Full Version: Best James Bond theme?
| Bitter But Brilliant > FILM > Action! Drama! Thrills! |
No, "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" doesn't count.
There is only ONE Bond theme song. All the rest are pale imitations, except for the ones that knew they could never compete with the great Shirley Bassey.
First of all, I'll agree that "Goldfinger" has such iconic emeritus status that it's almost unfair to include it.
Of the others? "Live And Let Die." That crazy-ass string break is an adrenaline rush set to music.
Of the others? "Live And Let Die." That crazy-ass string break is an adrenaline rush set to music.
Ha. I actually had a friendly, though somewhat heated, argument with a co-worker over just this subject and he argued in favor of "Live & Let Die." I will say that those two songs leave the rest in the dust. Although I haven't heard Chris Cornell. I'm assuming it's for the new Casino Royale, since Cornell's high-pitched caterwaul seems in keeping with the new direction of Bond. But I irrationally love Chris Cornell's voice.
Hey! I just noticed that although I voted for "Goldfinger" my vote isn't appearing. Have mercy, don't tell me I inadvertently voted for Carly Simon?!@???!
Hey! I just noticed that although I voted for "Goldfinger" my vote isn't appearing. Have mercy, don't tell me I inadvertently voted for Carly Simon?!@???!
With apologies to the great Shirley Bassey, how strange is it that my two favorite Bond themes happen to be for two of the cheesiest films, the borderline-racist Live and Let Die and that complete retread of From Russia With Love, The Spy Who Loved Me?
Nope, I'm the one who voted for Carly; dunno what happened to your vote. It's classic!!
The movie it's from (The Spy Who Loved Me) is also my favorite Bond flick. But EssPee, how is TSWLM like From Russia With Love? It's a little too over-the-top for that, I'd think. If anything, it's like You Only Live Twice. But it does a good job of both doing the traditional highlights very well (classic opening sequence and car chase), and throwing in a few small new twists (Jaws, and the first "Bond's equal" female, herself introduced with a twist.) That's basically what I'm looking for from Bond movies.
Agree that Live and Let Die is pretty stinky. Many Moore films are derivative relics of what was going on in pop culture at that very moment (LALD = "Bond does blaxploitation!", Man with the Golden Gun = "Bond does kung fu!", Moonraker = "Bond does Star Wars!"), and suffer for it in retrospect IMHO. I'm afraid Casino Royale will be "Bond does Bourne!", but anyway.
The movie it's from (The Spy Who Loved Me) is also my favorite Bond flick. But EssPee, how is TSWLM like From Russia With Love? It's a little too over-the-top for that, I'd think. If anything, it's like You Only Live Twice. But it does a good job of both doing the traditional highlights very well (classic opening sequence and car chase), and throwing in a few small new twists (Jaws, and the first "Bond's equal" female, herself introduced with a twist.) That's basically what I'm looking for from Bond movies.
Agree that Live and Let Die is pretty stinky. Many Moore films are derivative relics of what was going on in pop culture at that very moment (LALD = "Bond does blaxploitation!", Man with the Golden Gun = "Bond does kung fu!", Moonraker = "Bond does Star Wars!"), and suffer for it in retrospect IMHO. I'm afraid Casino Royale will be "Bond does Bourne!", but anyway.
Sorry, Rex, I confused the titles of From Russia With Love and You Only Live Twice. I think it's because my first several viewings of FRWL were all fragmentary -- bits caught here and there on some syndication channel that was running "Seven Nights of '007" or some such. So it never really gelled in my mind as a whole, just as a bunch of disconnected scenes (like the train-compartment fight on the Orient Express -- although, come to think of it, that scene was also redone when Jaws crashed the train at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me, further adding to my confusion).
Anyway, just to be clear, I was mainly referring to the overarching plot similarities between YOLT and TSWLM, with Blofeld or his updated replacement trying to spark global thermonuclear war by swallowing up U.S. and Soviet spacecraft/nuclear submarines from his secret underground/underwater hideout. Of course, I saw 'em in reverse order and thought TSWLM was awesome when I was 12. It was only upon seeing YOLT years later that I realized how much had been lifted wholesale from the earlier movie, albeit while adding the twists Rex mentions and losing Connery's truly awful attempt to pass as Japanese.
