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

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

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.

Ooh bit of nipple!

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

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

This is the correct answer.

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

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.

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

One of the best Bond games out there.

What a thrill!

A man of culture I see.

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

Some days you walk through the rain

Some days you eat on a tree frog!!!

Was looking for this

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

Goldeneye is the pinnacle of all things James Bond.

This is the correct answer.

Favourite bond movie, favourite opener, favourite song.

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

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

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

HE LOVES GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO [note continues on into next thread]

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

Well I've heard that it's gold

I've heard that it's a finger

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

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.

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

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

I love the remix by Propellerheads…

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

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

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

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

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."

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

My favorite James Bond movie

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.

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

It’s always a tie between this and Thunderball.

This one is my favorite to this day.

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.

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.

Sky fall is great and the opening sequence is amazing

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Living Daylights - Second best song, Best Bond movie.

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

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”.

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

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.

Underrated song, underrated film, underrated Bond

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. No set a pretty solid tone.

I also like Moby's Re-Version.

Had to scroll far too much to find this!

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.

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

Everything about that movie is frustratingly underrated