James Bond Title Themes

abond1From Wikipedia…

“The James Bond film franchise is notable for its distinctive theme songs, often performed by the top singers of the day.

Paul McCartney’s performance of “Live and Let Die” was the first James Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song; it reached #2 as a US single, and #7 on the UK charts. Sheena Easton’s performance of Bill Conti’s “For Your Eyes Only” received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, as did Carly Simon’s performance of Marvin Hamlisch’s (music) and Carole Bayer Sager’s (lyrics) “Nobody Does It Better.” Duran Duran and John Barry’s “A View To A Kill” topped the singles charts in America (the only Bond theme to hit #1).

The main theme for The Living Daylights (1987) was originally assigned to the Pet Shop Boys who began work on the project but halted all recording when they learned that they would not be allowed to score the entire film. The project was turned over to A-ha. The Pet Shop Boys had already developed an instrumental for the title song which they later used as the backing track for the song “This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave” on their 1990 album Behaviour.

Welsh singer Shirley Bassey has performed the most Bond themes – she recorded the themes to Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker.”

LIST OF BOND THEMES

1962 – Dr. No – “James Bond Theme” and “Kingston Calypso” performed by John Barry and Monty Norman

1963 – From Russia With Love – “James Bond Is Back/ From Russia With Love/ James Bond Theme” performed by John Barry and Matt Monro

1964 – Goldfinger – “Goldfinger” performed by Shirley Bassey

1965 – Thunderball – “Thunderball” performed by Tom Jones

1967 – You Only Live Twice – “You Only Live Twice” performed by Nancy Sinatra

1969 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” performed by Louis Armstrong & The John Barry Orchestra

1971 – Diamonds Are Forever – “Diamonds Are Forever” performed by Shirley Bassey

1973 – Live & Let Die – “Live & Let Die” performed by Paul McCartney & The Wings

1974 – The Man With The Golden Gun – “The Man With The Golden Gun” performed by Lulu

1977 – The Spy Who Loved Me – “Nobody Does It Better” performed by Carly Simon

1979 – Moonraker – “Moonraker” performed by Shirley Bassey

1981 – For Your Eyes Only – “For Your Eyes Only” performed by Sheena Easton

1983 – Octopussy – “All Time High” performed by Rita Coolidge

1985 – A View To Kill – “A View To Kill” performed by Duran Duran

1987 – The Living Daylights – “The Living Daylights” performed by a-ha

1989 – License To Kill – “License To Kill” performed by Gladys Knight

1995 – GoldenEye – “GoldenEye” performed by Tina Turner

1997 – Tomorrow Never Dies – “Tomorrow Never Dies” performed by Sheryl Crow

1999 – The World Is Not Enough – “The World Is Not Enough” performed by Garbage

2002 – Die Another Day – “Die Another Day” performed by Madonna

2006 – Casino Royale – “You Know My Name” performed by Chris Cornell

2008 – Quantum Of Solace – “Another Way To Die” performed by Jack White & Alicia Keyes

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