All The James Bond Themes Ranked (Part Two)

 

Thanks for joining us on Inside The Rock Era for our salute to the great James Bond Themes.  Buckle up and enjoy Part Two!

   

 #20:
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
by John Barry
From On Her Majesty's Secret Service

The 1969 contribution to the Bond series was based on Fleming's 1963 novel.  After Connery decided to retire after You Only Live Twice, George Lazenby landed the role.  Diana Rigg starred as Countess Tracy di Veicenzo, Bond's love interest with Telly Savalas playing Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE.  Lois Maxwell and Bernard Lee reprised the role of Miss Moneypenny and M, respectively, joined by Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat and George Baker.

Barry was at his best in this soundtrack featuring the driving title theme.  It was part of Barry's fifth score for the franchise and one of only two instrumentals to be featured in the opening credits.  "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was one of the first in cinema to feature the Moog synthesizer.

 

 #19:

"We Have All The Time In The World"

by Louis Armstrong

From On Her Majesty's Secret Service

In the sixth film of the series, Blofeld, played by Telly Savalas, is planning to make infertile all food plants and livestock by the brainwashed "angels of death", who are 12 beautiful women from around the world.  Bond (played by George Lazenby) meets and falls in love with Contessa Teresa di Vencenzo (known as Tracy), whom he eventually marries.  But James's happiness is wiped out in an instant. 

One of only two Bond films to contain two songs to make this list (Dr. No is the other), On Her Majesty's Secret Service also features "All The Time In The World" by Louis Armstrong.  Barry chose Louis because he could "deliver the title song with irony", according to an audio commentary available from the DVD.

Barry wrote the song with lyrics from Hal David.  It is played during the courtship of Bond and Tracy.   Armstrong was very sick at the time but was able to record the song in one take.  However, he couldn't play the trumpet, believed to have been played by Herb Alpert, a close associate of David.

"All The Time In The World" was re-released in 1994 and reached #3 in the U.K.  It was used for the second time for the closing credits of the 2021 film No Time to Die.

 

 #18:

"Moonraker"

by Shirley Bassey

From Moonraker

In the action-packed 1979 movie Moonraker, Roger Moore as Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle.  It is the third and final film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert.  The movie is also notable for being the final appearance of Bernard Lee as M; Lee died of stomach cancer before he could complete filming of the 1980 movie For Your Eyes Only.

Lois Chiles stars as Holly Goodhead, an astronaut scientist on "loan from NASA", later revealed to be a CIA agent.  Michael Lonsdale is the main villain Hugo Drax, with 7' 2" Richard Kiel, possessing a mouth filled with steel teeth, returning as Jaws.  Kiel also appeared in the great movie Silver Streak three years previous.  The cast also includes Corinne Cléry, Geoffrey Keen, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Desmond Llewelyn and Toshiro Suga as Chang.

"Moonraker" is Shirley Bassey's third contribution to the franchise (after "Goldfinger" and "Diamonds Are Forever").  Johnny Mathis originally began recording but was unable to finish, leaving Broccoli to offer the song to Bassey just weeks before the premiere in England.  The ballad version appears in the opening credits with a disco version following at the end of the film.

 

 #17:

"A View To A Kill"

by Duran Duran

From A View To A Kill

The 1985 movie A View To A Kill is the 14th in the Bond series and is the seventh and final one to feature Roger Moore.  Christopher Walken is fantastic as Max Zorin, a psychopath who wants to destroy Silicon Valley to control the market on microchips.  A View To A Kill also stars Tanya Roberts, Grace Jones, Patrick Macnee, Patrick Bauchau, David Yip as CIA agent Chuck Lee, Robert Brown as M, Dolph Lundgren and Desmond Llewelyn.

John Barry once again composed the score for the soundtrack and co-wrote "A View To A Kill" with Duran Duran.  The song reached #1 in the United States and was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Original Song.

 

 #16:

"Writing's On The Wall"

by Sam Smith

From Spectre

Spectre became the 24th Bond film released in 2015. We find Bond in Mexico City, where he stops a bombing attempt during a Day of the Dead festival. When Bond obtains a ring stylized with an octopus from the attacker, he uncovers his connection to a secret organization, Spectre.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Christoph Waltz, is the mastermind behind Spectre and the arch-nemesis of Bond. Judi Dench appeared in her eighth Bond movie as M, marking 20 years since her debut as the character in GoldenEye. Spectre also includes Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Dave Bautista as assassin Mr. Hinx, Andrew Scott, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen and Monica Bellucci.

