... imagine Dame Shirley Bassey giving this song a proper go.
Oh god no! I knew someone would say it )
I think the song and performance are great as they are. From what we know, and what we have seen, the song seems to fit the tone of the film perfectly. It's dark and atmospheric, but distinctly Bondian. Watching the new trailer with the theme shows what a perfect marriage it is, with emotion carried through, and no need to 'belt' it out. Well done Billy and Finneas, and EON for choosing them.
I see how this song reminds many of Writing on the Wall, but I like this better. Sam Smith's voice is far better than Eilish's, but oddly this is part of why Eilish's entry is better. "Writing .." falls into the "big voice, big violins" route and combines it with lyrics makes Bond sound sorry for himself and weak. NTTD more tender and toned down style makes the emotions come accross as more genuine to me, even though it's not always what we usually think of as Bond style. When Smith sings this in a rather feminine tone of voice it makes Bond sound weak and sappy:
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you're not here I'm suffocating
I wanna feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you're not here I'm suffocating
I wanna feel love run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
While NTTD's lyrics are very emotional, and even if we assume it's Bond's POW, Bond doesn't sound weak to me. Perhaps Eilish's gender works for her and the song. Perhaps female singers can convey emotions in songs better without sounding self-pittying and weak, or perhaps a female singer doesn't make us think it Bond's voice and thoughts we hear even though it very well can be.
So while I still have my doubts about Eilish's NTTD and I see simulareties to Smith's song in theme and melody, I think the differences are there too and they make NTTD better.
Better than I expected but a bit underwhelming really. The song doesn’t seem to go anywhere, a bit like Sam Smith’s song in that respect. I don’t dislike it though and as ever the real test is when it’s matched up with Kleinman’s visuals.
Japanese proverb say, "Bird never make nest in bare tree".
Asp9mmOver the Hills and Far Away.Posts: 7,541MI6 Agent
Better than I expected but a bit underwhelming really. The song doesn’t seem to go anywhere, a bit like Sam Smith’s song in that respect. I don’t dislike it though and as ever the real test is when it’s matched up with Kleinman’s visuals.
This and I kinda wished for an upbeat one for a change since NTTD is shaping up to have lots of classic Bond elements like View To A Kill or The Living Daylights but I gotta admit, I don't need to rinse my ear every time I listen to it like Sam Smith's song...this is actually quite good.
Though I kinda think they hopped on Billie because of the Grammys, yeah nah I kinda see her as Bond material anyhow and this seems to prove it. I wonder who produced it.
My initial feeling last night was that I quite liked it. It's very Bondian and I like Eilish's voice (except for the start where you just can't make out what she's singing: Ear trumpet in ear "What you sayin' there, young 'un?"). After one listen, from memory, I preferred it to my first listen of Sam Smith. I'm pretty sure it's going to further grow on me as well. However, my only criticism is that it's almost too Bond. Instead of a good song that happens to work as a Bond theme, it sounds like a Bond theme that also happens to work as a good song.
Some comments above suggest some are having problems making out the lyrics.
I should've known
I'd leave alone
Just goes to show
That the blood you bleed is just the blood you owe
We were a pair
But I saw you there
Too much to bear
You were my life, but life is far away from fair
Was I stupid to love you?
Was I reckless to help?
Was it obvious to everybody else
That I'd fallen for a lie?
You were never on my side
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
I let it burn
You're no longer my concern
Faces from my past return
Another lesson yet to learn
That I'd fallen for a lie
You were never on my side
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
No time to die
No time to die
Fool me once, fool me twice
Are you death or paradise?
Now you'll never see me cry
There's just no time to die
Pretty helpful, Barbel, but a bit lame
What is your expert opinion about the song - that‘s what everybody wants to know
It's pastiche, of course. I haven't had a chance yet to work out the chords exactly, but certain parts are clearly , er, homages- the opening ostinato, the final 9th. Later I'll run through it on guitar and have more to say.
I think the song is quite good. Eilish puts herself into it and makes it a Bond song at the same time. I'm really not sure why people are having issues with this.
I just learned that Radiohead's first proposal was to use Man of War, from their OK Computer album. This would have been quite superior, IMHO.
Really? That's interesting.. It would seem odd to use a pre-existing track, something that has no reference to the film. MoW is a great track, but I think SPECTRE would have worked better as the theme personally, not that it matters now
Back to Billy - I keep reading (not here necessarily) people can't hear her vocal and that she mumbles??? which makes me wonder what people are listening on? Are these remarks based on people listening on their phones, or crappy little blutooth speakers or something? Yes, she sings in restrained, breathy manner, but on my studio monitors the vocal is perfectly clear, and the track sounds pretty well recorded overall. Listen on something decent people! 8-)
I just learned that Radiohead's first proposal was to use Man of War, from their OK Computer album. This would have been quite superior, IMHO.
