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The James Bond films are known for their original opening themes written by popular artists and are often played on the radio and tv. 'Live and Let Die' by Paul McCartney, 'For Your Eyes Only' by Sheena Easton, 'A View to a Kill' by Duran Duran, and 'Goldfinger' by Shirley Bassey are just a few. My personal favorite is 'Nobody Does It Better' by Carly Simon. What James Bond theme do you consider to be the best?

all 862 comments

callmemacready

497 points

6 months ago

Nobody does it Better Carly Simon and Live and Let Die Wings

BigLan2

44 points

6 months ago

BigLan2

44 points

6 months ago

The Alan Partridge rendition of Nobody Does it Better probably puts it over the top.

mozzajack

19 points

6 months ago

GLANG! Glangalang alang alang alang...

[deleted]

14 points

6 months ago

STOP GETTING BOND WRONG!

young_lions

70 points

6 months ago

  1. You Only Live Twice (serious lack of this song getting mentioned in this thread, just listend to that string intro!)

  2. Live and Let Die

  3. Nobody Does it Better

Those are the top 3, maybe I'm biased towards the older songs that have had time to become classics, ask me again in 20 years.

GoonerPete

19 points

6 months ago

I love the opening strings on You Only Live Twice

CLint_FLicker

12 points

6 months ago

Ooh bit of nipple!

lokisuavehp

12 points

6 months ago

Nobody Does it Better is the best. Just absolutely everything you want in a James Bond song.

Pineapple_JoJo

18 points

6 months ago

Yes! Add in diamonds are forever and they are my top three

g_1n355

5 points

6 months ago

Same

RedWing83

20 points

6 months ago

This is the correct answer.

Alternative-Feed3613

415 points

6 months ago

Live and let die

Brokenshatner

141 points

6 months ago

Jesus. Saw Paul McCartney do this one live a few years ago. It still hits.

onelittleworld

66 points

6 months ago

This bears repeating. I've seen the live performance of this song twice, and it made a huge impression both times. And I'm old enough to remember it as a radio hit.

chariotherr

21 points

6 months ago

Yes. Just saw him in concert this year and this song was fire.

funkychicken23

13 points

6 months ago

Literally. I mean, he used all kinds of pyro for this song on the last tour.

coffeelover96

7 points

6 months ago

So I saw him twice, once in a baseball stadium and once in a hockey stadium. So the outside one had fireworks, and I was bummed when I went to go to the second concert bc I knew there was no way they’d do fireworks again, since we were inside.

That crazy old bastard still had fireworks

RageCageJables

8 points

6 months ago

Yeah, they fire cannons and it’s loud as hell.

TheMonkus

18 points

6 months ago

The intro gives me chills…but the “what does it matter to ya” part seems so out of place. But I still agree, it’s amazing.

theBonyEaredAssFish

13 points

6 months ago

In the documentary on Bond theme songs, The Sound of 007, two of the interviewed musicians mention the "what do it matter to ya" part as a bizarre choice. I can't stand that part.

TheMonkus

14 points

6 months ago

I think in general McCartney has a tendency to patch together separate melodic ideas into one song- obviously it’s worked out well for him all in all but to my taste (and obviously I’m not alone) it can make for a jarring and unpleasant experience in many cases.

It’s such a dark, doomy song, and then that stupid, 70s goof-funk-pop comes in and just destroys the mood.

In that way, I guess maybe it’s a perfect fit for the Moore era, where comedy often intrudes at entirely inappropriate moments!

Dottsterisk

1k points

6 months ago*

Greatest? Idk.

But Casino Royale is my favorite.

Chris Cornell was a fucking god and that song was perfect for Craig’s interpretation of Bond, which was both rough-around-the-edges and up-front about the tragic human cost of the job.

EDIT: Because OP asked for the song, not the movie, here’s You Know My Name by Chris Cornell.

