Best Bond opening songs

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Sir Paul and Live and Let Die!

DAMN! You're right! A terrible omission on my part!

[ChrisIII]

For me, any good Bond theme will have the vibe of both Bond and the band that made it.

Not sure about the Goldfinger theme, since I have never really heard the artist otherwise. But since it IS the best Bond film, with the best Bond villain, the sing gets a pass anyways and deserves a place near the top of the list.

My top 3 are...

Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon



For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton



And one that hasn't been mentioned, my personal fave of the three

The World Is Not Enough by Garbage



But it might be that I love the first two albums from the band. While I love the song A View To A Kill, it feels to much like Duran Duran and not enough like Bond for me to call it a great Bond theme.

Shirley Bassey also did the themes to Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker as well-"Diamonds" probably because the producers were deliberately trying to evoke Goldfinger's success (with the same director-the original plan was even to have Goldfinger's brother being the villain!). While Diamonds is almost as good as Goldfinger, her "Moonraker" theme isn't as popular (Nor is the movie).


I'm surprised nobody's brought up "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" yet....while it has no lyrics, it's still a pretty good theme, and I think it's one of those musical pieces that complement the character such as the regular theme and the 007 action theme used in most of the films from "From Russia with Love" to "Moonraker". Spectre even used a version of it in the trailers.

[Ken Ashcroft]

Probably the first Bond film that I remember seeing was License to Kill back in the late 80s(?) starring Timothy Dalton. Can't remember who sang the theme song but I really liked it then and still do.

[kalorama]

Probably the first Bond film that I remember seeing was License to Kill back in the late 80s(?) starring Timothy Dalton. Can't remember who sang the theme song but I really liked it then and still do.

Duran Duran. Funnily enough, that seems to be one of the least favorite Bond themes among Bond theme purists (if there is such a thing), because it's supposedly too much of a Duran Duran song and not enough like the traditional Bondian themes. The composer who scored the movie (and others in the franchise) hates the song, although that's partly because Duran Duran were reportedly a pain in the ass to work with and basically ignored his suggestions..

[Derek Metaltron]

I think whatever your opinion of Craig's era of Bond, all of his theme songs, bar Quantum's which is the only one I can never remember because it's so forgettable, are excellent. You Know My Name, Skyfall and Writing on the Wall are all stellar Bond songs for me.

Classic Bond... Goldfinger, We Have All the Time in the World in OHMSS, Live and Let Die, Nobody Does It Better from SWLE, All Time High from OP, Goldeneye?

[cadet]

Duran Duran. Funnily enough, that seems to be one of the least favorite Bond themes among Bond theme purists (if there is such a thing), because it's supposedly too much of a Duran Duran song and not enough like the traditional Bondian themes. The composer who scored the movie (and others in the franchise) hates the song, although that's partly because Duran Duran were reportedly a pain in the ass to work with and basically ignored his suggestions..

Actually I think License to kill wAs sung by Gladys knight. A View to a Kill Was the Duran Duran song

[kalorama]

Actually I think License to kill wAs sung by Gladys knight. A View to a Kill Was the Duran Duran song

You're right. My bad. I misread the original post.

[ChrisIII]

Yes-it's interesting that the song starts with a slower rendition of the Goldfinger motif (The "Dun-Dun!" part). Unfortunately it sort of accompanies one of the weaker opening credits sequences IMO (an unfortunate swan song for the original guy). Also the ending song "If you asked me to" is probably the better remembered song from the film.

The problems with Duran Duran and A-Ha, along with various health problems, I think is why John Barry quit the Bond series.

[GreenLanternRanger]

I really like You Know My Name by Chris Cornell from Casino Royal.

[Punisher007]

My Top Five:

-You Know My Name by Chris Cornell (Casino Royale).
-The World is Not Enough by Garbage (TWINE).
-Skyfall by Adele (Skyfall).
-Goldeneye by Tina Turner (Goldeneye).
-Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon (The Spy Who Loved Me).

[Ken Ashcroft]

The problems with Duran Duran and A-Ha, along with various health problems, I think is why John Barry quit the Bond series.

I like the Bond songs by Duran Duran and A-Ha.

[ROM Spaceknight]

I like the Bond songs by Duran Duran and A-Ha.

Agreed. Being an '80's kid, these are two of my favorite Bond theme songs (1985 & 1987, respectively). They really reflected the '80's time period, and are a good example of the type of pop/rock music being produced during that era.

[kalorama]

I really like You Know My Name by Chris Cornell from Casino Royal.

I like the lyrics and I love Cornell's voice, but I think the song would have benefited from a harder, more rock-oriented arrangement and instrumentation, to better reflect the grittier tone of the reboot.

[ChrisIII]

What I meant is that Barry had a hard time working with both bands.

[Hypestyle]

Live and Let Die
A View to a Kill
Goldfinger