Sam Smith earned the nod to sing "Writing's On The Wall" for the opening credits, and it became the first Bond theme to reach #1 in the U.K., also peaking at #1 in Scotland, #2 in Greece, #3 in Finland and #9 in Ireland.  The song also swept the Academy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.

 

 #15:

"Licence To Kill"

by Gladys Knight

From Licence To Kill

Licence To Kill, from 1989, is the second and final film to star Timothy Dalton and the 16th overall.  It also is the fifth and final Bond movie directed by John Glen, the last with Robert Brown as M and Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny.

Bond gets suspended from MI6 as he chases drug lord Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi), who ordered an attack against Bond's CIA friend Felix Leiter.  Rather than stop his aim for revenge, Bond resigns, although Moneypenny retypes the letter as a request for leave.

Licence To Kill also stars as DEA informant Pam Bouvier, Talisa Soto, Anthony Zerbe and Everett McGill and includes American decathlete Rafer Johnson and Anthony Starke, best known for speaking in the third person as Jimmy in the Seinfeld episode "The Jimmy".

The theme song, sung by Gladys Knight, was written by Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff, the latter who had written several of Mariah Carey's biggest hits.  "Licence To Kill" shot up to #1 in Sweden, #2 in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark, #3 in West Germany, #4 in Ireland and #6 in the U.K.

 

 #14:

"Tomorrow Never Dies"

by Sheryl Crow

From Tomorrow Never Dies

Tomorrow Never Dies from 1997 is the 18th Bond film and the second to star Pierce Brosnan.  It is the only Brosnan movie in the series that did not open at #1 at the box office, finishing #2 to Titanic.  It is the first Bond movie after original producer Albert Broccoli died.  His daughter Barbara and half-brother Michael G. Wilson produced the movie.
In this thriller, Bond tries to keep power-hungry Elliot Carver, played by Jonathan Pryce, from initiating world events that would trigger World War III.

Colin Salmon is Charles Robinson, one of three times Salmon performed in the role.  The cast also includes Teri Hatcher, Michelle Yeoh, Götz Otto, Ricky Jay, Samantha Bond playing Miss Moneypenny, Joe Don Baker as Jack Wade, Bond's ally in the CIA,  along with other Bond mainstays Judi Dench as M and Desmond Llewelyn, who appeared in 17 Bond films as Q.

Moneypenny, the one constant woman in Bonds' life who has seen him through hundreds of women and missions, phoned him to request that he return to headquarters ASAP.  Bond replied that he'll be in soon, that he was just "brushing up on his Danish".  Moneypenny of course knew Bond, prompting her to say the great line, "You always were a cunning linguist, James."

Barry was in talks to return for the first time in a decade but when negotiations fell through, Barbara Broccoli chose David Arnold to score the movie.

Arnold originally set out to write the theme with lyricist Don Black, to be recorded by David McAlmont.  When MGM demanded a popular artist sing the theme, however, various singers were invited to write songs and Crow was selected from amongst the competition.

"Tomorrow Never Dies" was nominated for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture at both the Grammys and the Golden Globes.  It reached #3 in Greece, #5 in Finland and #12 in the U.K.

 

 #13:

"You Know My Name"

by Chris Cornell

From Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006), the 21st edition in the Bonds canon, is generally regarded as the best film since the early years.  Daniel Craig made his debut as Bond, out to arrest a bomb maker in Madagascar before he learns of terrorist financier Le Chiffre and must bankrupt Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.

Craig delivered one of the top quotes in the Bond series after knocking off an enemy but recovering himself--"That last hand nearly killed me."

Jeffrey Wright plays CIA ally Felix Leiter.  The cast also includes Giancarlo Giannini, Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench as M, Tobias Menzies, Isaach de Bankolé, Simon Abkarian, Ivana Miličević, Caterina Murino, Claudio Santamaria and Sébastien Foucan.

David Arnold composed his fourth soundtrack while Nicholas Dodd orchestrated and conducted the score.  Chris Cornell of Soundgarden recorded the theme song for the opening credits, with the main notes reoccurring throughout the film.  Cornell wrote lyrics that conveyed the emotional turn Craig brought to the franchise, and it hit #3 in Finland, #4 in Italy, #5 in Norway and #7 in the U.K.

 

 #12:

"The World Is Not Enough"

by Garbage

From The World Is Not Enough

Pierce Brosnan starred as Bond in 1999 for the third time in The World Is Not Enough.  The KGB terrorist Renard kills billionaire Sir Robert King and Bond is subsequently assigned to protect King's daughter Elektra, played by Sophie Marceau.