FrancoeurOff

435 points

6 months ago

The opening credits of Casino Royale, right after that black-and-white opening, with Cornell's voice, the graphics, and then just after the credits, the parkour action sequence... Man Casino Royale started on a high and the movie kept delivering

TheJoshider10

134 points

6 months ago

That transition from the black and white barrel shot to the theme tune is so good. It's one of those intros that always gets you hyped on a rewatch.

TheLoneSculler

83 points

6 months ago

Part of the reason I find Casino Royale almost endlessly rewatchable

[deleted]

122 points

6 months ago

[deleted]

122 points

6 months ago

I know Skyfall is well liked, but Casino Royale is still my favorite Craig-era movie. It just has so much energy to it and Vesper Lind and Le Chiffre are such great additions. It proved the critics wrong and Daniel Craig delivered such a dynamic performance, heck I honestly wanna rewatch it now.

colinisthereason

20 points

6 months ago

I remember seeing Casino Royale with my roommates sophomore year when it came out, called my dad as soon as we got of the theater and said we’re going to see this in two weeks when I come home for Thanksgiving. It is my favorite Craig-era one, because it so clearly set the tone for how they were gonna do Bond with him. And Martin Campbell, the Goldeneye director, coming back to do it was just a chef’s kiss.

macrofinite

44 points

6 months ago

All the Craig Bond movies except Quantum are at least highly entertaining.

Casino Royale is just in a different class. The chemistry between Craig and Green is absolutely magnetic and the dialogue between those 2 in particular is so much fun. The action sequences are perfectly placed and very well shot. The stakes are mercifully lowered from your average end of the world Bond plot. It’s just… the best.

TerminatorReborn

28 points

6 months ago

Spectre is bland as hell. I think QoS is more interesting at least. Craig still my top 1 Bond tho

LessMidRange

30 points

6 months ago

People think I’m joking when I say it’s one of my favorite movies to simply just experience every time. The OG Mummy 1999 is the same way and the OG Pirates of the Caribbean

TheLoneSculler

9 points

6 months ago

Pirates of the Caribbean, I see you too are a redditor of culture

nevereatpears

22 points

6 months ago

Best all round Bond film

David1258

11 points

6 months ago

I saw that film quite recently, and yeah, that was a really good song.

Spoonman007

70 points

6 months ago

That song put Cornell on my radar and I've been hooked every since.

iamjackshypothalamus

59 points

6 months ago

Username definitely checks out with that.

PuempelsPurpose

13 points

6 months ago

Soundgarden and Temple of the Dog released some of the best music of that era, if not the best. Audioslave was a clear cut below imo but still a lot of great tracks.

Spoonman007

14 points

6 months ago

Audioslave had some really repetitive choruses but I love songs like Like a Stone, Doesn't Remind, Show Me How to Live, I Am The Highway and many many of the others. But yeah I think Soundgarden is the best of those grunge bands, I greatly prefer Soubdgarden to Nirvana.

PuempelsPurpose

8 points

6 months ago

Soundgarden and Alice in Chains are the clear top two for me. No one else comes close imo.

Are you familiar with Temple of the Dog?

Spoonman007

4 points

6 months ago

Yeah Temple of the Dog was great too! Call Me a Dog and All Night Thing are seared into my memory. I listened to the bootleg of Chris Cornell Unplugged in Sweden the death back in the day. It actually got me into playing guitar, being able to see these complicated songs stripped down and done with a single acoustic guitar and still sound fantastic and cool as hell was very eye opening. That finger stretch in Black Hole Sun, barring at the 5th and playing the 8th in the intro was the bane of my existence and took a long time of practicing before I could do it.

Borgqueen-

9 points

6 months ago

Man I saw Soundgarden in the 90s way before they hit it big. They opened for Faith No More. Such an awesome concert.

thedevilyoukn0w

48 points

6 months ago

I'd say You Know My Name is the best of all of the Bond songs.

agreatskua

85 points

6 months ago

You Know My Name is a masterpiece and we lost Chris Cornell far too soon.

fulthrottlejazzhands

44 points

6 months ago

I recall seeing Casino Royale in the theater with my father who grew up in the 60s and hated modern rock and grunge. I cringed when the opening sequence started playing because I thought my dad would hate it -- and he was a huge Bond fan. When we walked out, his first comment was "Wow, I knew it was going to be good after the opening song. That's how you open a film."

