The Criteria for Successful Bond Songs

Comments

• Number24 NorwayPosts: 22,174MI6 Agent

  October 2012

  Mr Moneypenny wrote:

  http://penndogg.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/bond-songs-what-makes-them-tick/
  
  With Adele releasing the newest Bond song to critical acclaim, it made me stop and wonder: what does it take for a Bond song to be considered a hit?
  
  I picked a couple of my favorite Bond songs and came up with a lesson learned from each hit:
  
  Garbage | "The World is Not Enough" - be sexy
  Shirley Bassey | "Diamonds are Forever" - be haunting
  Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies" - be true to Bond
  Paul McCartney | "Live and Let Die" - be epic
  
  (I included more rationale and audio of each song in the blog post)
  
  Although there is no unanimous list of best Bond tracks, I'm still curious to hear what some other opinions are on what makes a stellar Bond song.

  
  I agree on the lesson you list and I really like LALD, I wonder why you chose than one for epic?
  Wouldn't a song like Goldfinger be a far better example?
• Mr Moneypenny Posts: 3MI6 Agent

  October 2012

  Number24 wrote:

  Mr Moneypenny wrote:

  http://penndogg.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/bond-songs-what-makes-them-tick/
  
  With Adele releasing the newest Bond song to critical acclaim, it made me stop and wonder: what does it take for a Bond song to be considered a hit?
  
  I picked a couple of my favorite Bond songs and came up with a lesson learned from each hit:
  
  Garbage | "The World is Not Enough" - be sexy
  Shirley Bassey | "Diamonds are Forever" - be haunting
  Sheryl Crow | "Tomorrow Never Dies" - be true to Bond
  Paul McCartney | "Live and Let Die" - be epic
  
  (I included more rationale and audio of each song in the blog post)
  
  Although there is no unanimous list of best Bond tracks, I'm still curious to hear what some other opinions are on what makes a stellar Bond song.

  
  I agree on the lesson you list and I really like LALD, I wonder why you chose than one for epic?
  Wouldn't a song like Goldfinger be a far better example?

  
  I was considering star power (Paul McCartney) and commercial success when I chose LALD; and I also like the song a lot . I agree, though - Goldfinger would definitely be filed under the "epic" category. Shirley Bassey was a Bond song LEGEND.
• DEFIANT 74205 Perth, AustraliaPosts: 1,881MI6 Agent

  October 2012

  My favourite Bond songs are:
  
  Goldfinger
  Thunderball
  Diamonds Are Forever
  Goldeneye
  
  What do they have in common? Big, bold notes - often brassy notes, and they are sang by singers with a big, bold, strong voice. That's what defines a successful Bond song, in my opinion. Dame Shirley Bassey started it all with the epic Goldfinger, and I think that all future Bond songs should be measured against it.
  
  As for being "sexy", I thought the Diamonds Are Forever song fit that bill quite well. With lines like
  
  Hold one up and then caress it,
  Touch it, stroke it and undress it
  
  I wonder if it was considered somewhat "raunchy" for its time.

  "Watch the birdie, you bastard!"