Bond Themes from Worst to Best

With the announcement of Bond 25, it’s time to get excited again about the return of the ultimate spy. Here at ARKE, we’ve decided to start watching all 24 Bonds in order of release. One of the most thrilling moments of every film is the transition from whatever exciting prelude Mr. Bond has just survived to the theme music. Some have been stellar successes; others not as much.

We’ve taken on the unenviable task to rank all Bond themes from worst to best, knowing of course the controversy that this can create. So readers take note: this is our opinion (at this writing – subject to change), and we welcome your comments and why we’re wrong.

#24 Madonna – Die Another Day (Die Another Day)

This track is truly frightening. In an attempt to “be relevant,” both the Bond franchise and Madonna concoct an opening sequence that is right out of a bad Molly trip. Madonna relies on a vocoder throughout the staccato, repetitive, and somewhat stilted beat. The visuals show frightening space-scorpions and people turning into molten pools of lava or ice. Rikky Rooksby described it best in his book Madonna: The Complete Guide to Her Music as “melodically uninteresting and harmonically repetitious.”
We’ll pass.

(A brief aside: that after that atrocious release, the rankings from here on are purely based on their comparison to other Bond themes. There is little between many of them, and in some cases we rated one theme over another simply because we enjoyed the film more.)

#23 Gladys Knight – Licence to Kill (Licence to Kill)

We know that the Timothy Dalton era of Bond was an attempt to create a more human and vulnerable Bond. The Living Daylights was thoroughly pastiche Bond, leading the producers to create a grittier second Dalton film. This one, perhaps, went too far in the other direction, with censors complaining of excessive violence. In any case, while the films are thoroughly enjoyable, this theme wasn’t anything to get excited about. The one nice bit – the horn blast – is a direct lift from the theme to Goldfinger, and required that a licensing fee be paid to the original composers.

#22 Garbage – The World Is Not Enough (The World Is Not Enough)

The fact that Garbage felt inclined to release their own video for this song says much about the band. True, they were the it alternative band of the era, and we were in the height of MTV video culture, but Shirley Manson as a cyborg being built in a lab was a tad ridiculous. Having said that, as  Bond theme this works well enough, right to the point when Manson wails “The world is NOOOOT enough….” sliding into her note during the drawn out “not” instantly dropped it a few places.

#21 Tina Turner – GoldenEye (GoldenEye)

Tina Turner brings the classic Bond soul to the theme, complete with horn stabs, dramatic breaks, and intriguing melodies. Complete with the dancing girls and lots of fire, this is a classic Bond theme. Like Garbage, she felt compelled to release her own video for the song which is not nearly as good.

#20 Jack White & Alicia Keyes – Another Way to Die (Quantum of Solace)

For some reason, this theme received a lot of backlash. Apparently teaming White with Keyes offended people. Others felt taken aback by the guitar licks. Others perhaps didn’t like Quantum of Solace as a film, although we feel it is one of the most underrated Bonds. All in, it is a good theme, the title sequence is interesting, and White and Keyes capture the classic Bond sound, updated for the naughts.

#19 Sheryl Crow –  Tomorrow Never Dies (Tomorrow Never Dies)

We’re not fans of Sheryl Crow, and just for that reason alone, this song could have dropped far further down the list (and we certainly love Maddie more than her). But this is a good theme, harkening back to the more classic Monty Norman sounds. Unfortunately the film was rubbish.

#18 Lee and the Dragonaires – Kingston Calypso (Dr. No)

While strictly not a title sequence (the music is playing in the background as the movie begins) we need to credit something for Dr. No. It has none of the classic Bond sounds – no John Barry bombast, nor Monty Norman surf guitar – but it is a fun song that sets the stage for an unusual, but iconic Bond, parodied countless times from then on.

#17 Sam Smith – The Writing’s On The Wall (Spectre)

Following on from Adele’s ‘Bond’bastic (sorry, we couldn’t help it) theme for Skyfall, Sam Smith wisely chose not to try and outdo her with even more power. Rather, he took a step back and delivered one of the most tense, restrained, and soulful ballads to open a Bond film. It would have been easy for him to bring in the horn blasts, surf guitar licks, and other pastiche of Bond themes past. But he didn’t. And that makes this song memorable.

