Since its inception in 1962, the James Bond film series from Eon Productions has featured many musical compositions, many of which are now considered classic pieces of British film music. The best known piece is the "James Bond Theme" composed by Monty Norman. Other instrumentals, such as "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and various songs performed by British or American artists such as Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice", Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die", Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better", Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only", Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", Tina Turner's "GoldenEye" also become identified with the series.
Madonna's "Die Another Day" became a dance hit around the world, while "A View to a Kill" is the only Bond song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Three Bond songs have won the Academy Award for Best Original Song: "Skyfall" by Adele, "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith and "No Time to Die" by Billie Eilish, while Writing's on the Wall also became the first Bond theme to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
See main article: James Bond Theme.
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No, released in 1962. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in every Eon Bond film before Casino Royale.
The briefest of "James Bond themes", this composition started off the "Opening Titles" music of From Russia with Love. It was heard in the On Her Majesty's Secret Service film trailer, as well as in the pre-title sequence of Tomorrow Never Dies. WLS (AM) used the theme in the mid-1960s for their secret agent radio serial "The Wild Adventures of Peter Fugitive" that appeared on "The Art Roberts Show".[2]
"007 Theme", also known as "007 Takes the Lektor", is an adventure theme composed by John Barry in 1963 for the Bond film From Russia with Love.[3] "The John Barry Seven" had pop chart hit with a cover version of Elmer Bernstein's theme to The Magnificent Seven that included seven beats repeated throughout the theme. Barry used seven beats throughout the "007 Theme".
It became a secondary theme for the Bond films, being used throughout the series, primarily during action scenes. Its most notable appearances are:
The theme has not been used in its entirety in a Bond film since its use in Moonraker.
This piece of music was also used by Al Primo, the news director at KYW-TV in Philadelphia for its long-time theme to Eyewitness News, and was adopted by other Group W stations in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Boston and San Francisco as well as other non-Group W stations, including WLS-TV in Chicago. The theme was also sampled by Big Audio Dynamite for the 1986 song "Sightsee M.C!"
Like John Barry, David Arnold has left his own mark in the music of James Bond. In this case, he has established what can be called the "suspense motif", which is a descending, often repetitive four-note motif that can be heard in all of the Bond films he has scored. This motif can be heard in:
The largest contributions to the Bond films, save for the "James Bond Theme", are works from John Barry. Barry composed eleven Bond soundtracks and is credited with the creation of "007" (dominated by brass and percussion) and the popular orchestral theme from On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Next to Barry, David Arnold is the series' most regular composer. He composed the scores for five Bond films: Tomorrow Never Dies through Quantum of Solace. His orchestrations combined with electronic rhythm elements gave the Pierce Brosnan era its musical identity. Arnold was essentially Barry's anointed successor, Barry having recommended Arnold to Barbara Broccoli when she took over the Bond films from her father Albert R. Broccoli.
Other major composers and record-producers include George Martin, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, Marvin Hamlisch, Éric Serra, Thomas Newman and Hans Zimmer. Each of these composed for only one Bond film, with the exception of Newman. The departures from John Barry had various causes; sometimes Barry declined in order to avoid paying double income tax—US and UK. Barry died in 2011. Sometimes the director of a Bond film had worked with the composer of his choice on other films – the latter happened to Thomas Newman with Skyfall and Spectre.
| Film | Year | Score composer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. No | 1962 | Monty Norman | |
| From Russia with Love | 1963 | John Barry | |
| Goldfinger | 1964 | ||
| Thunderball | 1965 | ||
| You Only Live Twice | 1967 | ||
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 1969 | ||
| Diamonds Are Forever | 1971 | ||
| Live and Let Die | 1973 | George Martin | |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | 1974 | John Barry | |
| The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | Marvin Hamlisch | |
| Moonraker | 1979 | John Barry | |
| For Your Eyes Only | 1981 | Bill Conti | |
| Octopussy | 1983 | John Barry | |
| A View to a Kill | 1985 | ||
| The Living Daylights | 1987 | ||
| Licence to Kill | 1989 | Michael Kamen | |
| GoldenEye | 1995 | Éric Serra | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1997 | David Arnold | |
| The World Is Not Enough | 1999 | ||
| Die Another Day | 2002 | ||
| Casino Royale | 2006 | ||
| Quantum of Solace | 2008 | ||
| Skyfall | 2012 | Thomas Newman | |
| Spectre | 2015 | ||
| No Time to Die | 2021 | Hans Zimmer |
The "James Bond Theme" is the main theme for Dr. No, and has featured in all the Eon Productions Bond films in different versions. The theme has also featured on the gun barrel sequences at the beginning of the films. The original theme was written by Monty Norman, and was performed by John Barry and his orchestra in 1962. In the opening credits of Dr. No, two other pieces were played: an untitled bongo interlude and a Calypso-flavored rendition of "Three Blind Mice", titled "Kingston Calypso". Due to this, Dr. No is the only film to have more than one opening theme. The "James Bond Theme" reached 13 in the UK Singles Chart, and remained in the charts for 13 weeks.[4]
The opening credits of From Russia with Love were accompanied by an instrumental version of the main theme, arranged by John Barry and written by Lionel Bart. A single by The John Barry Orchestra reached 39 in the U.K. At the film's end, a vocal version by English singer Matt Monro is heard. This song spent 13 weeks in the U.K. charts, peaking at 20.[4]
Goldfinger was the third soundtrack composed by John Barry, and this time the theme song had lyrics written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. The soundtrack reached 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 70 weeks on the charts.[5] It also peaked at 14 on the UK Albums Chart,[4] and received the Bond series first Grammy Award nomination, Best Original Score from a Motion Picture or Television Show.[6]
Welsh singer Shirley Bassey is the only singer to perform more than one Bond theme – she recorded the themes to Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker. Bassey also recorded her own versions of "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" for Thunderball and it was rumoured that "No Good About Goodbye" was intended for Quantum of Solace, however David Arnold said 'No Good About Goodbye' was never intended as a Bond song.[7]
Paul McCartney's performance of "Live and Let Die" was the first Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song; it reached 2 as a U.S. single, and 9 on the U.K. charts.[4] [5] George Martin's work in the song won the Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists.[8]
Marvin Hamlisch's (music) and Carole Bayer Sager's (lyrics) "Nobody Does It Better" (performed by Carly Simon) received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as did Bill Conti's "For Your Eyes Only", which was performed by Sheena Easton.
