then.
In my youth Roger Moore was James Bond, so for years he was my natural favorite. But recently, Daniel Craig has really won my heart. I think he’s been a perfect Bond.
In the future I’d love to see Tom Ellis given a chance to play 007. I first saw him in the hilarious English show, Miranda. He was almost too handsome to be in it truth be told. If you’ve never watched this show, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you’ve got The Hulus you can see it here >> https://www.hulu.com/miranda Currently Ellis can be seen on Fox’s Lucifer.
Alrighty back to the songs.
Because the franchise spans quite a few decades a lot of the times the music reflects what is popular for the time. And unfortunately, those entries don’t hold up so well at all. At least for me they don’t. Songs like For Your Eyes Only, View To A Kill and The Living Daylights don’t really fit my vision of what a Bond theme song should be. James Bond is a man’s man and DTF 24/7. The theme songs should reflect that.
My top two are interchangeable really. I love them both equally. One is sappy and one is rockin’ and it depends on my mood on that particular day for me to choose one over the other as a fave. We’ll get to them in a bit, this is a countdown dontcha know.
My #5 pick is the one that started it all.
#5 Dr. No Theme Song
The first Bond theme and the first glimpse at what the James Bond franchise opening credits would become. [Those credits really deserve their own blog post and they’ll get one.] Always great eye candy, and even if you didn’t love the song, the graphics were not going to disappoint. This bit of music is so catchy that it is still instantly recognizable FIFTY-FIVE years later. That’s some staying power.
#4 SkyFall
I have to be honest. I don’t love a lot of the newer Bond themes. Kids today and their Bond themes, amirite? Anyhooooo, as old school as I love to be, I can’t and won’t deny that Adele is just an amazing singer. This song was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and it was the first time a Bond song actually won the Oscar. I don’t know if I love this song as much as I just love her voice. But it doesn’t matter. This is my #4.
#3 Goldfinger
Truth be told this is the number one song on everyone’s Bond Theme Song list and it truly deserves to be there. Shirley Bassey’s voice and delivery are both perfect. Her enunciation of “Gooold Fingah” is dripping with cool.
#2 The Spy Who Loved Me
1977 was a big year in music for me personally. I was ten and had discovered the bliss that was pop music. Hall and Oates, Kiss, Andy Gibb, Paul Nicholas — they were all fantastic and I doubt there is a charting pop song from 76 to 80 that I don’t remember. Written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager Nobody Does It Better was my introduction to Carly Simon. Of course she had been around with huge hits (You’re So Vain, Anticipation) prior to that but I wasn’t quite old enough to appreciate those songs at the time.
To be fair I am pretty sure I assumed the “It” in the song title referred to Spy Stuff. This was before I knew about Bond being DTF 24/7.
#1 Live and Let Die
Here it is, my favorite Bond theme (today at least). Written and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings this song was from 1973’s Live and Let Die, the debut of Roger Moore as Bond. Manly, rockin’ and the first Bond theme to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. For me this song never gets old nor does it sound painfully stuck in the year it was released. That’s saying quite a bit for a song that’s not a ballad. I guess Guns n Roses agreed, because they covered Live And Let Die in 1991, and even snagged a Grammy nomination for their effort.
Keep on keepin’ on, I’ll catch you next time.