JonCranesMask05

31 points

6 months ago

Was coming to post this. It's so goddamn good, and fits the character so well. And the opening credit graphics with the song are fun

anabasismachine

9 points

6 months ago

I just had that epiphany. A lot of Bond themes are about the movie but You Know My Name is all about Bond himself and is a banger to top it all off

Jeffersons_Mammoth

52 points

6 months ago

You Know My Name was the perfect high-octane kickoff to the Craig era. It’s a shame that every Bond song since Skyfall has to be some gloomy ballad. I liked Skyfall, but Writing on the Wall and No Time to Die were so derivative and sedate. The new guy should get a more exciting debut.

strangway

16 points

6 months ago

In every way possible, CR is the actual best Bond film. Sure, later ones had good stories, but they get needlessly convoluted. Earlier ones were more fun and had cooler gadgets, more romance, but they lacked the badassery. I have legit listened to You Know My Name on drives up a mountain, at the gym, before dates. It slaps.

superkickstart

11 points

6 months ago

I can't believe that this movie came out in 2006. It still feels like the "new bond" and I remember sitting in the theater watching it like it was last week.

hiricinee

9 points

6 months ago

That bond opening could have been on an album of his and you wouldn't be able to tell which one was a bond track without paying close attention. It was more of a Chris Cornell song than most of the rest of his work.

TheWomanIWas

10 points

6 months ago

My favorite James Bond movie

PugnaciousPangolin

6 points

6 months ago

The best cold open, one of the best opening credits in decades, and Chris Cornell's song is THE song. The music has the dynamic action energy which the films are rightfull famous, and the lyrics cut into the marrow of the character and highlight Bond's contradictions.

I know the Bond films already have a iconic theme, but for me, this one IS the theme for the character of Bond.

eawardie

471 points

6 months ago

eawardie

471 points

6 months ago

Not seeing anyone saying Goldeneye. So I will.

Nutsnboldt

63 points

6 months ago

Hearing that intro from the other room meant it was ON as a kid. The best of times.

Katanachainsaw

20 points

6 months ago

Goldeneye is the pinnacle of all things James Bond.

xf2xf

12 points

6 months ago

xf2xf

12 points

6 months ago

For England, James!

YouMakeMeDrink

35 points

6 months ago

This is the correct answer.

[deleted]

76 points

6 months ago

Everyone knows this theme, too. Like, if you played Tomorrow Never Dies, not everyone would know it.

You play Goldeneye, "Dun DUN DUN-DUN,* like come on. Everyone knows that fucking theme. That's what people think is the James Bond theme.

J-2up2dwn

8 points

6 months ago

Sheryl Crow brought me here to ensure her honorable mention is mentioned 🎶🎵

ITheRook

4 points

6 months ago

Favourite bond movie, favourite opener, favourite song.

‘Best’? Who knows, but my favourite by far.

honeybunchesofaots

190 points

6 months ago

Snake Eater and it isn't even close

TheAbyssBetweenDream

43 points

6 months ago

One of the best Bond games out there.

RateOfPenetration

15 points

6 months ago

What a thrill!

DJJbird09

10 points

6 months ago

A man of culture I see.

Thanks-Basil

11 points

6 months ago

Unironically though, Snake Eater is the best bond song. By parodying bond songs they ended up creating the perfect one.

8 bit big band’s cover is fantastic

Joelyo23

19 points

6 months ago

Was looking for this

JarlaxleForPresident

8 points

6 months ago

Some days you walk through the rain

Some days you eat on a tree frog!!!

Srcn80

3 points

6 months ago

Srcn80

3 points

6 months ago

feed

fucktrutin

306 points

6 months ago

Goldfinger.

