The Five Best James Bond Theme Songs

He's lunched with Cubby Broccoli--the late 007 film producer--and has a James Bond memorabilia collection that would be the envy of Auric Goldfinger. Today, guest blogger TerryB counts down his picks for the five best Bond theme songs.

Twenty-three official James Bond films. I’ve been a fan of the 007 films since my college roommate encouraged me to join him at a James Bond Film Festival on campus. Seeing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in a very cold auditorium amplified the film’s snowy setting. The projectionist cranked the film’s sound after Bond’s wife Tracy is killed in the final moments. The counter-point of the James Bond theme over the film’s emotional ending was a sort of sneer to emotion and reminded us that Bond was an agent first. I fell in love with Bond music that night.

I’ve always said that when *I* win the lottery, one way I’d love to spend the money is mount a one-night concert of all the Bond theme song artists, each performing their theme(s), in order of release. Until that concert can be arranged, here’s a different sorting--my choices for the five best 007 theme songs:

5.  Casino Royale – “You Know My Name,” performed by Chris Cornell.  Written by Chris Cornell and David Arnold. Perhaps the most gritty of all the James Bond themes, this song was meant to be a reflection of the new James Bond (Daniel Craig) and that his Bond was conflicted and not the seemingly indestructible agent played by Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. The lyrics describe James Bond’s world this way: I've seen diamonds cut through harder men/Than you yourself/But if you must pretend/You may meet your end/The coldest blood runs through my veins/You know my name.

4.  A View to a Kill – “A View to a Kill,” performed by Duran Duran. Written by John Barry and Duran Duran.  Although Barry had never collaborated with a band for a Bond song, the fast-living, hyper-successful Duran Duran somehow seemed a natural choice to join him in 1985, and the result remains one of the biggest hits of any 007 track. The first Bond theme song to chart #1 in the U.S., it’s lyrically loony: A sacred why/A mystery gaping inside/The weekend's why/Until we dance into the fire/That fatal kiss is all we need. Still, it has a stomping, throbbing beat that was a perfect marriage for James Bond and one of the biggest bands of the time.

3. Live and Let Die – “Live and Let Die,” performed by Paul McCartney and Wings.  Written by Paul and Linda McCartney. Probably the only Bond theme song that has little to do with the film, except sharing a title, this song’s piercing flute notes and eccentric bridge were quite effectively married to the film’s many chase sequences. Turning an innocent into a world-weary cynic (or killing them) is often the path of many Bond heroines. The song lyric captures their journey so well: When you were young and your heart was an open book/You used to say live and let live (You know you did, you know you did, you know you did)/But if this ever changing world in which we live in/Makes you give in and cry/Say live and let die.

2. The Spy Who Loved Me – “Nobody Does It Better,” performed by Carly Simon. Written by Marvin Hamlisch (music) and Carole Bayer Sager (lyrics). A fitting type of theme for nearly all of the Roger Moore-era 007 films, romantically-inclined, but painting Bond with equal palettes of love and vengeance. And both are deadly. The lyric wins for working in the film’s title smoothly and keeping the song palatable for Top 40 radio: I wasn’t looking, but somehow you found me/I tried to hide from your love light/But like heaven above me, the spy who loved me, is keeping all my secrets safe tonight. The title yielded a phrase used in marketing later Bond films: the 13th 007 opus Octopussy ("Nobody does it better…thirteen times") and the 2006 release Casino Royale (the commercials used the song's title, "Nobody Does It Better", as a catch phrase).

1. Goldfinger – “Goldfinger,” performed by Shirley Bassey. Written by John Barry (music) and Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse (lyrics). This was the film that perfected the 007 “formula.” Director Guy Hamilton was purported to have suggested the song “Mack the Knife” to John Barry, “a gritty and rough” song on which to model this film’s theme song. Shirley Bassey tops the list with her gutsy, machine gun delivery of the lyric, enunciating every word sharply. And what words would befit a villain’s theme better? For a golden girl knows when he's kissed her/ It's the kiss of death from Mister Goldfinger. At the 2013 Academy Awards, in tribute to 50 Years of James Bond Films, Dame Shirley Bassey performed the song to wide acclaim and a standing ovation.

