Very good list my friend! Certainly haven't lost your touch yet. :)
Music Movies - Top 9 James Bond Themes
Written by Paw Friday, 23 November 2012 15:11
Title card © Robin Meyer. Visit her website at http://red-robin-arts.com!
Comments (110)
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11.23.2012 - 16:40 | LordDico
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11.23.2012 - 17:50 | Dokupenda
At least Die Another Day was better than the abysmal mess that was the Quantum of Solace theme. (also that was more vocoder than autotune.)
I must say after hearing your number 1 it reminded me of another song, and then I realized that it was Millennium by Robbie Williams, who sampled You Only Live Twice in that song.
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11.23.2012 - 18:01 | ColeYote
I can't say I agree with you on Quantum of Solace's theme, I thought it was mediocre at best, but at least, unlike Die Another Day, it had a tune.
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I'm a huge fan of Jack White, so I can't help but love (well..., at least really like) the Quantum of Solace song, but I can't argue that it's just completely wrong for a Bond song. It does not belong with these other songs *at all*.
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11.23.2012 - 17:52 | MechScientistPersonaly, my favorite Bond theme is "the man with the golden gun" which is also my favorite Bond movie. Anyway great list and it seems like your still on top.
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11.26.2012 - 19:07 | TheBlackMage
DAMN STRAIGHT JOE.
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11.23.2012 - 17:54 | Gadzinisko
I haven't watched it... I call Goldeneye or Goldfinger on first place ;)
Also, it should be (00)7 Best Bond Themes :P
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11.23.2012 - 17:57 | ColeYoteYou have a problem with Skyfall's theme but you put Thunderball on here?
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11.24.2012 - 03:18 | SkullCap
Just got back from Skyfall and I must say I found no problem with the theme. The beat is steady and even without it being a James Bond theme its a definite earworm. I only think of a few James Bond themes that really stick out to me and I have no shame in saying this is one of the few.
@Paw
I wondered if the theme to "You Only Live Twice," which happens to be my all-time favorite Bond film would be on here and to my joy it was. When I think James Bond I think YOLT. Why? Ninja army, Volcano fortress, Little Nellie sky battle, and Donald Pleasence as Blofeld. I didn't know it was written by ROALD DAHL that just makes it even better.
It also carries the distinction of having the BEST JAMES BOND MOVIE POSTERS.
http:// ltastudent.lodiusd.net/ GFiscus/images/ 4b830d340579b2021004b830d 3405b95[1].jpg
http://www.scifi- movies.com/images/data/ 0003901/affiche-on-ne- vit-que-deux-fois-you- only-live-twice-1967- 5.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/ -e0pTYUr10c0/UEka1PisHTI/ AAAAAAAAB3Y/0JyQRp7fpEI/ s1600/ James+Bond+You+Only+Live+ Twice-01.jpg
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11.24.2012 - 12:26 | keniakittykat
Diamonds are forever is also missing =c
Thunderball is not as good as either of those two!
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11.24.2012 - 16:15 | Dr. Acula
This. Diamonds Are Forever was not only Shirley Bassey's best Bond song but the best overall theme in any of the films, even if the movie itself was horrible. A View To A Kill was also excellent.
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Well. I like this list, although I would've had a slightly different order... to me the goldeneye theme never stood up to tom jones or the wings. and i must say, I rather would have seen the epic the world is not enough in the top ten than the more-than-average for your eyes only. and what about louis armostrong's we have all the time in the world? or matt munroe?
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It's doubtful whether All the Time in the World would qualify as a Bond theme. It's not sung during the opening credits (where instead an instrumental theme is played) but rather it's heard during a "romantic montage" and then again I think over the closing credits.
Besides, it would never make Paw's list anyway, as he seems to penalize those songs which stray too far from one of the two or three cliched Bond Theme song types (Goldfinger/Thunderball Big & Brassy, YOLT/FYEO Mysterious & Moody, etc)
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11.23.2012 - 18:10 | Tindy
Excellent list, but man, I have to say it... the indicator on the bottom right looks just like a youtube popup. I'm pretty sure I tried to close it at least 3 times.
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11.23.2012 - 18:13 | 9anseanGood video as usual. Though it's a little suprising not to a see your usual forshadowing for what's to come when...Pawdugan Returns!
Now I have an embarressing confesion to make. The number one song on your list...is actually the only you listed that I don't like! Seriously, I though it was almost a joke at first and I've enjoyed almost every James Bond theme, including Die Another Die (although it certainly didn't hold up after repeat listening)!