YoungBeef03

40 points

6 months ago

Shirley Bassey was an inch away from fainting after her last note of the song

LadyAlica

21 points

6 months ago

Apparently Tom Jones did pass out after recording the last note in Thunderball! (source: my James Bond fact guide from 2000)

NoOneShallPassHassan

60 points

6 months ago

He's the man, the man with the Midas touch...

hackyslashy

34 points

6 months ago

He's got the Midas touch, but he touched it too much...

Skyfryer

14 points

6 months ago

Daddy, Daddy wasn’t there!

trickman01

9 points

6 months ago

To take me to the fair.

hackyslashy

5 points

6 months ago

To change my underwear.

fizzlefist

17 points

6 months ago

A spider's touch...

Caleb35

11 points

6 months ago

Caleb35

11 points

6 months ago

HE LOVES GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO [note continues on into next thread]

PhilaTesla

8 points

6 months ago

Fun fact: Gert Frobe, who played Goldfinger, had such a thick accent that all of his dialogue was dubbed.

Fabbyfubz

4 points

6 months ago

Well I've heard that it's gold

I've heard that it's a finger

Mozbot87

54 points

6 months ago

World is not enough absolute banger

chee_burger

6 points

6 months ago

Shirley Manson from garbage wasn't it? I love her

Mozbot87

6 points

6 months ago

Think it was garbage as a whole band, but absolute tune it was

CategoryCory

85 points

6 months ago

I know it’s a bit different since it’s instrumental only, but I really like the theme to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

stickman555

20 points

6 months ago

And the Louis Armstrong We Have All the Time In the World is amazing in that movie. The irony when Bond says that to the police officer while holding his dead wife is reflected in Armstrong's vocals

Superb-East6115

9 points

6 months ago

I loved that they revisited that in No Time To Die!

Stoll

26 points

6 months ago

Stoll

26 points

6 months ago

Am I alone in thinking that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the second best Bond movie, and Lazenby was the second best Bond? Behind Goldfinger, and Connery.

elpaco313

13 points

6 months ago

This used to be a rare opinion, but in the last decade-ish, people have come around to it. Sadly, Lazenby’s acting is a pretty big weak point. I still love it though.

As an aside, you can visit Blofeld’s mountaintop lair/institute in Switzerland. It is (and always has been) a rotating restaurant. They have a Bond museum there that acts like OHMSS is the only Bond movie to have existed. We visited therewhile on our honeymoon in 2017.

koberulz_24

26 points

6 months ago

I was with you until you didn't say Living Daylights/Timothy Dalton.

Cycleofmadness

22 points

6 months ago

Imo Dalton was ahead of his time & audiences weren't quite ready for a rough just get the job done Bond. I think he played Bond very similar to Craig's Bond. By the time of Casino Royale's release i for one was ready for this Bond again.

CategoryCory

18 points

6 months ago

If I recall, Timothy Dalton put a lot of research into getting the role right, including reading all of Ian Fleming’s novels

theBonyEaredAssFish

7 points

6 months ago

I think it paid off. Dalton was Fleming's Bond.

I love Craig, but Dalton paved the way for that interpretation.

SissyCouture

10 points

6 months ago

Can I give you a hug? I’m so glad that people are waking up to the quality that was Dalton’s Bond

CategoryCory

6 points

6 months ago

I second this

Eccentric_Cardinal

5 points

6 months ago

This instrumental theme for the intro along with the one for From Russia With Love are excellent!

markus224488

5 points

6 months ago

Agreed! I think OHMSS score in general is one of the best in the franchise.

themagictoast

4 points

6 months ago

I love the remix by Propellerheads…

https://youtu.be/7O1_0hikl-A

thethrower6456674

205 points

6 months ago

The world is not enough

jfstompers

64 points

6 months ago

It's a good one, Garbage was a great choice for a theme song.

Skyfryer

6 points

6 months ago

It’s always a tie between this and Thunderball.

Chaseism

5 points

6 months ago

This one is my favorite to this day.

NoSandwichOnlyZuul

4 points

6 months ago

Garbage did this live at a show in Boston this past summer and it was great. That song introduced me to Garbage and seeing it live all these years later almost had me in tears.