Bond Is Forever: “Casino Royale”

MI6 agent Jame Bond (Daniel Craig), having recently earned his 00 status, is attempting to ensnare a bomber for hire in Madagascar. An explosive confrontation at the Embassy leaves the bomber dead, and security footage of Bond shooting an unarmed man fuels the newspaper headlines. MI6 head, M (Judi Dench), sends 007 away to “stick his head in the sand,” time which Bond spends traveling to the Bahamas, where he has tracked a message sent to the bomber. The agent’s investigation results in Bond foiling an engineered bombing, which inevitably costs a man named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) an excess of 100 million dollars, money intended to finance an organization of terrorists. Desperate to recoup his monetary loss, Le Chiffre organizes a high-stakes poker game with a buy-in of ten million dollars. James Bond, along with treasury agent, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), is officially assigned to join the game and prevent Le Chiffre from funding the terrorists.

Casino Royale (2006) was the first Bond film since 1987 (with the release of The Living Daylights) to adapt an Ian Fleming story or, at the very least, utilize a story’s title. When producers Harry Saltzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli acquired the rights to James Bond, the Casino Royale rights were unavailable, having already been sold and made into an episode of the CBS series, Climax!, with Barry Nelson as CIA agent Jimmy Bond and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre. Once producer Charles K. Feldman owned the novel’s rights, he tried to make a serious adaptation but ultimately released a parody in 1967, with David Niven as Bond, Orson Welles as Le Chiffre, and Ursula Andress as Vesper Lynd, and also starring Peter Sellers (who either left or was fired during production) as a character named Evelyn Tremble, who impersonates Bond. (Interestingly, Niven was suggested by Fleming to play 007 in 1962’s Dr. No and, according to some reports, was the inspiration for the author’s character.) The 1967 film was released by Columbia Pictures, which was purchased by Sony in the 1980s. Sony reportedly traded the rights to Casino Royale for MGM/UA’s rights to a Spider-Man adaptation (see Thunderball for more information). In any case, Sony Pictures acquired MGM in 2005 and greenlit a film version of Casino Royale.


The 2006 film is usually considered a “reboot” of the Bond series. However, though Casino Royale seems to reexamine some of the more popular 007 elements, the filmmakers keep their feet in familiar territory. The movie opens in stark black and white, as James Bond awaits an MI6 agent selling classified information. In flashback, the audience witnesses Bond vigorously obtaining intelligence from the other man’s accomplice, the scene ending with 007 spinning around and firing his weapon. As the opening credits and title song begin, a version of the gun barrel sequence is shown. This insinuates that Casino Royale is almost a prequel, a way to return to square one. Playing the initial scenes without color is much like starting with a blank canvas.

Nevertheless, Casino Royale is not a film which completely reinvents either the James Bond character or the cinematic series. It’s true that, by essentially starting over, the film can disregard former narratives. But there is little connection among the preceding 007 movies. In terms of certain characters and minor plots, some of the entries will link, but major narrative components are concluded with each film, and there is clearly no story arc within the series. In fact, one could argue that the Bond series is reset every time a new actor secures the main role. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969/George Lazenby) was a love story, Live and Let Die (1973/Roger Moore) was more action-oriented, The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton) featured a more rugged 007, and GoldenEye (1995/Pierce Brosnan) opted for a more dashing spy while retaining the nonstop action.

A number of Bond conventions are acknowledged in Casino Royale, some of them tongue-in-cheek, but many of them in a manner both serious and respectful to the series. Though Bond’s choice of cocktail in Casino Royale is a concoction he invents and dubs “the Vesper” (which is taken from Fleming’s novel), he does order a martini but, already irate, hisses an apathetic response when asked if he’d prefer the drink shaken or stirred. Likewise, the film seems to mock sexually suggestive names of female characters when Bond jokingly tells Vesper that a supplied document declares her alias as Stephanie Broadchest. Casino Royale, however, also “introduces” viewers to Bond trademarks: in addition to the gun barrel image, the audience sees the spy win an Aston Martin DB5 (much like the one featured in 1964’s Goldfinger) in a poker game and later drive a newer model, wield a Walther P99 (the same gun that, in effect, replaced the PPK for Brosnan in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies), and eventually present himself to a villain as “Bond, James Bond.” Other moments are good-humored nods: Bond hinting that “M” is the first letter of the woman’s name, Craig’s emergence from the ocean recalling Andress in Dr. No, and Vesper’s first line, “I’m the money,” followed by Bond stating that she’s “worth every penny,” a subtle reference to Miss Moneypenny, who does not appear in the film.