It was not until the 2013 Oscars that a Bond theme song finally won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the theme song from Skyfall by Adele. Thomas Newman's score also got the first nomination for Academy Award for Best Original Score in the series since Hamlisch's own for The Spy Who Loved Me, while winning the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Adele's song also won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[9] Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre and Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die" from the film of the same name would also win Oscars for Best Original Song.
Duran Duran and John Barry's "A View To A Kill" topped the singles charts in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the only Bond theme to hit 1 in the United States.[5] No James Bond theme had topped the charts in the UK until Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" entered the charts at number one on 2 October 2015.[10]
Several of the later films have alternative theme songs, often during the closing credits. The Living Daylights featured The Pretenders performing "If There Was a Man," composed by John Barry with Chrissie Hynde. Licence to Kill has "If You Asked Me To" sung by Patti LaBelle. GoldenEye featured Éric Serra's "The Experience of Love". Tomorrow Never Dies included k.d. lang's "Surrender" during the closing credits, a song which was originally proposed by composer David Arnold to be the title sequence theme instead of the Sheryl Crow title song. The "Surrender" theme is heard throughout the score while the melody of Sheryl Crow's song is not used again during the film. This harks back to the Thunderball soundtrack, where "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" was originally proposed as the opening credits music, only to be replaced by the eponymous title track as sung by Tom Jones.[11]
On Her Majesty's Secret Service featured an instrumental theme tune, something which remains unique amongst the post–From Russia with Love films, and included a vocal theme in the form of Louis Armstrong's performance of "We Have All the Time in the World", written by John Barry and Hal David.
A number of Bond films include one (or more) additional songs in the soundtrack. Some of these pieces of music, such as "We Have All the Time in the World" by Louis Armstrong, have gone on to become as well known as the main themes, while other songs remain exclusively linked to the film in which they appear.
| Film | Title | Year | Performed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. No | "Jump Up!" "Three Blind Mice1" "Jamaican Rock" "Under the Mango Tree" 1 'Three Blind Mice' is a.k.a. the 'Kingston Calypso' | 1962 | Byron Lee and the Dragonaires Monty Norman Diana Coupland | |
| From Russia with Love | "From Russia with Love" (End Credits) | 1963 | Matt Monro | |
| Thunderball | "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" | 1965 | Dionne Warwick and another version by Shirley Bassey (not on soundtrack, only instrumental version appears in film) | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | "We Have All the Time in the World" "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?" | 1969 | Louis Armstrong Nina | |
| For Your Eyes Only | "Make It Last All Night" | 1981 | Rage | |
| A View to a Kill | "California Girls" (not on soundtrack) | 1985 | Gidea Park | |
| The Living Daylights | "Where Has Everybody Gone?" "If There Was a Man" | 1987 | The Pretenders | |
| Licence to Kill | "If You Asked Me To" "Wedding Party" "Dirty Love" | 1989 | Patti LaBelle Ivory Tim Feehan | |
| GoldenEye | "The Experience of Love" "James Bond Theme" (GoldenEye trailer version) | 1995 | Éric Serra Starr Parodi and Jeff Fair (used in teasers, not in film) | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | "Surrender" "James Bond Theme" | 1997 | k.d. lang Moby (trailer music) | |
| The World Is Not Enough | "Only Myself to Blame" "James Bond Theme" (End Title) "Sweetest Coma Again" (Japanese End Title) | 1999 | Scott Walker (original end credits song, not in film) David Arnold (not on soundtrack) Luna Sea (only on Japanese soundtrack) | |
| Die Another Day | "London Calling" "James Bond Theme (Bond vs. Oakenfold)" | 2002 | The Clash (not on soundtrack) Paul Oakenfold (trailer music) | |
| No Time to Die | "We Have All the Time in the World" | 2021 | Louis Armstrong |
Some songs have been dubbed for the foreign versions of the films.