The movie also stars Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards as Bond girl Dr. Christmas Jones, Maria Grazia Cucinotta as the veteran assassin working for Renard known as "Cigar Girl", Robbie Coltrane and Desmond Llewelyn as Q.  John Cleese appears as Q's assistant.  Bond says to him, "If he's Q, does that make you R?"

David Arnold composed the soundtrack, his second for the franchise and co-wrote the title song with Don Black, his fifth theme, preceded by "Thunderball", "Diamonds Are Forever", "The Man With The Golden Gun" and "Tomorrow Never Dies".  Garbage performed "The World Is Not Enough" in the movie's opening credits.

The song peaked at #2 in the Netherlands and #7 in Norway and Finland and #11 in the U.K.

   

 #11:

"From Russia With Love"

by Matt Monro

from the movie From Russia With Love

The second James Bond movie From Russia With Love is one of the top movies in the franchise's history, and generally regarded as the movie which firmly established Sean Connery in the iconic role.  Terence Young directed it, with production once again by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman.  The movie is based on Ian Fleming's 1957 novel of the same name.

Bond is sent to help Soviet clerk Tatiana Romanova defect in Turkey, but SPECTRE plans to avenge Bond's killing of Dr. No in Jamaica the first movie there as well.

But SPECTRE assassin "Red" Grant is always present, looking for his moment to dispose of Bond.  Robert Shaw delivered an outstanding performance to match that of Connery, earning accolades from Esquire as The #1 Villain of the Bond Franchise.  Pedro Armendáriz stars as Ali Kerim Bey, head of MI6 Station T in Istanbul and Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb, another of the top villains in the Bond series, as well as Bernard Lee as M, Daniela Bianchi and Eunice Gayson. 

 Klebb, despite being Number Three, really calls all the shots, placing both friend and foe exactly where she wants them to be.  

From Russia with Love is the movie which brought in John Barry as the primary composer.  Lionel Bart wrote the theme song, recorded by crooner Matt Monro and featured at the end of the movie.

The ten best themes are coming up in Part Three!

All The James Bond Themes Ranked (Part One)!

Whether you've watched one James Bond film or all 26, most can generally reach agreement that the franchise has a reputation for theme songs that are famous and among the best movie themes of all-time.  Join us for our three-part series as we enjoy all of the theme songs (some movies had more than one) that have made up a big part of our lives!

Note:  We ranked these songs differently than in most of our specials.  Rather than go purely by the quality of the song and its audio appeal, we judged the songs based on how well they fit the James Bond character, the movie in which they are featured in, and how they fit into the opening credits and video where they are used in that way.  

 

 #28:
"Under The Mango Tree"
Cibelle
From Dr. No

Dr. No was the one that started it all off in 1962, with Sean Connery establishing the great James Bond character right off the bat.  The movie also stars Ursula Andress, Jack Lord as CIA operative Felix Leiter and Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No.  Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman co-produced the movie; it was a partnership that continued through 1975.

The song appears fairly early in the movie, as Bond wakes up to spot a bikini-clad Andress (as Honey Rider) coming out of the water with some seashells.  "Are you looking for shells?" she asks.  "No, I'm just looking."

The song appears for a second time sung by Diana Coupland, composer Monty Norman's wife and a veteran British stage and screen star, on the LP Bond plays in Miss Taro's home.  

   

 #27:
"Never Say Never Again"
by Lani Hall
From Never Say Never Again

Never Say Never Again (from 1987) is a remake of the 1965 Bond movie Thunderball, and reportedly is based on a comment from Sean Connery that he would "never again" play James Bond.  The movie also stars Max von Sydow, Klaus Maria Branauer, Kim Basinger, Barbara Carrera and Bernie Casey, former running back with the Los Angeles Rams, who plays Felix Leiter, Bond's CIA contact and friend.

Lani Hall, the lead singer of Sergio Mendes from 1966-71, had the honor of singing the title song which also was featured in the opening credits in the movie.

 

 #26:
"The Living Daylights"
by A-ha
From The Living Daylights

This next theme comes from the 15th movie in the series from 1987, starring Timothy Dalton, who plays a serious James Bond in his first and only foray as the character, as well as Maryam d'Abo, Joe Don Baker and Art Malik.

A-ha, the British techno group of the '80's, performed the theme in the opening credits.  This is the last song of 11 that John Barry wrote for the series.  "The Living Daylights" reached #1 in A-ha's native Norway, #2 in Ireland, #3 in Sweden, Denmark and Finland and #5 in the U.K.