I still think Wings edges out Carly Simon, although I like 'em both. Didn't Shirley Bassey do some of the other Bond themes? For some reason I thought she did Man With the Golden Gun as well, although I could be hallucinating. Must be all that Enzyte I've been taking recently.
Anyway, just to be clear, I was mainly referring to the overarching plot similarities between YOLT and TSWLM, with Blofeld or his updated replacement trying to spark global thermonuclear war by swallowing up U.S. and Soviet spacecraft/nuclear submarines from his secret underground/underwater hideout. Of course, I saw 'em in reverse order and thought TSWLM was awesome when I was 12. It was only upon seeing YOLT years later that I realized how much had been lifted wholesale from the earlier movie, albeit while adding the twists Rex mentions and losing Connery's truly awful attempt to pass as Japanese.
I still think Wings edges out Carly Simon, although I like 'em both. Didn't Shirley Bassey do some of the other Bond themes? For some reason I thought she did Man With the Golden Gun as well, although I could be hallucinating. Must be all that Enzyte I've been taking recently.
Heh, yeah, YOLT is not much kinder to the Japanese than LALD was to African-Americans. (Although both, trust me, are worlds kinder than the original Fleming novels. They're very dated in that respect.) And to a large extent, TSWLM is YOLT with submarines instead of spaceships, which, admittedly, is not as cool. (I remember being genuinely scared as a kid when I first saw that spaceship just getting gobbled up! YOLT -- which BTW was written by Roald Dahl -- is so crazy and outrageous that it seems to be one of the most parodied ones, Austin Powers being the most obvious.) One thing TSWLM adds to the mix that I do like is the rivalry/personal issue between Bond and XXX, which I think is handled well to give the story intrigue without bogging down in it.
Anyway, back to themes... Bassey also did Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. The Man With the Golden Gun was Lulu.
My Bond music obscurities: Nancy Sinatra's You Only Live Twice is so silly it's good; On Her Majesty's Secret Service has no theme song, but the score is excellent (as is Louis Armstrong's rendition of "We Have All the Time in the World"); and k.d. lang did a nice Bassey-esque track that plays over the end of Tomorrow Never Dies. I also dig the Garbage one I put in the poll, though I don't know how many people know it.
Anyway, back to themes... Bassey also did Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. The Man With the Golden Gun was Lulu.
My Bond music obscurities: Nancy Sinatra's You Only Live Twice is so silly it's good; On Her Majesty's Secret Service has no theme song, but the score is excellent (as is Louis Armstrong's rendition of "We Have All the Time in the World"); and k.d. lang did a nice Bassey-esque track that plays over the end of Tomorrow Never Dies. I also dig the Garbage one I put in the poll, though I don't know how many people know it.
I like Garbage, but I can't place that tune for the life of me.
| QUOTE | ||
| Nancy Sinatra's You Only Live Twice is so silly it's good That's where my vote goes to. I love that damn song. It's philosophical an' ting! "One life for yourself, and one for your dreams..." I'm a tad upset that I can't hear this song now without thinking of cheesemeister Robbie Williams, who sampled it for "Millenium". I always thought that the one Sheryl Crow did (Tomorrow Never Dies?) sounded like the theme from Perry Mason. QUOTE (->
I voted for Carly Simon just for the sheer emotional attachment; like Evil Turnip, it was the first song to pop into my head. That said, I think "Goldfinger" and "Live and Let Die" are better songs.
I love this poll!
Diamonds are Forever is just that little bit camp - and with Shirley Bassey belting it out I can't find it in me to name another favourite as We Have All The Time In The World isn't a theme. I love the Aimee Mann version of Nobody Does It Better as well.
Now I will confess a really, really sad git party trick here. And if I get warned on the grounds of being a horrendous geek I shall take it on the chin. I know all the Bond scripts off by heart. You give me a random line, I will know the next one. I've had friends come up with the most obscure ones to try and trip me up. Nope. Not yet. Oh God. I need to get out more.