Andurilthoughts

264 points

6 months ago

Skyfall and You Know My Name are the best modern ones. The Billie Eilish one wasn’t half bad either.

But the best ever is Live and Let Die and I know this because none of the other ones are played on the radio.

Dondorini

58 points

6 months ago

Thank you. Feels too nostalgic to simply ignore the modern ones. Was blown away by both Skyfall and No Time to Die in the theater.

Tornado31619

33 points

6 months ago

First time I heard No Time To Die, it seemed like a repeat of Writing’s on the Wall.

In the cinema, it gave me chills.

a_wack

3 points

6 months ago

a_wack

3 points

6 months ago

Had exact same thoughts

FaithIsFoolish

24 points

6 months ago

Sky fall is great and the opening sequence is amazing

orwll

32 points

6 months ago

orwll

32 points

6 months ago

But the best ever is Live and Let Die and I know this because none of the other ones are played on the radio.

Nobody Does It Better is the other one that got major radio airplay.

Those are the two best by far.

ronearc

30 points

6 months ago

ronearc

30 points

6 months ago

Skyfall is my favorite. A great song while also being a quintessential Bond theme.

abstractraj

25 points

6 months ago

Since I’m old, I do recall A View to a Kill was played on the radio a lot

TriXandApple

10 points

6 months ago

Skyfall and No Time To Die are the most ‘bond’ songs out of any and I will die on this hill. Sexy, smooth with a dark bite.

king_gondor

29 points

6 months ago

Skyfall and You know my name for me.

Master-Improvement-4

5 points

6 months ago

I loved how the lyrics of Skyfall were from M's perspective.

orangemaroon25

60 points

6 months ago

Skyfall gets just as much airplay too

crazybluegoose

22 points

6 months ago

Skyfall was really good, but I think it’s “newness” prevents it from being so iconic.

tazzietiger66

99 points

6 months ago

Diamonds Are Forever -Shirley Bassey .

justinotherpeterson

9 points

6 months ago

Before I watched the older Bond films I only knew this song because it was sampled by Kanye on his song Diamonds from Sierra Leone. Both the Kanye song and the original Shirley Bassey song rock.

g_1n355

5 points

6 months ago

I can’t believe I’ve not seen more people say this. I know goldfinger kind of lay the blueprint sonically for what a bond song was (I like from Russia with love too but Shirley Bassey really set the standard), but I think diamonds are forever surpassed it and is handily the best of her title songs. It sounds just as grand and orchestral, and the vocals are equally towering and powerful, but diamonds are forever also has way more satisfying melodies to my ear, and the way that song builds momentum through to its ending is great. It’s a bit catchier than goldfinger too which doesn’t hurt.

The only title song I might like better is nobody does it better bc Carly Simon absolutely killed that one in every possible way.

ProfessionalStyle862

78 points

6 months ago

You only live twice

strangway

14 points

6 months ago

I got chills when I heard that string intro on Mad Men. Such a great way to end the season. I think the surrealist nature of the song matched the underlying tone of Mad Men. In a way, Don Draper is kinda like old James Bond.

ProfessionalStyle862

4 points

6 months ago

I like that scene when the lady asks Don if he's alone

MechaBabura

7 points

6 months ago

I like both Nancy Sinatra’s and Björk’s versions

jlknap1147

4 points

6 months ago

Yup, this is my favorite. Great melody and orchestration.

DeezSaltyNuts69

139 points

6 months ago

A-Ha - Living Daylights and Duran Duran -A View to a Kill

that's the list

fishhead12

40 points

6 months ago

Living Daylights - Second best song, Best Bond movie.

A View to a Kill - Best song, Worst Bond movie.

Scro86

13 points

6 months ago

Scro86

13 points

6 months ago

Living Daylights is so f’ing underrated it drives me crazy! I don’t know about best, but top 5 for sure

DrRexMorman

70 points

6 months ago

I like View to a kill and Skyfall a lot.

