In 1953, a brilliant novel was born, with a very charming fictional character. His name, you ask? Bond. James Bond. The novel’s film series was brought to life in 1962. The series not only became a sensation, later encompassing 23 films, but it’s grown to be the third-highest-grossing film series, earning over $6 billion to date. When one thinks of James Bond, of course, a classic image comes to mind: gun-in-hand, charming spy with fancy gadgets and cars; However, perhaps the greatest asset identified with any Bond film has been the theme song that comes with it. Since the film series debut numerous iconic artists, from Paul McCartney to Tina Turner, have contributed to the list of Bond songs. The song that accompanies the film has become as iconic as the film itself, with fans counting down the days to it’s release. With a new film coming in November, we too get a new song. Sepctre, the 2015 Bond film, has selected Sam Smith as the artist to add his name to the iconic list. After much anticipation, today marks the day a new 007 hit is born: Sam Smith’s “The Writings On The Wall.”
After one listen to “The Writing’s On The Wall,” it’s clear that Smith perfectly fits and positively contributes to the list of classic Bond songs. Many marked by their impressive use of an array of instruments, Smith undoubtedly follows the classic characteristics while bringing a modern twist to the table.To re-familiarize with iconic theme songs, by order of date, here is a complete list of the greatest Bond songs:
Shirley Bassey – “Goldfinger” (1964)
in James Bond Goldfinger film
Tom Jones – Thunderball (1965)
in James Bond Thunderball film
Nancy Sinatra – You Only Live Twice (1967)
in James Bond You Only Live Twice film
John Barry Orchestra – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service / James Bond Theme (1969)
in James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service film
Paul McCartney – Live and Let Die (1973)
in James Bond Live and Let Die film
Rita Coolidge – All Time High (1983)
in James Bond Octopussy film
Tina Turner – GoldenEye (1995)
in James Bond GoldenEye film
Sheryl Crow – Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
in James Bond Tomorrow Never Dies film
Garbage – The World Is Not Enough (1999)
in James Bond The World Is Not Enough film
Chris Cornell – You Know My Name (2006)
in James Bond Casino Royale film
Final applause for Sam Smith “The Writings On The Wall” added to this list