You Only Live Twice...ah, it's not really a bad song per-se. It's just not what I'd consider a good Bond song. Personaly, I want a Bond song to get me reved up for excitiment or emphisis what were in for. Even the songs with cornier lyrics like A View to a Kill I still love because of the raw energy they bring. That's not to say a slow song can't work as a Bond theme. I really liked For Your Eyes Only because it brought out raw emotion and Nobody Does it Better because of the biting humor. YOLT however, is along side Moonraker as my least favoriate (though that might be because I just can't remember the Quantum theme) because they both feel so...dull. There's nothing about the lyrics or rythem that makes me think..."oh year, this is what you might hear when 007 is one the job."
Anyway, I liked all your other choice a lot so...that's it untill the Skyfalls.
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11.23.2012 - 18:28 | Blizz3112
I like The Spy Who Loved Me best personally...
That song so much "umph" and gives me shivers as it goes...
Also, Carly Simon is great...XD
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11.23.2012 - 18:22 | LordOrin
Great list and video.
(My personal favorite is Chris Cornell's.)
But how could you leave out this one?:
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=xBXzk5c1eCU
(spoilers: I'm being a massive troll)
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(link is to the '67 Casino Royale theme)Hey, those lyrics in the closing-credits version might be goofy, but the actual instrumental theme music as played in the opening credits by Herb Albert (composed by Burt Bacharach) is a really neat bit of 60's whimsey. I've always really loved it, although of course it is deliberately 180º away from the sound of any "real" James Bond theme.
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11.23.2012 - 18:33 | Shabbyjazz
My favourite is "the living daylights"
It captures the feel of Bond in so many ways; the action, the style, the cunning.. The only contender I believe would be Goldeneye in terms of capturing the feel
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11.23.2012 - 18:34 | Salculd
Interesting choices, but good rationale. Not the ones I would've gone with, which is odd since it seems like I usually share your best/worst sentiments when it's a soundtrack I'm familiar with. I'm not sure of the order, but my list probably would've had View To A Kill, The Living Daylights, The World Is Not Enough, and Man With the Golden Gun on there somewhere. (Oh, and probably Moonraker, my secret shame. I think I'm the only person that loves that movie, but I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT DEFEND IT.)
Goldeneye definitely deserves to beat Goldfinger, though.
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11.23.2012 - 18:37 | dragonpullmanI was hoping Todd would make a list like this.
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11.23.2012 - 18:43 | circa81People DO remember Timothy Dalton!
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11.23.2012 - 18:45 | circa81People DID notice Timothy Dalton.
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11.26.2012 - 02:46 | sprezzatura
I for one, noticed the HECK out of Timothy Dalton ;)
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11.23.2012 - 19:24 | HorrorNerd363
Everyone remembers Dalton Paw! still the best Bond in my eyes, also, no Living Daylight? seriously? that sound kicks ass
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11.23.2012 - 19:24 | erinntheredI was gearing up to watch this, but I'm reading comments that make me think neither View to a Kill nor The Living Daylights are on the list at all. Then I start it, and Live and and Let Die is number 9? And Chris Cornel's mediocre entry above Live and Let Die? You include Tomorrow Never Dies at all? You say other lists have Goldfinger on top so you can't do the same? How is this honest?
Not that You Only Live Twice isn't wonderful, but you undercut yourself with that quip about Goldfinger.
I respect subjectivity, but I do appreciate that other reviewers, when doing a top 10, preface their lists with why anecdotally popular things aren't on their lists. Or who point out why their taste might differ from the norm. It's fun to see how other people see things differently, but at least acknowledge that you do. Plus, it would be much cooler to see you talk about why you see things differently, rather treat you list just like every other list out there. Maybe "My Top 10 Favorite Bond Themes" would have been a better way to start.
FWIW, my guilty pleasure Bond theme is Another Way to Die. I just have a thing for Jack White.
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11.23.2012 - 20:19 | Goat Boy
I've always had a soft spot for View To a Kill's theme. Sure, the movie sucks, but the song is awesome!
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11.23.2012 - 20:58 | Zodia195
Lol, You Only Live Twice happens to be one of my fav Bond movies, 2nd only after Live and Let Die. Great list! OMG!!! I had no idea that #8 was a Bond song! The things you learn.
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dude. seriously dude. Shirley Manson (Garbage). The World is not enough.
