Back in 2012 with the premiere of Adele’s song for the James Bond movie Skyfall we ran through all the James Bond themes and opening credits here at borg. We revisited the subject again in 2020 here when Billie Eilish was tapped to create the Bond song for No Time to Die. What makes a great Bond song? Do you just know it when you hear it? This weekend we have a new James Bond theme, this time by Lana Del Rey, a singer racking up similar accolades as Adele. The song is First Light–but it’s not for the next Bond movie–it’s for 007 First Light, the next James Bond game, an Amazon MGM Studios/IO Interactive game coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in May.
Have a listen and watch the game’s opening title sequence–as much part of a Bond movie as the tuxedo, the Aston Martin DB5, the Walther PPK, the shaken vodka martini, M, Moneypenny, the gadgets, and Q. Then check out all the Bond themes and opening credits below and see for yourself if this song rates with the rest of the pack. Let us know your favorite song and opening sequence in the comments.
Del Rey has evidentally campaigned for a Bond song before. She’s been quoted as saying her song 24 was written for the movie SPECTRE.
Let’s look at the James Bond song catalog in chronological order.
I have a theory that Bond would have had a harder time and might not have made it past the first film but for John Barry and Monty Norman’s “James Bond Theme” from Dr. No (1962). It’s the theme for Bond and instantly evocative of the stylish film credits and Bond pulling his gun:
John Barry and Matt Monro’s From Russia With Love (1963) is one of those songs you can’t hum on command:
But that was followed by Shirley Bassey’s Goldfinger (1964). In truth, I think the instrumental version holds up where the version with Bassey has a dated sound for today’s audience. Still, it’s all gloss and very Bond. The opening credits are exactly what you want with a Bond tune:
Tom Jones’ crazy lyrics and passionate singing on Thunderball (1965) on the one hand fits with the Bond schtick–this guy is really passionate about shouting out that word Thunderball; yet it doesn’t stand by itself apart from the film as later songs would:
This was followed by Nancy Sinatra on You Only Live Twice (1967), an incredibly sweet song and theme–the theme more familiar than any vocals or lyrics–Del Rey might be calling back to Sinatra with her new song:
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) skipped the lyrics and had a theme reflecting its times, a theme that has the standard grinding trumpets, but also has a bit of the mod sound, almost pointing ahead to Austin Powers:
That was followed by Bassey again with Diamonds are Forever (1971), which seems like a reprise of her song Goldfinger, something that certainly brings the audience into familiar territory:
The year 1973 brought the best Bond song of all (separate from the best theme, from Dr. No)–one that could stand alone and fit well with the film, Live and Let Die, by Paul McCartney and Wings. And any song sung by one of the Beatles must get the top spot:
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) by Lulu is very seventies and is another of the variety where the title is repeated ad nauseam:
Okay, if Live and Let Die is the biggest of the Bond songs, maybe the best really should be Carly Simon’s Nobody Does it Better from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). After reading and reviewing nearly all of the Bond novels here at borg, I think this song really describes the character’s persona dead-on. And Carly Simon probably has the best performance of any singer on a Bond soundtrack:
Shirley Bassey returned in 1979 with Moonraker, more somber and bittersweet and lounge-like, not very memorable, sounding more like Sinatra’s take on You Only Live Twice:
Bill Conti had a spectacular career, highlighted by the soundtrack to Rocky, and his For Your Eyes Only in 1981, sung by Sheena Easton as could only be performed this way in the eighties, would rate fourth on my list of best songs in Bond films. If I had a dollar for every time this one played on the radio…
Third on my list would be the theme to Octopussy (1983), All Time High, sang seductively by Rita Coolidge, echoing the story’s theme that there’s no one else like Bond:
In the same year Herb Alpert’s wife Lani Hall sang a nice title theme to Never Say Never Again, but another theme not too memorable, although Hall sounds very much like Barbara Streisand here:
Herb Alpert had his own Bond song that was great and fun, the theme to the original Casino Royale:
Fifth on my list is Duran Duran’s A View to a Kill (1985). Its funky eighties rock theme is second only to Live and Let Die as rock and roll goes in the Bond universe:
The group A-ha made it big with their eighties anthem Take on Me in 1985 so they were an easy pick for the band to perform the title song for The Living Daylights (1987). It’s a great retro mix of styles from past Bond songs with a modern Euro twist:
Close to Adele and Del Rey’s songs is Gladys Knight’s title song from Licence to Kill from 1989:
Bono and The Edge wrote the title song performed by Tina Turner for GoldenEye (1995), a great Turner song in her own edgy style:
Another in a similar vibe to Del Rey’s song, Sheryl Crow’s Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) is a very different Bond theme, and definitely near the top of the 22 Bond songs. Like many of the songs in the Bond catalog, the performers sing these songs in their own style and they are among their best songs, yet they echo the spy themes and legacy of the past films:
The band Garbage performed the title track to The World is Not Enough (1999), an odd title that managed to be turned into a good song:
Madonna’s Die Another Day in 2002 is interesting in that Madonna was past all her best albums and songs and so this was a boost for her, while at the same time giving the Bond films a needed jolt from one of the biggest rock names of all time. It’s pretty jarring as a Bond theme and doesn’t blend in with any prior sound or feel, despite being a popular dance club song:
Casino Royale (2006) brought us one of the rare songs not mirroring the title of the film, Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name. This one almost makes my top five. It very much sounds like a song about spies and everything about this film was great:
Alicia Keyes and Jack White’s Another Way to Die from Quantum of Solace is a very funky anthem, like Madonna’s not a typical Bond tune, but cool nonetheless:
Here is Sam Smith’s soulful “Writing’s on the Wall” from SPECTRE:
Here is the song sung by Adele for Skyfall:
Here’s Billie Eilish with No Time to Die…
As time goes on, I’m with USA Today’s ranking that Carly Simon’s Nobody Does it Better is the best of the Bond songs–it works at every level and is actually about Fleming’s Bond–despite McCartney’s Live and Let Die standing strong and still airing on radio play a half a century later.
But there’s one more relevant song–that’s the song I’ll Take it All by Joss Stone and Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) for the earlier game James Bond 007 Blood Stone:
007 First Light the game is available for pre-order now at Amazon for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC. Learn more about the game here, featuring contributions by Patrick Gibson as Bond, plus Priyanga Burford, Alastair Mackenzie, Kiera Lester, Lennie James, Noemie Nakai, Anthony Howell, Bart Edwards, Gemma Chan, and Lenny Kravitz.
Check out our reviews of Bond comics, Ian Fleming’s original Bond novels, movies, books on Bond, and more here at borg.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