STS, a stunning admission. I hope that, perhaps, in some small way my potentially embarrassing A-ha remembrances helped to open the door to other confessions, such as yours. (ETA: Also thanks to you LaG for joining in and even singing...
 )I would enjoy watching your infallible Bond recall in action. Okay, I'll try to stump you. What is Oddjob's one line? Here's a great bit from another personage with your talent, Alan Partridge. From I'm Alan Partridge Series 2, "Never Say Alan Again." Alan is about to screen "the greatest film of all time," The Spy Who Loved Me, for his girlfriend (Sonja), personal assistant (Lynn) and a couple of guys (John, Tex, and his somewhat simple gas station attendant buddy, Michael) crowded onto the couch in his trailer home. I apologize in advance for Michael's racist remarks and general crassness. QUOTE Sonja: "The Spy Who Loved Me" is a brilliant film. It begin in forest in Germany... Alan Partridge: It's Austria! Austria! John: What's the one where the laser beam goes up his jack... Alan Partridge: (exasperated) "Goldfinger"! Michael: What's the one with the, with the volcano, and it splits up and a big rocket comes out with all Chinkies jumping up and down? Tex: Isn't that, er, "Thunderball"? Alan Partridge: No. No! No! NO! Stop getting Bond wrong! I'll tell you about "The Spy Who Loved Me". All do that with your fingers round your eye. (everyone puts their thumb and forefinger up to their eye forming a tiny circle, looking through the circle at Alan.) I am Roger Moore. Bang! Blood dribbles down. We're on a submarine. Two sailors sit down and have a game of chess. Then the cups start wobbling and then a man who used to be in "The Onedin Line" comes in and goes, "Why are the cups wobbling? What's going on?" And then... yeah, you can stop doing that now. (everyone puts their fingers down.) And then he peers down the periscope thing and looks through it and goes, "Oh my God. The submarine's being eaten by a a giant tanker." And then we cut to Moscow. And there's a man there and he's Russian -- he's got eyebrows, you know -- and he's on the phone going, "What, a whole submarine? You're joking! I'm gonna have to tell some other Russians. See ya!" Right, and then, and then, it cuts to James - Roger Moore - and er, yes, he's with a lady. Yeah. Yeah. He's, he's necking with her. And he goes, "I've got to go, love. Something's come up." Michael: Aye. He means his cock. Alan Partridge: Anyway. Then he, he, he puts on his underpants and his ski suit and he gets on his skis and he starts skiing. And he's being chased by these Russian shits in black jumpsuits with lemon piping. And, er, he's just skiing along like that, and they start shooting at him, and he goes, "Right! I've had enough of that! Just stop it!" And he turns round with his gun and then he does a backward somersault off this ramp, and he, he lands on his feet - I'm not sure why, but he's not showing off. And then, then he goes over a cliff and he's falling and you think, "oh God, James Bond's going to die! He's going to DIE!" But then at the last minute... Michael: (interrupting) He pulls a ripcord, right? And a, a, a parachute comes out and it's got a Union Jack... Alan Partridge: (outraged disbelief) Michael! Michael! Michael: But that'show it ends. Alan Partridge: That's not the end of the beginning. The end of the beginning goes like this: Glang! Glanalangalangalangalangalang! Glanalang, langalangalanga, (singing) nobody does it better... - and I'm a naked woman in silhouette with a gun, spinning round - Makes me feel sad for the rest. Nobody does it... - ooh, bit of nipple - quite as good as you. Baby, you're the best. Da, da, da - and now a really big bounce right over and I land on my feet. Da, da, da, da, da, der. I wasn't looking, so now you found me... ooh, bit of bush, er - I tried to hide from your love life - and a woman swinging on a Luger, a giant Luger; ooh, look at that... Like heaven above me - and now another naked woman walking along the top of a gun, completely Billy Bollocks... The spy who loved me is keeping all my secrets safe tonight - and then one more big swing from the woman; legs go right up - ooh, what was that? Too late... Nobody does it half as good as you, baby you're the best! QUOTE (Joe Don Faker+) STS, a stunning admission. In fact, shocking... positively shocking.