When it was evident that Brosnan would not be returning to the series, there was, not surprisingly, a debate on which actor should portray 007. Equally expected was a disapproval over the casting of Craig, who was virtually unknown in the U.S. (despite an impressive resume) and, according to many fans, did not have physical attributes associated with James Bond. Craig’s interpretation of the role is admirable. He has the charisma of Connery and Brosnan, the playfulness of Moore, and the vigor of Dalton. His Bond is one who makes mistakes and questions his decisions, who shows fear when in peril, and who’s visibly cut and bruised after chasing down bad guys. Though flawed he may be, he is still Bond, reacting instinctively, facing danger head on, and oozing charm, regardless of the scars and grime from scuffles. And much like Connery’s early films and Moore in For Your Eyes Only (1981), Bond in Casino Royale relies less on gadgets and more on guile and legwork.

This is the second Bond film directed by Martin Campbell, who also helmed another actor’s Bond debut, GoldenEye, introducing Brosnan as the MI6 agent. Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade had worked on the previous two Bond films, with Paul Haggis also contributing to the script. Haggis’ 2004 film, Crash, which he co-wrote and directed, won multiple awards, including Oscars for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing (Haggis was additionally nominated for Best Director). All three Casino Royale writers would script the subsequent 007 film, Quantum of Solace (2008).

Dame Judi Dench was the only actor to reprise her role in Casino Royale. Like in the films with Brosnan, Dench’s performance is precise and assertive, and M’s authority is undisputed. Green as Vesper initially seems detached, but this is her character’s personality, so, as Vesper warms to Bond, viewers will likely embrace the actress’ translation. And while the best actor to play Bond will always be a source of contention, it’s evident that Jeffrey Wright’s turn as CIA agent Felix Leiter is incomparable. He’s just as suave and savvy as his British counterpart. Fortunately, Wright would return to the role in the next Bond movie.

The bomber pursued by Bond in the film’s beginning is played by French actor Sébastien Foucan. Foucan and actor/stuntman David Belle co-founded parkour, a practice which addresses physical efficiency and speed (e.g., finding the quickest way past an obstacle). The actor is credited in the opening with “free running stunts,” to emphasize the action of free running, which Foucan founded and which differs slightly from parkour by focusing more on style in movement than efficiency (though the fact that his character is trying to escape Bond might make parkour a more practical choice). Since 2006, parkour has become mainstream, although the American practice is closer to free running (particularly competitions, which parkour discourages). Parkour co-founder Belle displays his skills in the Luc Besson produced French films, District 13 (2004/Banlieue 13) and District 13: Ultimatum (2009/Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum).

The song’s theme is “You Know My Name,” performed by Chris Cornell, lead singer of the rock bands, Soundgarden and Audioslave, and written by Cornell and composer David Arnold. It is a beautiful tune that is incorporated throughout the film’s score in lieu of the James Bond theme, which closes the film (furthering the idea of the film introducing known elements of the series).

Casino Royale was nominated for a number of BAFTAs, awarded for Best Sound and Green winning the Orange Rising Star Award. Craig was nominated for a BAFTA and won an Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor.

Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, first published in 1953, was the first of the author’s novels to feature James Bond. It was also the only Bond novel to have a U.S. paperback printing originally under a different title, with the asinine You Asked For It (though Casino Royale appeared in small print as a pseudo-subtitle) and the blurb on the back referring to the protagonist, like Climax!, as “Jimmy Bond.”

In spite of the apparent reservations of fans due to Craig’s casting, Casino Royale performed very well, and the actor was accepted as the new 007. Still, there are some who overlook this film. I encourage anyone who has previously brushed off Casino Royale to give it a second viewing, and maybe a third and fourth. James Bond will change with the times, but he remains Bond, James Bond.

Bond Is Forever will return next month with You Only Live Twice (1967).