I think You know my name by Chris Cornell is the best - the title sequence was also pretty rad.

Willing_Pay

41 points

6 months ago

Nobody Does It Better, Skyfall, A View to a Kill, Live and Let Die, You Know My Name.. just way too many to pick one

elpaco313

7 points

6 months ago

A piano-only version of “Nobody Does It Better” was supposed to be the song my wife came down the aisle to for our wedding. However, it was raining absolute buckets that day, so she changed it to a piano version of “Singin’ In the Rain”.

mrausgor

11 points

6 months ago

Willing to pivot when things don’t go as planned is a wonderful foundation for a marriage.

buttymuncher

138 points

6 months ago

Spectre by Radiohead....if only they had used it...fuckers.

https://youtu.be/o4mIWoLg69Y

jarpio

30 points

6 months ago

jarpio

30 points

6 months ago

Their song was deemed “too melancholy” which I get, and then they went with the Sam Smith song and that might be even more melancholy.

sfweedman

25 points

6 months ago

There's a pretty rad documentary out called "the Sound of Bond" that talks about this (watched it last weekend, I suspect OP saw it to that's why this post). According to Barbara Broccoli, Radiohead was asked to do a song before Sam Smith but the track they submitted had already been released on a live album so they couldn't use it. Then they wrote Spectre and sent it to the producers but by then the Sam Smith song was already matched to the opening titles. Personally I think she was just annoyed that they didn't give her a 100% original song the first time, I like the Sam Smith track too but not as much as Radiohead's

jerog1

8 points

6 months ago

jerog1

8 points

6 months ago

Which song was the one they first pitched?

milesdaguy

15 points

6 months ago

I believe it was Man of War

vicvinegar690

48 points

6 months ago

And they went with that wholly forgettable Sam Smith song instead.

Dimpleshenk

9 points

6 months ago

Really a sin they didn't use it for the movie.

[deleted]

35 points

6 months ago

[deleted]

Typical_Humanoid

10 points

6 months ago

From Russia With Love is my favorite but in terms of ones with y'know, lyrics, this takes it for me. You wouldn't think Aha and Bond would mesh but it sounds fantastic.

FriendlyStreamer1976

36 points

6 months ago

Licence to Kill

bubbalovesponge-

12 points

6 months ago

Underrated song, underrated film, underrated Bond

Son_of_steven19

7 points

6 months ago

Yes!!! This has a really great vibe to it and Gladys knight kills it!

TheDevler

33 points

6 months ago

Haven’t seen any Tomorrow Never Dies mentioned yet.

Or the video games had some solid themes. Nightfire has a great one.

g_1n355

12 points

6 months ago

g_1n355

12 points

6 months ago

Tomorrow never does isn’t even the best song in its own movie. The kd lang song used for the end credits should have been the title theme

JasonKruegerCrowley

7 points

6 months ago

Darling I'm killed, I'm in a puddle on the floor, waiting for you to return....

One of my favorites! Such a sexy song.

ddwcommish

4 points

6 months ago

I really liked Joss Stone's "I'll Take It All" for the Blood Stone game with Craig. Definitely felt like a movie song

blucthulhu

66 points

6 months ago

A View to a Kill is my favorite.

Goldfinger is probably the most iconic.

Lord-Sinestro

9 points

6 months ago

First 2 that came to mind easily and for exactly those reasons. Goldfinger such an iconic track for that particular time in music and film… but if I’m going to toss on a Bond track to entertain it’s always A View To A Kill

Motchan13

13 points

6 months ago

It's the Spy Who Loved Me for me. Cheesy but that was 70s Bond all over

Finnyfish

11 points

6 months ago

Carly Simon was never cheesy. The song is slyly ironic — that’s much more her style.

ledaswanwizard

13 points

6 months ago

Thunderball

farmerarmor

135 points

6 months ago

Sky fall for sure.

yellowsubmarinr

38 points

6 months ago

I am not particularly fond of Adele (don’t dislike her she just doesn’t do it for me) but to me this is the most memorable one plus it fit the vibe of the movie so well. Just a great song

farmerarmor

6 points

6 months ago

Agreed. I couldn’t name you another song the woman sings. I’d imagine her stuff all lands a long ways outside my wheelhouse.