Really? That's interesting.. It would seem odd to use a pre-existing track, something that has no reference to the film. MoW is a great track, but I think SPECTRE would have worked better as the theme personally, not that it matters now
Back to Billy - I keep reading (not here necessarily) people can't hear her vocal and that she mumbles??? which makes me wonder what people are listening on? Are these remarks based on people listening on their phones, or crappy little blutooth speakers or something? Yes, she sings in restrained, breathy manner, but on my studio monitors the vocal is perfectly clear, and the track sounds pretty well recorded overall. Listen on something decent people! 8-)
Believe I read somewhere (prob interview with Thom Yorke) that although Man of War is a old Radiohead track it was written by them at the time as their tribute Bond song. So guess it kind of made sense they wanted to submit it later on when invited to do so.
I guess they are Bond fans (or someone in the band is) since they covered Nobody Does It Better live
Just listened to it and have to say pleasantly surprised. If I look back I loved Chris Connell (sad loss) but then CR was the opening gambit for DC as Bond and something new. QOS never really floated my boat, SF with Adele belting it out was pretty cool and SP was OK but had a hard act to follow. NTTD is at the end of DC's tenure and things are tailing off to a close in some way so I guess it was never going to be a belter.
Thats said Billie has sung in her style (bit like Marmite on that one - you either love or hate) and there is some big band sounds in the background following other bond vibes. I think it sets the tone for the film and as others have said once you have seen the film may help to set et context as with Sam and SPECTRE's WOTW.
It is what it is and is unlikely to change now and I am sue some said the same about Shirley, Tom and Tina's attempts back in the day.
Cheers :007)
My name is Bond, Basildon Bond - I have letters after my name!
I listened to it twice last night and was pretty much "ok, whatever" but then listened to it again this morning and liked it a lot better, to mirror a couple comments made above, the intensity is obvious and somehow it seems to match really well with the attitude of the trailers we've seen so far. I could never say I'm a Billie fan, however it is growing on me and it does seem to match where this film seems to be going.
K
Just listened to it. Now given the overall dark theme that the film trailers show, it seems to fit the atmosphere as do the lyrics. She seems to have a good voice (reminds of me a bit of Peggy Lee with the whispering), though I do miss a more sultry voice and lyrics when it comes to Bond songs. It is someone similar to the Smith's theme song (which I really disliked because it sounded to me like someone whining about their life - pretty big letdown from SF theme), though I think the lyrics are a lot better. In fact, she would have been a better vocalist for the SPECTRE theme. It's obvious the lyrics are about Bond's relationship with Madeleine. Craig's films seem to have followed the dark themes of Fleming's last novels after OHMSS. Bond loses Tracy, kills Blofeld, loses his id and starts new life with Kissy only to be grabbed by the Russians in order to kill M, then used on his last mission to test his abilities to regain his 00 status in MWTGG. Even Craig's first was CR, which Fleming ended on a dark note with Bond losing traitorous Vesper and being tortured. These are all a far cry from any of the Moore films or the early Connery spectacles and those films justified the large, brassy theme songs. I've really liked CR and SF, because CR was much of Fleming's and SF did a good job of imitating something he would have written (because it borrowed so much from YOLT/TMWTGG). Now I'm hoping the next Bond will retire the introspective atmosphere and return to something like the early Connery films - strictly mission oriented - new weird villain, new gadgets (not outlandish, just necessary), new uncomplicated heroine and an upbeat ending. It's a shame there will probably never be a non vocal opening themes like FRWL/OHMSS, not only because the whole PR/commercial aspects surrounding a current pop singer doing the songs has become one of the set "rules" on producing a Bond, but also I suspect because no one thinks they could ever top Barry's work on those.
superadoRegent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
On the music video, I expect her to have another bloody nose with the line “the blood you bleed is the blood you owe” lol, and finally, somebody in the Craig movies was forced to dye their hair!
"...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
Better than I expected but a bit underwhelming really. The song doesn’t seem to go anywhere, a bit like Sam Smith’s song in that respect. I don’t dislike it though and as ever the real test is when it’s matched up with Kleinman’s visuals.
I feel the same, except for the last part. If you need to wait to judge to song against the title sequence, it's a bad song. And whether or not it works well with the visuals is down to the visuals, not the song. The visuals are created to accompany the song, not the other way around.
