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007: License To Chill - The Best James Bond Theme Song

AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
The world's most beloved and recognisable espionage operative has always had a warm reception wherever he goes, with NeoGAF being no exception. We've had threads dedicated to finding out the most superior James Bond movie, to the actor who portrayed the character as close to Ian Fleming's original vision as possible (Pierce Brosnan obviously). But what about the music, more specifically the theme songs associated with each entry? Most are played during the infamous opening sequences, accompanied by scantily clad women, weapons and animated CGI backgrounds. A tease of what's to come in the explosive minutes that follow whilst often being just as memorable as the action itself. So in celebration of the franchise's 60th anniversary earlier this year, we're looking back on the best Bond theme songs. You can choose one theme song as your number one selection and a runner-up from any James Bond movie and it must be played during the opening sequence or the end credits. Songs played in the actual movie don't count, and non-vocal instrumental themes are welcome too.

Dr. No - James Bond Theme (John Barry)
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From Russia with Love - From Russia with Love (Matt Monro)
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Goldfinger - Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey)
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Thunderball - Thunderball (Tom Jones)
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You Only Live Twice - Your Only Live Twice (Nancy Sinatra)
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On Her Majesty's Secret Service - We Have All the Time in the World (Louis Armstrong)
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Diamonds Are Forever - Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey)
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Live and Let Die - Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings)
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The Man with the Golden Gun - The Man with the Golden Gun (Lulu)
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The Spy Who Loved Me - Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon)
​


Mine:

Runner-up
Chris Cornell - You Know My Name (Casino Royale)
maxresdefault.jpg

Absolutely badass with fast-paced guitar riffs and trumpets. Lyrics are stylish and catchy, same goes for the animated opening.

Favourite
Matt Monro - From Russia with Love
maxresdefault.jpg

In my opinion the best James Bond theme song of all time. Sweeping and majestic due to Monro's bellowing vocals with lyrics like something out of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. "My running around is through. I fly to youuuu, from Russia with loveeeeeee!"

P.S.
Creating this thread has been an absolute ballache due to imbedding all the different songs from Youtube, but I do it because I love you guys. Now enjoy the thread and leave a month's GAF Gold a piece on your way out.
goldmember-austin-power.gif
 
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AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Moonraker - Moonraker (Shirley Bassey)
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For Your Eyes Only - For Your Eyes Only (Sheena Easton)
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Octopussy - All Time High (Rita Coolidge)
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A View to a Kill - A View to a Kill (Duran Duran)
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The Living Daylights - The Living Daylights (A-ha)
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License to Kill - License to Kill (Gladys Knight)
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GoldenEye - GoldenEye (Tina Turner)
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Tomorrow Never Dies - Tomorrow Never Dies (Sheryl Crow)
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The World Is Not Enough - The World Is Not Enough (Garbage)
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Die Another Day - Die Another Day (Madonna)
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AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Quantum of Solace - Another Way to Die (Jack White & Alicia Keys)
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Skyfall - Skyfall (Adele)
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Spectre - Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith)
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No Time to Die - No Time to Die (Billie Eilish)
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Casino Royale (1967) - The Look of Love (Dusty Springfield)
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Never Say Never Again - Never Say Never Again (Lani Hall)
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Tams

Tams

Member
So many good ones, but 'You Know My Name' is incredible. Had it on repeat on my iPod at the time. 'Another Way To Die' was in a similar vein, but not as good.

GoldenEye is great, though makes my top list mainly because I have to have a Brosnan Bond one in there.

'Live and Let Die' by Paul McCartney & Wings though has to be my favourite.

So,

Favourite: 'Live and Let Die' by Paul McCartney & Wings
Runner-up/second favourite: 'You Know My Name' by Chris Cornell
 
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Wildebeest

Wildebeest

Member
1. You only live twice. I could listen to Nancy Sinatra sing all day.
2. Live and Let Die. Macca really takes you several different places in this one.

View to a Kill is probably the most memorable one from my childhood and Duran Duran are a small local band, so I have to show support.

Radiohead were done dirty with Spectre. Seriously, what were they thinking.

 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Azzurri said:
Chris Cornell's is the best one.

And it happens to be the best Bond film ;)
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Completely agree with the first statement as it's my runner-up selection, but best overall Bond film? That's a tough one in my opinion as there are so many Connery and Moore greats.
Tams said:
So many good ones, but 'You Know My Name' is incredible. Had it on repeat on my iPod at the time. 'Another Way To Die' was in a similar vein, but not as good.