| Film | Original title | Translated title | Performer | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| From Russia with Love | "From Russia with Love" | "Bons baisers de Russie" "Die Wolga ist weit" (not on DVD releases) | Bob Asklof Ruth Berlé | France Germany | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?" | "Savez-vous ce qu'il faut au sapin de Noël?" "Wovon träumt ein Weihnachtsbaum im Mai?" (on German DVD releases) | Isabelle Aubret Katja Ebstein | France Germany | |
| Diamonds Are Forever | "Diamonds Are Forever" | "Vivo di diamanti" | Shirley Bassey | Italy |
| Film | Title | Score composer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Spy Who Loved Me | "Lawrence of Arabia Theme" "Doctor Zhivago Theme" (Music box) "Concerto for Piano N°21" (Elvira Madigan) – Andante "Air on the G String" | Maurice Jarre Maurice Jarre Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Johann Sebastian Bach | |
| Moonraker | "Close Encounters of the Third Kind Theme" "The Magnificent Seven Theme" "Prelude No. 15 (Raindrop prelude)" Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka Romeo and Juliet Overture | John Williams Elmer Bernstein Frédéric Chopin Johann Strauss II Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| A View to a Kill | "The Four Seasons" "Swan Lake" | Antonio Vivaldi Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| The Living Daylights | "40th Symphony in G minor" (1st movement) "Finale-Act II-Le Nozze di Figaro" "String Quartet in D major" "Variations on a Rococo Theme" | Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Borodin Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | |
| GoldenEye | "Stand By Your Man" (Minnie Driver) | Billy Sherrill / Tammy Wynette | |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | "It Had to Be You" (Instrumental) | Gus Kahn / Isham Jones |
| Film | Year | Score composer | Title song | Performed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Royale | 1967 | Burt Bacharach | "Casino Royale" | Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass | |
| Never Say Never Again | 1983 | Michel Legrand | "Never Say Never Again" | Lani Hall |
| Film | Title | Year | Performed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Royale | "The Look of Love""Dream on James, You're Winning" | 1967 | Dusty SpringfieldMike Redway | |
| Never Say Never Again | "Une Chanson d'Amour" | 1983 | Sophie Della |
A number of songs have been recorded for Bond films but not used.
Bond music has inspired a number of cover albums in a variety of genres, including the 2007 album Mister Bond – A Jazzy Cocktail of Ice Cold Themes (lounge) and , the latter of which features David Arnold collaborating with several contemporary artists. The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra recorded several albums with Bond music and performs in premieres and special events of Bond films. Britain's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra released an album of several Bond songs performances called Best Of James Bond, some of which were used on the menus of "Ultimate Edition" DVD releases. Billy Strange released "Secret Agent File" in 1965. In 2004, The Cavaliers played a show titled 007 using Bond music such as "GoldenEye", "For Your Eyes Only", "Live and Let Die", "Hovercraft Chase", "Welcome to Cuba" and "Paris and Bond". Some of them are Italo disco-like rhythms and soundtrack albums promote hits that matches the film's theme. In 2000 'An Electronika Tribute to James Bond' album was released adding yet another genre to the Bond fandom.
With the increase in audio quality for video game consoles and personal computers, in addition to the continued popularity of computer and video games, publisher Electronic Arts as well as Activision (since 2008) has included opening themes and film-style credit sequences to some of its more recent Bond video games & spin offs.
| Video game | Year | Score composer | Title song | Performed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldenEye 007 | 1997 | Graeme Norgate and Grant Kirkhope | "The James Bond Theme" | ||
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1999 | Tommy Tallarico | "Tomorrow Never Dies" | Sheryl Crow | |
| The World Is Not Enough (Nintendo 64 and PlayStation) | 2000 | Neil Baldwin (Nintendo 64) and Don Veca (PlayStation) | |||
| Agent Under Fire | 2001 | Don Veca | "The James Bond Theme" | ||
| Nightfire | 2002 | Steve Duckworth, Ed Lima, Jeff Tymoschuk | "Nearly Civilized" | Esthero | |
| Everything or Nothing | 2004 | Sean Callery, Jeff Tymoschuk | "Everything or Nothing" | Mýa | |
| 2004 | Paul Oakenfold | "If You're Gonna..." | Natasha Bedingfield | ||
| From Russia with Love | 2005 | Christopher Lennertz | "From Russia with Love" (instrumental remix) | John Barry | |
| Quantum of Solace | 2008 | Christopher Lennertz | "When Nobody Loves You" | Kerli | |
| GoldenEye 007 | 2010 | David Arnold, Kevin Kiner | "GoldenEye" | Nicole Scherzinger | |
| Blood Stone | 2010 | Richard Jacques | "I'll Take It All" | Joss Stone | |
| 007 Legends | 2012 | David Arnold, Kevin Kiner | "Goldfinger" (instrumental remix) | David Arnold |
The 2008 continuation novel Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks was the first James Bond novel to receive its own theme song. Also called "Devil May Care", the song was written and recorded by Cardiff band SAL and was available on the UK audiobook release of the novel.[22]