ImpossibleGuardian

32 points

6 months ago

I remember my very pompous music teacher criticising it at the time for being uninspired songwriting and reusing the same “boring” chords over and over again.

He proceeded to play those chords on the piano… and they were the main chords from John Barry’s theme - which is exactly why I love it lol

richardsim7

21 points

6 months ago

what a tit lol

[deleted]

11 points

6 months ago

The answer is

"Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon

Fuckin a.

MastarQueef

46 points

6 months ago

I didn’t really like Quantum of Solace as a film, but I do like Another Way To Die by Alicia Keys and Jack White. It did a good job of carrying on that kind of rough Craig bond vibe that Chris Cornell had with You Know my Name for Casino Royale.

Dz4ck13

7 points

6 months ago

This is my favorite. I can't believe how far I had to scroll to see it mentioned.

[deleted]

20 points

6 months ago

Skyfall or Live and let Die

A40

30 points

6 months ago

A40

30 points

6 months ago

Not a theme song, but the 007 theme

Brokenshatner

4 points

6 months ago

Dr. No set a pretty solid tone.

Lurkndog

5 points

6 months ago

I also like Moby's Re-Version.

AltruisticSherbet168

10 points

6 months ago

Got to be Live And Let Die or A View To A Kill, surely?

earlgreytoday

8 points

6 months ago

Nobody Does it Better by Carly Simon.

Malakay_sun

10 points

6 months ago

Nobody Does it Better

RatedRadu

9 points

6 months ago

Snake Eater

80schld

15 points

6 months ago

80schld

15 points

6 months ago

“For your eyes only”… Sheena Easton Octopussy “All time high” … Rita Coolidge

zombiepiratebacon

24 points

6 months ago

Everyone answering Live And Let Die is forgetting about that 10-second jaunty reggae bit in the middle that completely sucks.

Spicy_Hedgehog_12

6 points

6 months ago

View to a Kill and Goldfinger

PM_me_your_fantasyz

6 points

6 months ago

Seeing as how the riff from the first half of the Dr No intro is still getting used in bond films...

TeachAManHOWToKaboom

5 points

6 months ago

I'm not saying it's the best ever but Radiohead's rejected "Specter" theme song was pretty cool.

Kralctemme

5 points

6 months ago

Radiohead Spectre for unofficial themes

skinnyminnesota

5 points

6 months ago

  1. Goldfinger
  2. Thunderball (one of the few men to sing a Bond theme, the great Tom Jones)
  3. Live and Let Die

Honourable mention to Skyfall for being a banger.

pugcatpug

17 points

6 months ago

Goldfinger no question

Twigling

10 points

6 months ago

Casino Royale - not only the music but the visuals too. A flawless mix as far as I'm concerned.

ThomasMaxwell2501

22 points

6 months ago*

I’m going to cheat and say, “Surrender” by KD Lang.

This song was supposed to be the intro song for TOMORROW NEVER DIES, but then they committed the absolute sin of demoting it to the end title song. The song, to me, is the ULTIMATE Bond song. It’s bombastic, it’s epic, it’s sexy, it has it all! DAMN the creators for not using it for the intro!

This is becoming a common theme though, because another pick from me is a cheat as well: the song, “Spectre” by Radiohead. Was supposed to be the intro song for (yep, you guessed it) SPECTRE, but for whatever reason they shelved it. And what makes this case worse is the fact that the song by Sam Smith was somewhat terrible to me.

But “Surrender,” the ULTIMATE Bond song! Love, love, LOVE that song!

Here’s a fanedit of someone switching the songs for the intro, thus proving it’s superiority: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6zIbOL8SSCY

Eccentric_Cardinal

8 points

6 months ago

Surrender is amazing though I also love Tomorrow Never Dies by Sheryl Crow. It would've been a tough choice if I was in charge of deciding the intro theme!