GoldenEye is great, though makes my top list mainly because I have to have a Brosnan Bond one in there.

'Live and Let Die' by Paul McCartney & Wings though has to be my favourite.

So,

Favourite: 'Live and Let Die' by Paul McCartney & Wings
Runner-up/second favourite: 'You Know My Name' by Chris Cornell
Click to expand...
We have another vote for Chris Cornell. I knew I wasn't the only one who loved that fast paced jazz. On the topic of 'Live and Let Die' what did you make of Jennifer Lawrence's rendition during American Hustle?

Wildebeest said:
1. You only live twice. I could listen to Nancy Sinatra sing all day.
2. Live and Let Die. Macca really takes you several different places in this one.

View to a Kill is probably the most memorable one from my childhood and Duran Duran are a small local band, so I have to show support.

Radiohead were done dirty with Spectre. Seriously, what were they thinking.

Click to expand...

You live in the same place as Duran Duran? Yeah I agree, 'Live and Let Die' is one of the funkiest and hypnotic songs out there.
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
I’m surprised to see only a couple of responses lol. Lots of people post about James Bond on this forum, we all love the classic Connery/Moore discussions.
 
L

Lasha

Member
View to a Kill has been stuck in my head since I saw the film on basic cable as a kid. Double plus for the tit reveal of the neon 007 logo in the opening.
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
I'm overly fond of "The Living Daylights" because while it wasn't my first bond (I was blessed with getting to see Connery in NSNA in the theater as a wee lad as my first theatrical Bond) it was a huge influence on me at the time.

I'd put "View to a Kill" up there as well. The older themes, while many are great, are a bit too dated for my tastes. The newer ones lean too heavy into the "Ballad" category and lack that visceral oomph.
 
Hoddi

Hoddi

Member
Living Daylights will always get my vote but View to a Kill is also an absolute banger. And, frankly, most of them are.

I also love Live and Let Die but Guns n Roses owns it now. Fight me.
 
Tams

Tams

Member
AlteredForms said:
I’m surprised to see only a couple of responses lol. Lots of people post about James Bond on this forum, we all love the classic Connery/Moore discussions.
Click to expand...
Not really a Connery fan. He was decent as Bond; seemed insufferable as a person.

I'm very much in the Moore/Brosnan camp, especially Brosnan.
 
L

Lasha

Member
Tams said:
Not really a Connery fan. He was decent as Bond; seemed insufferable as a person.

I'm very much in the Moore/Brosnan camp, especially Brosnan.
Click to expand...

I'm the black sheep who liked Lazenby and Dalton most. I loved the tone of those three films. Connery is pretty good for his time but eventually became too silly. Moore's portrayal felt too comedic towards the end.
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Lasha said:
View to a Kill has been stuck in my head since I saw the film on basic cable as a kid. Double plus for the tit reveal of the neon 007 logo in the opening.
Click to expand...
vtak-jg-03.jpg

Futaleufu said:
This one

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An instrumental one? That is surprising as it's the primary theme of the film. Louis Armstrong's song is the secondary one.
Tams said:
Not really a Connery fan. He was decent as Bond; seemed insufferable as a person.

I'm very much in the Moore/Brosnan camp, especially Brosnan.
Click to expand...
Can't comment on him as a person, but I'm a huge Brosnan fan and he's my favourite Bond overall. I would take Connery over Moore though, his movies were too comedic.
Cyberpunkd said:
Sorry to crush your dreams, but No Time to Die is the best James Bond song bar none, with Goldeneye a long way second:

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You can't be serious. Billie Eilish? That song is slow and dreary, and I've always thought that she smells like fish.
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Cyberpunkd said:
Don't care about her, the song is great.
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I'm going to disagree on that one. Dreary tone and mumbling lyrics at certain points. Is this a James Bond song? Even Adele's 'Skyfall' is sombre, but it does have moments where the energy raises and you can feel the spirit of the song, that isn't the case here and it ain't a Bond song.
FunkMiller said:
You Know My Name is certainly my personal favourite. RIP Chris.
Click to expand...
Another vote for 'You Know My Name' and I'm not surprised. I am surprised to hear that he's dead, I'm going to have to look into that one. RIP.
 
