James Bond music
The musical legacy of the James Bond film series.
The James Bond music franchise includes theme songs and scores that have won Academy Awards and topped charts in the UK and US.[1] According to AllMusic, the musical style of Bond themes has been classified as spy music.[2]
Quick Facts
- First film
- Dr. No (1962)
- Academy award winners
- Skyfall
- Writing's on the Wall
- No Time to Die
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
This theme has appeared in all Eon Productions Bond films in different versions and features in the gun barrel sequences.[3] Dr. No is the only film with more than one opening theme, including a bongo interlude and a Calypso version of "Three Blind Mice".[3] "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran is the only Bond song to reach number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[1][4] Monty Norman composed the original "James Bond Theme," which John Barry and his orchestra performed in 1962 for the film Dr. No.[3]
On the UK singles chart, the "James Bond Theme" peaked at position 13 and spent 13 weeks on the chart.[3] "Live and Let Die," performed by Paul McCartney and Wings, became the first Bond theme to receive an Academy Award nomination.[5]
What the cited sources add
The Official Charts account states that Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall" was the first Bond theme to reach number 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart.[6] The same source notes that "No Time to Die" had the biggest opening week for a Bond theme, with 90,000 chart sales.[6] According to the Official Charts, Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" only reached number 38 on the UK chart in 1971.[6] The BBC reports that Sam Smith's theme achieved combined sales and streams of 70,000 copies to reach number 1.[7]
The BBC also states that Smith is the first solo male British act to perform a Bond opening number since Tom Jones in 1965.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Music of the James Bond series" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Every James Bond theme ever and where they charted", Official Charts, 27 September 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Music of the James Bond series" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Spy Music Music Style Overview AllMusic", AllMusic (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Music of the James Bond series" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Music of the James Bond series" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books; "BBC Website; Sam Smith's James Bond theme makes UK chart history", www.bbc.co.uk, 2015-10-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Music of the James Bond series" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited; Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books; Burlingame, Jon, "The Music of James Bond", Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 113 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Every James Bond theme ever and where they charted", Official Charts, 27 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. officialcharts.com
- "BBC Website; Sam Smith's James Bond theme makes UK chart history", www.bbc.co.uk, 2015-10-02. facts only, no text reused. bbc.co.uk
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Music of the James Bond series (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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