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=jRPWFzONm88
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11.23.2012 - 21:14 | archer1949
Booo.....No A View To A Kill? The Living Daylights? On Her Majesty's Secret Service? Lame...
Personally, I found You Only Live Twice to be a snooze, except for John Barry's (RIP) string arrangements in the background.
Also, I wish the producers would have gone with KD Lang's awesome Surrender for TND instead of Sheryl Crow's boring, whiny bleating.
I never GOT Sheryl Crow.....
Check it:
http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=MsbLcsQcU_g
That's more like it!
And Timothy Dalton was the closest thing we got to Ian Fleming's original character than any of the previous incarnations. Not even Connery in his early movies played it as straightforward as Dalton.
Those of us familiar with the original character have always recognized that Dalton was criminally underrated.
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I enjoy For Your Eyes Only, Goldfinger, Goldeneye, and Nobody Does It Better the most. I've heard Skyfall a few times and I found it kind of boring. I like Adele's voice, but the lyrics could stand to be rewritten. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Here's hoping that the next theme will be an improvement. I also want to wish you congratulations on your engagement to Elisa! I was hoping that the two of you would end up together in real life.
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11.23.2012 - 22:00 | katefan
A great list, man! I would have put Nobody Does It Better at #1, but I like your choices and the reasons behind them. Kudos especially to putting Goldeneye so high on the list. I remember hearing that song the first time I saw Pierce's first outing and loving the hell out of it. It doesn't hurt that the visuals to the opening credits are to my mind so arresting, with the Soviet imagery falling apart.
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Seriously, The World Is Not Enough is not my favourite Bond movie, but the song is epic. It had an amazing throwback, trippy feel to it while still being super modern. You made room for Sheena Easton after all.
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11.23.2012 - 22:56 | LikaLaruku
I saw a similar themed list with mp3s a few weeks ago. They all sound like the same song to me, except for Die Another Day, the Duran Duran theme & the Goldeneye 64 soundtrack I assume you were using throughout the video.
Anyway, when the last movie came out, I overheard a guy & his girlfriend or sister or gal pal arguing over whether Bond was one man played by many actors, or a title carried by many men who replace eachother.
Thanks to 90s commercials, I only associate "Nobody Does it Better" with Safeway grocery stores.
Honestly, not a fan of the franchise. I prefer oblivious dumbass agents like in GetSmart or Austin Powers or Dr. Goldfoot & the Bikini Machine. "Boy meets girl" stories bore the snot out of me.
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11.23.2012 - 22:22 | TrencherWhat? No Cry wolf Ohoo?
Nice list.
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11.23.2012 - 22:39 | Captain SiberiaYou mean the Other Other Golden Bond Film. Dare you forget The Man With the Golden Gun?
Will #1 be what I think? YES!!!
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11.23.2012 - 22:48 | Moon Spirit
I guess I'm the only one that probably does like Die Another Day then. *raises flame shield*
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11.23.2012 - 23:02 | LikaLarukuI kinda like it. I don't love it, but it's kinda dancey.
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Ok, "Die Another Day" IS NOTTT my favorite bond theme by any stretch, but I do like it in a way....LET ME EXPLAIN, BOND FANBOYS/GIRLS!!!! *ducks*
Actually, I really do think that "Die Another Day"'s theme had potential to be much better. I really love the energy and feel of the instrumentals (the powerful background violins, fast tempo, and (some of the) techno riffs did, in my opinion, make it feel spy-like.
In some parts of the song, it makes you feel like youre overcoming a difficult struggle and coming out of it to live another day...well...in my crazy mind, thats what I picture. = / lol)
But honestly, I also think it's execution just wasn't handled well. Beat Production and lyrical wise. = /.....
(Sigmund Freud??....Madonna, did you HONESTLY even know who that was BEFORE you agreed to sing the song? >__> lol)
I also feel that ppl really hate this one because it really is pretty FUCKING different from the majority of other bond films, imo.
But hey, thats my two cents....*continues to hide behind flame shield*
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11.23.2012 - 22:50 | WackdWHAT IS THIS MADNESS? I DIDN'T COME TO A REVIEW SHOW TO LISTEN TO *OTHER* PEOPLE'S OPINIONS! HOW DARE YOU NOT PUT MY FAVORITE SONG ON THE LIST? HOW DARE YOU PUT THAT SONG I HATE NEAR THE TOP? CLEARLY YOUR OPINIONS ARE INVALID!
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11.24.2012 - 04:02 | InfamousLPThank you for the much needed satire, Wackd. =D lol
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