AJUMP23

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
I would choose Goldfinger....It is distinctive. Especially the delivery of the line "Goldfinger"
 
Clear

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Best theme: Live & Let Die (Wings)
Best instrumental: OHMSS (Barry)

Best song: We Have All The Time In The World. (Louis Armstrong)

Biggest missed opportunity: The Living Daylights (A-ha)
Barry and A-ha famously did not see eye-to-eye and the result is the movie has an awful, flat mix of a pretty good song. The version on A-Ha's Stay On These Roads album is way, way better.
 
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AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Clear said:
Biggest missed opportunity: The Living Daylights (A-ha)
Barry and A-ha famously did not see eye-to-eye and the result is the movie has an awful, flat mix of a pretty good song. The version on A-Ha's Stay On These Roads album is way, way better.
Click to expand...
Was I the only one who liked the high-pitched "comesss the morning" in the song?
 
X

xandaca

Member
You Only Live Twice has long been my favourite. It's completely unsuited to the film, which is all spectacle, all the time, compared to the more ethereal and soulful song, but is a very beautiful song on its own terms. It also has a somewhat interesting history: Julie Rogers sang the original version, but composer John Barry didn't like it so rewrote the song and went looking for another singer. Producer Albert R. Broccoli approached Frank Sinatra, his friend, but Sinatra refused and recommended his daughter, Nancy, sing it instead. She had a major crisis of confidence while recording, having only previously sung lightweight pop ditties ('These Boots Were Made For Walking', most famously), but once it was finished, she was amazed at how well Barry's arrangement made her sound.

Moonraker is underappreciated. Shirley Bassey has disowned it because she was only brought in at the last minute to record, but for me it's another beautiful, romantic song which happens not to suit the tone of the film at all.

A View To A Kill and Living Daylights are both top Eighties barnstormers, and The World Is Not Enough deserves a bit more credit. Live And Let Die is probably the most overrated in my opinion, it's fine but there are catchier or more evocative entries in the canon.
 
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Laptop1991

Laptop1991

Member
Gotta go with Dr No, as soon as that starts and gets to the guitar bit, it's Bond, some of the others are good, but the firstt Bond is my choice, great theme tune.
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
xandaca said:
A View To A Kill and Living Daylights are both top Eighties barnstormers, and The World Is Not Enough deserves a bit more credit. Live And Let Die is probably the most overrated in my opinion, it's fine but there are more catchier or more evocative entries in the canon.
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Completely agree with this opinion as it's mostly popular due to Paul McCartney's involvement. A View To A Kill is much more funkier and the better 80s tune in my opinion and Living Daylights isn't that bad either.
 
Rran

Rran

Member
5. Goldfinger
4. Nobody Does it Better
3. You Only Live Twice
2. Live and Let Die
1. The main Bond theme. Does this have a name?
 
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Trunx81

Trunx81

Member
You know my name

Not only because it’s the only Bond song I’ve listened to many, many times. But also how they included the song into the soundtrack. The whole sequence when Bond is driving to his hotel, with the Sony phone guiding his way (god bless the pre-smartphone era!) and the brass tunes in - amazing!

RunnerUp: Skyfall
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
Trunx81 said:
You know my name

Not only because it’s the only Bond song I’ve listened to many, many times. But also how they included the song into the soundtrack. The whole sequence when Bond is driving to his hotel, with the Sony phone guiding his way (god bless the pre-smartphone era!) and the brass tunes in - amazing!
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"The coldest blood runs through my veins. You know my nameeee!"
 
Ovek

Ovek

7Member7
Duran Duran - A View to a Kill

Always loved this song and has been on every portable music player I’ve ever owned.
 
C

Champomade

Member
Funnily enough I am rewatching a lot of them right now...

2nd runner up
Thunderball

1st runner up
The Man with the Golden Gun

Winner
Living Daylights
 
AlteredForms

AlteredForms

Banned
lifa-cobex said:
Just gonna leave this here...

Click to expand...

That's all well and good but it's not James Bond. The actual MGS3 introduction movie is heavily inspired by 007 and is some catchy stuff.


Ovek said:
Duran Duran - A View to a Kill

Always loved this song and has been on every portable music player I’ve ever owned.
Click to expand...
"Earth's crystal tearsss. Fall of snowflakes on your body."
Champomade said:
Funnily enough I am rewatching a lot of them right now...

2nd runner up
Thunderball

1st runner up
The Man with the Golden Gun

Winner
Living Daylights
Click to expand...
Wow, what a terrible list in my opinion. Man with the Golden Gun, really?
 
Men_in_Boxes

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Why this one not brought up?




OP, you should have made this a poll. A Battle Royale of sorts...
 
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