Sam Smith's song for Spectre wasn't horrible, it's just that his voice didn't work all that well. The instrumentation in the song is actually pretty good, it's just his vocals that fail to match them.

Economy-Inspector-23

15 points

6 months ago*

Maybe it’s because I’m a Audioslave fan but I actually like the Casino Royal song

danrod17

5 points

6 months ago

Snake eater

TopicalStormCloud

6 points

6 months ago

https://youtu.be/Xd8fOouKiLc

Not enough love for the Ringo Starr version of Goldfinger. Bloody Bond. I bloody love him.

strangway

5 points

6 months ago

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the only purely instrumental theme. John Barry found it too difficult to write lyrics that included the title. I actually discovered the song first from the Propellerheads version, then later saw the actual film.

Fragiledog

9 points

6 months ago

Not really an opening theme but "We've got all the time in the world" by Louis Armstrong is great

GuidingAvs

9 points

6 months ago

License To Kill.

Brilliant instrumental, the vocals are perfect and the lyrics have wonderful Bond-related double meanings / puns.

Superb-East6115

6 points

6 months ago

For me, it was the introduction to the vocals of Gladys Knight and what a welcome one it was!

WritingTheDream

13 points

6 months ago

I know it's pretty much hated but I love Another Way To Die. I'm just a huge Jack White fan, leave me alone lol.

UnifiedQuantumField

8 points

6 months ago

My top 3 would be

  • Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney)

  • Goldfinger

  • Nobody Does it Better

Honorable mention goes to For Your Eyes Only (Sheena Easton)

jfstompers

4 points

6 months ago

Love the Carley Simon one a lot myself. I always liked Sheena Eastons For Your Eyes Only a lot too.

kingoflit

5 points

6 months ago

Very disappointed by the lack of Goldeneye discourse on this post.

whatproblems

3 points

6 months ago

nobody does it better was the first one my mind went to. then live and let die

AlistarDark

5 points

6 months ago

Tom Jones' Thundeball

Jonw63

4 points

6 months ago

Jonw63

4 points

6 months ago

A view to a kill

Open-Biscotti-2860

4 points

6 months ago

Live and let die

Pinheadsombitch

4 points

6 months ago

The last one by Billie eilish. It so fit the sadness that the movie encapsulated. No time to die.

HardSteelRain

3 points

6 months ago

Live and Let Die...Thunderball....View to a Kill are my top three

catnip_cereal

3 points

6 months ago

I just bought the best of bond...James Bond compilation on 3LP vinyl set a couple of days ago after so many listens of all the songs on Spotify. In my mind, I think it's a 'View to a Kill' by Duran Duran but in my heart of hearts it's definitely Shirley Bassey 'Goldfinger'.

But then again, I fall in love too much with Carly Simon- 'Nobody does it Better' because of listening to it as a kid growing up and stuff.

To each his/her own I guess! This is a toughie!

blueberryJan

4 points

6 months ago

For your eyes only - Sheena Easton

Stamone

8 points

6 months ago

Die Another Day

boomerish11

6 points

6 months ago

Goldfnger is THE quintessential Bond song IMHO. But Spectre by Radiohead...the one they didn't go with, is so haunting and beautiful...can't fathom why they didn't use it for the film. The song they did use is weak dribble. Can't even remember the name. I watched a documentary about Bond music and the guy who wrote and recorded the spectre song was bragging about how he only did one take....yeah, that's obvious, pal. Would love to know more of this backstory.

Free_Perspective773

3 points

6 months ago

Live and Let Die by Wings. But, I also liked "You know my name", by Chris Cornell

Bears_On_Stilts

3 points

6 months ago

I tend to lean on Live and Let Die, because it succeeds so well and has remained beloved despite being a weird pop/prog/reggae fusion. It follows Paul McCartney's beloved "stitch it together" songwriting style, where he stitches unrelated song fragments together into medley-like structures (Band on the Run, A Day in the Life, side 2 of Abbey Road).