#16 Rita Coolidge – All Time High (Octopussy)

This is actually quite a beautiful theme, which was the trend during the early 80s incarnation of Bond (see #10 below). The strange shadow-couple ice dancing and the laser-outline of Bond is rather corny in the title sequence, but the music is lovely, and the lyrics were written by none other than Tim Rice, he of Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar fame.

#15 Lulu – The Man With The Golden Gun (The Man With The Golden Gun)

We’ll always remember Lulu for singing “To Sir With Love” to the idealistic teacher Mr. Thackerey [Sidney Poitier], but her rendition of The Man With The Golden Gun is just as much fun. Although quite violent on the surface, the song introduces a few silly innuendo, which exemplifies the cheese of the 1970s and the camp Bond that Roger Moore was creating.

#14 A-ha – The Living Daylights (The Living Daylights)

While a-ha may be considered a one-hit-wonder in much of the US, they’ve enjoyed quite a long, successful career elsewhere (and are even now touring). The history of the recording was fraught with controversy, including the band claiming that John Barry didn’t deserve credit for cowriting the theme, and the composer comparing the lads to, well, let’s just say a historically unpopular political youth movement. That aside, it is a fun Euro-synth-pop tune that fits perfectly into the late-80s Bond genre, along with Duran Duran’s outing (#8).

#13 Chris Cornell – You Know My Name (Casino Royale)

The reboot, if you will, of the Bond franchise, with Daniel Craig at the helm. Cornell’s gritty, hard guitar-driven tune still tune-checked many elements from classic themes to make it unmistakably “Bond.” He’s claimed he drew inspiration from Tom Jones’ Thunderball (#3) and Paul McCartney’s Live and Let Die (#2) so he definitely drew from the right influences. A powerful song to introduce us to quite possibly the strongest Bond yet.

#12 Adele – Skyfall (Skyfall)

After the harder-edged sounds of Chris Cornell and the Jack White/Alicia Keyes outings, Adele returned us to the more classic, sweeping Bond theme, complete with he soaring vocals, choirs, and strings sections. Unmistakably Adele, it perhaps lacked a little too much from the dramatic horn blasts we’d expect from a Bond theme. But it is beautiful and powerful.

#11 Matt Monro – From Russia With Love (From Russia With Love)

We must note that the actual title sequence for From Russia With Love features an instrumental version of this song. We don’t hear Matt Munro until well into the film, as the vocal version is heard over the radio, and then again over the final credits. Just like Dr. No, Cubby Broccoli was still establishing what would become standard “Bond” practice. Munro’s rendition of this classic set the stage for themes to come, with John Barry crafting the sound that still defines any James Bond film.

#10 Carly Simon – Nobody Does It Better (The Spy Who Loved Me)

The Spy Who Loved Me, as with Dr. No, has been one of the icons of Bond parody, with the evil villain living in a fantasy world underwater. This was Bond of the 1970s, with giant budgets affording all sorts of silly gadgets and gigantic sets. Yet the theme to the movie almost picks up from the style set forth by Paul McCartney and Wings (#2), without going overboard with too much bombast and bravado; just a powerful voice delivering a strong theme.

#9Louis Armstrong – We Have All The Time In The World (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)

While strictly not the opening theme of a Bond, this is the defining track and deserves to be counted as a theme. It plays near the end of the film, as Bond and Tracy (played by the always beautiful Diana Rigg) fall in love (before the tragic end thanks to the evil Bloefeld). On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is one of the most derided Bonds; but that isn’t a fair assessment. For those who’ve read the books, this is one of the most accurate depictions of the original (until Casino Royale in 2006), and even in the book series, stands apart as something a little different. Louis Armstrong delivers a beautiful and romantic theme.

[Honourable mention] John Barry – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service)

When John Barry set about to create a theme for the film, he felt quickly that working the words “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” into the lyrics would be a stretch, and thought the end result would be like Gilbert And Sullivan. Instead, he convinced Cubby to let him write an instrumental theme, which he did brilliantly. One of the most defining sounds of the Bond musical world, the theme returns even now.