I listened this morning, it's OK, nothing to dislike really except its another maudlin song in the same vein as SF and SP. I was hoping for a bit more oomph like Chris Cornell and Jack White which have a bit of excitement about them.
I hear a bit of DaF, TWINE and SF which makes it a bit Generic. What does concern me is that the tone of the film may follow the tone of the song. Im sincerely hoping Zimmer throws some epic into the score.
I personally loved Sam Mendes' take. Billie Eilish's is soooo underwhelming. It is actually the first Eilish song i have ever heard (LOL) and im asking what is the big deal? (i didnt see the grammys either).
Anyways, its only going to work because its a Bond song, otherwise it would get lost. Adele's Skyfall may be the last classic Bond song we hear in a long time....
Comments
{[] {[] welshie!
And that was like a brick into a windowglass
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Dalton - the weak and weepy Bond!
Oh god no!
I think the song and performance are great as they are. From what we know, and what we have seen, the song seems to fit the tone of the film perfectly. It's dark and atmospheric, but distinctly Bondian. Watching the new trailer with the theme shows what a perfect marriage it is, with emotion carried through, and no need to 'belt' it out. Well done Billy and Finneas, and EON for choosing them.
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you're not here I'm suffocating
I wanna feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you're not here I'm suffocating
I wanna feel love run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
While NTTD's lyrics are very emotional, and even if we assume it's Bond's POW, Bond doesn't sound weak to me. Perhaps Eilish's gender works for her and the song. Perhaps female singers can convey emotions in songs better without sounding self-pittying and weak, or perhaps a female singer doesn't make us think it Bond's voice and thoughts we hear even though it very well can be.
So while I still have my doubts about Eilish's NTTD and I see simulareties to Smith's song in theme and melody, I think the differences are there too and they make NTTD better.
Though I kinda think they hopped on Billie because of the Grammys, yeah nah I kinda see her as Bond material anyhow and this seems to prove it. I wonder who produced it.
-{ -{ -{
I still can't understand why EON thought the best sound for a James Bond film was a man singing falsetto.
It's still a man singing falsetto, but Radiohead's SPECTRE is the title theme for the film as far as I'm concerned :v
Who are you, and what have you done with our beloved Number24?
It's pastiche, of course. I haven't had a chance yet to work out the chords exactly, but certain parts are clearly , er, homages- the opening ostinato, the final 9th. Later I'll run through it on guitar and have more to say.
I just learned that Radiohead's first proposal was to use Man of War, from their OK Computer album. This would have been quite superior, IMHO.
It was scrapped due to it not being eligible for the "Best Original Song" category. Odd that Smith ended up getting it.
"The very words I live by."
Really? That's interesting.. It would seem odd to use a pre-existing track, something that has no reference to the film. MoW is a great track, but I think SPECTRE would have worked better as the theme personally, not that it matters now
Back to Billy - I keep reading (not here necessarily) people can't hear her vocal and that she mumbles??? which makes me wonder what people are listening on? Are these remarks based on people listening on their phones, or crappy little blutooth speakers or something? Yes, she sings in restrained, breathy manner, but on my studio monitors the vocal is perfectly clear, and the track sounds pretty well recorded overall. Listen on something decent people! 8-)
Believe I read somewhere (prob interview with Thom Yorke) that although Man of War is a old Radiohead track it was written by them at the time as their tribute Bond song. So guess it kind of made sense they wanted to submit it later on when invited to do so.
I guess they are Bond fans (or someone in the band is) since they covered Nobody Does It Better live
Thats said Billie has sung in her style (bit like Marmite on that one - you either love or hate) and there is some big band sounds in the background following other bond vibes. I think it sets the tone for the film and as others have said once you have seen the film may help to set et context as with Sam and SPECTRE's WOTW.
It is what it is and is unlikely to change now and I am sue some said the same about Shirley, Tom and Tina's attempts back in the day.
Cheers :007)
K
I feel the same, except for the last part. If you need to wait to judge to song against the title sequence, it's a bad song. And whether or not it works well with the visuals is down to the visuals, not the song. The visuals are created to accompany the song, not the other way around.
I make an exception for Thom Yorke.
I hear a bit of DaF, TWINE and SF which makes it a bit Generic. What does concern me is that the tone of the film may follow the tone of the song. Im sincerely hoping Zimmer throws some epic into the score.
Anyways, its only going to work because its a Bond song, otherwise it would get lost. Adele's Skyfall may be the last classic Bond song we hear in a long time....