JDF, I'll be disappointed if you didn't recite that all from memory.
Alas, no. Once again, IMDb was instrumental.
And I should add that Alan was acting out the movie after it was revealed that the Spy Who Love Me VHS had been wrongheadedly taped over. (Also, his other Bond tapes were irrevocably damaged when Lynn spilled a medium-sized bottle of Sunny Delight on them.)
And thus another B3 idol topples into the dust. STS, I hope you can pick up the slack :-).
Nobody recalls quotes, quite the way you do
Well, maybe STS... Yup, it's actually all smoke and mirrors. Or, google and imdb. "I wanted to watch Roger Moore necking with Fiona Fullerton! Instead I've got to watch a Michael Bolton look-a-like in a tight vest throw ovens over bales of hay!"
Coupling also had a definitive statement about the Bond series. QUOTE (Steve+) It's the four pillars of the male heterosexual psyche. We like: naked women, stockings, lesbians, and Sean Connery best as James Bond. Because that is what being a bloke is. |
Ha ha. I've got to add yet another Partridge quote; I just love that episode.
QUOTE
Alan: “Tonight we’re think abouting which celebrity you would like to spend the Bank Holiday with, and what would you do… On the line we have Roy… It’s Bank Holiday – Whatcha doin’, and who’s with ya?!”
Roy: “I’d like to go around Legoland with Sean Connery, and then afterwards we’d go for a lovely lamb lunch in the center of Windsor.”
Alan: “I’ve got to say, Roy, I don’t think that’s Connery’s cup of tea. I think Sean would rather do something like wander around the wildfoul park in Pepperstock with a bottle o’ Scotch!”
Roy: “I don’t agree; he’d go to Legoland, bye” ::click::
Roy: “I’d like to go around Legoland with Sean Connery, and then afterwards we’d go for a lovely lamb lunch in the center of Windsor.”
Alan: “I’ve got to say, Roy, I don’t think that’s Connery’s cup of tea. I think Sean would rather do something like wander around the wildfoul park in Pepperstock with a bottle o’ Scotch!”
Roy: “I don’t agree; he’d go to Legoland, bye” ::click::
Now the Odd Job line annoys me. I know he looks at a golf ball when caddying for Goldfinger, points at it, and says "Ah-ha". We've all seen it plenty of times. Now we'll set aside that Joe Don Faker then launched into a segment on Alan Partridge - very cute lead in to the great Mr Partridge! - but I watched a quiz show once that had a section on Bond characters who remained silent and Odd Job was one of the answers in that section. Not so - Ah-ha! By the way, in the spirit of this thread I am thinking about renaming you Muffy, Joe Don Faker.
I had to go digging for that "Muffy" ref. The day I am at a loss over a Joe Don reference, tis a sad day...
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<br>And yeah STS of course you are right, Odd Job did say that one line when he "found" Goldfinger's golf ball. A-HA! (It sounds kinda like Aah-Aah, I guess; but let's fudge it.)
"World's stupidest bottom-burp?"
"Rik, Britain"
QUOTE ("Wiki"+)
One of the funnier quirks of (Joe Don Baker's) Jack Wade character was the nicknames he would give to Bond, including "Jimmy" and "Jimbo." He also has a tattoo of a rose from his third marriage that says "Muffy."
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QUOTE ("STS"+)
I watched a quiz show once that had a section on Bond characters who remained silent and Odd Job was one of the answers in that section. Not so - Ah-ha!
<br>And yeah STS of course you are right, Odd Job did say that one line when he "found" Goldfinger's golf ball. A-HA! (It sounds kinda like Aah-Aah, I guess; but let's fudge it.)
"World's stupidest bottom-burp?"
"Rik, Britain"
Odd Job sort of grunts it really. Master of diction that one.
Just listened to the new theme song. Don't mind it as a song, but a James Bond theme it isn't.
Hey Jimbo, d'ya do any gardening?
Just listened to the new theme song. Don't mind it as a song, but a James Bond theme it isn't.
Hey Jimbo, d'ya do any gardening?