#8 Duran Duran – A View To A Kill (A View To A Kill)

Like a-ha’s The Living Daylights (#14), another Euro-pop band – the superstar Duran Duran – were pegged to deliver their theme for the swansong of Moore’s Bond in A View To A Kill. With Christopher Walken and the inimitable Grace Jones in the cast, this is truly a fantastic film (and we use that word literally). Everything about it is over-the-top, fun, and filled with pastiche, yet of top quality; which could possibly be used to describe Duran Duran’s music as well. Le Bon’s vocal deliver just the right edge of tension for the adventure ahead.

#7 Shirley Bassey – Moonraker (Moonraker)

Many people have written off this theme, given its rather hurried and mixed history. Frank Sinatra was first considered to sing the theme, and then, apparently, Johnny Mathis. But he was unhappy with the song, and the producers had no one else to turn to. Kate Bush was next, who also turned it down. Finally, John Barry turned to Shirley Bassey, and the rest is history. The queen of the Bond theme took this song and owned it. Even though she claims to not have ever felt it was her song, she did what only Ms. Bassey can do and created a beautiful piece of music. Unfortunately it accompanied a rather hackneyed Bond meets sci-fi outer-space adventure complete with hilariously ridiculous and implausible incidents, and the appearance of Jaws as a parody of himself (considering that Jaws was a parody to begin with).

#6 Sheena Easton – For Your Eyes Only (For Your Eyes Only)

A View To A Kill felt like a return to a more restrained Bond, after the over-the-top silliness of Moonraker. Sheena Easton’s powerful yet restrained theme helped usher in the new Bond of the 80s: cool, sophisticated, and slick. Unfortunately it wouldn’t last as Octopussy brought us back to the frivolity. But the film and theme are one of the highlights of Roger Moore’s career as Bond, and a must-see in series.

#5 Nancy Sinatra – You Only Live Twice (You Only Live Twice)

If you’ve read Fleming’s novel of the same name, watching this film (and listening to the theme) brings special meaning to it. But even if you haven’t, this beautiful theme sets up a fantastic story. And kudos to to John Barry for not going overboard and deciding to fill the music with hackneyed Japanesque sounds. Barry recorded the song originally with Julie Rogers, but he scrapped it, saying “if that mysterioso kind of thing wasn’t there, then it wasn’t going to work for the movie.” Nancy Sinatra brought the mysterioso!

#4 Shirley Bassey – Diamonds Are Forever (Diamonds Are Forever)

Ms. Bassey returns for her second theme, after the iconic Goldfinger, and she doesn’t disappoint. Her raspy voice exclaiming “Diamonds are forevaaaah!” is an instant classic; creating a modern (in 1971) version of “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” And for the real fans, Ms. Bassey also recorded the title track in Italian, released as “Una Cascata di Diamanti (Vivo Di Diamanti)” 

#3 Tom Jones – Thunderball (Thunderball)

Many people mistake Matt Munro’s From Russia With Love (#11) for Tom Jones. But who can mistake the sultry sounds of Sir Tom? This classic Bond theme has it all: the horn stabs, bombastic orchestra, and of course a strange use of language to try and make the title work in the song. What does striking like a Thunderball mean? Originally, John Barry had intended the title to be Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but the producers wanted a song with the title of the movie in it. Given that the film’s penultimate scene takes place under water, it makes perfect sense that the title sequence features frogmen with spearguns, and silhouettes of girls swimming in coloured water.

#2 Paul McCartney and Wings – Live and Let Die (Live and Let Die)

Who would have thought 1/4 of the Beatles would go from singing “My Love” and other, well, signature McCartney ballads to belting out this monster. Again, the signature Bond theme sounds abound, and the song just takes off from there, complete with calypso breaks. Fire and dancing shadow girls (although we’re not sure you could exactly call it dancing, as they look more like they’re trying to flag down a passing airplane) make this an interesting title sequence – certainly not the best of them.

#1 Shirley Bassey – Goldfinger (Goldfinger)

And so we come to number 1, which, no surprise, belongs to the queen of Bond themes herself: Ms. Shirley Bassey. This was the first proper Bond title sequence, although From Russia with Love (#11) was a proper Bond theme. It features scenes of the film projected onto a girl’s aptly gold-painted body. Ms. Bassey’s brassy voice set the bar for themes, unmatched even by her own subsequent outings. Enough said; just listen to it and enjoy.