   

 #25:
"Die Another Day"
by Madonna
From Die Another Day

The 2002 installment in the series was the fourth and final appearance from Pierce Brosnan as our hero and the last with Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny.  Die Another Day also featured Halle Berry as an NSA agent, Judi Dench as M, John Cleese, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike and Rick Yune.

21 of the 26 theme songs share the same title as the movie, including this one at #26 from Madonna, who also appeared in the movie.

"Die Another Day" reached #2 in Denmark, #3 in the U.K., #4 in Sweden, Switzerland and Scotland, #5 in Australia and #8 in the United States.  It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards and received Grammy nominations for Best Dance Recording and Best Short Form Music Video.

   

 #24:

"The Man With The Golden Gun"

by Lulu

From The Man With The Golden Gun

The Man With the Golden Gun from 1974, the ninth in the series, is the second to feature Roger Moore as the new Bond with Britt Ekland cast as Bond's assistant.  Christopher Lee drew great reviews as Francisco Scaramanga, the assassin with the golden gun and one of the top villains in the series.  Scaramange wields a gun made out of solid gold and can accomplish his mission with a single shot.  Hervé Villechaize (later featured on the television series Fantasy Island), played Scaramanga's sidekick.  

 

The movie was the last to be produced by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, as Saltzman sold his 50% share after the film was released. Lulu, who gave us the all-time classic "To Sir With Love", sang the theme composed by Barry in the opening credits.

   

 #23:
"Another Way To Die"
by Alicia Keys and Jack White
From Quantum of Solace

The 2008 film Quantum of Solace was the sequel to 2006's Casino Royale and unlike its romantic predecessor, Quantum of Solace, was about revenge.  Daniel Craig returned as Bond with Olga Kurylenko as Bolivian agent Camille Montes.  Mathieu Amalric plays Dominic Greene, the villain and a leader of the crime organization Quantum.  Judi Dench returned in a larger role as M.

Jack White wrote the theme song and played guitar and drums; he and Keys recorded the video while Alicia was at the Toronto International Film Festival promoting her movie The Secret Life of Bees.  That video was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the Grammy Awards.  "Another Way To Die" hit #1 in Finland and reached the Top Five in Switzerland, Austria, Norway and Scotland.

   

 #22:
"Thunderball"
by Tom Jones
From Thunderball

The third and final film to be directed by Terence Young, Thunderball once again featured Sean Connery, who must find NATO atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE.  Producers Broccoli and Saltzman originally planned the movie as the first in the series, but relented when author Ian Fleming was sued in 1961 by collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, claiming Fleming based the novel on a screenplay the trio had written for a cinematic translation of Bond.

Along with daring and dangerous action sequences, exotic locales, seductive women, great theme songs and classy cars, Bond movies had a penchant for delivering witty remarks.  In this film, Connery quickly took care of an adversary with a shot from his harpoon gun before dropping the line, "I think he got the point."

Adolpho Celi stars as SPRECTRE's number two man Emilio Largo with Claudine Auger as his mistress Domino.  Julie Christie, Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway were all considered for the role before Auger got the part.

But it is SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe (played by Luciana Paluzzi) that steals the show.  Volpe is one of the top villains of the franchise as do-it-all enforcer.  She can seduce a pilot to ensure the success of a plan and use a missile-launching motorcycle to murder a former associate.  She is able to expose Bond's frailty, getting him into bed, setting a trap and then badly wounding him.  Our hero is nearly finished on her watch.     

Rick Van Nutter plays Felix Leiter with Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Martine Beswick,  Roland Carver, Earl Cameron, Paul Stassino, Rose Alba, Philip Locke, George Pravda and Michael Brennan also starring.  Bernard Lee plays M, the head of MI6, with Desmon Llewelyn as Q and once again Lois Maxwell is Moneypenny.

Tom Jones, the male counterpart to the booming vocals of Shirley Bassey in the previous Bond movie Goldfinger, delivered the theme song featured in the opening credits.  Jones is said to have fainted in the recording booth when singing the final note.  Jones told NPR, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning."

   

 #21:
"All Time High"
by Rita Coolidge
From Octopussy

Octopussy in 1983 was the 13th Bond film and the sixth to feature Roger Moore as 007.  Broccoli produced the movie along with Michael G. Wilson.  Maud Adams returned to the franchise as jewel smuggler Octopussy.  Louis Jordan played exiled Afghan prince Kamal Khan, joined by Kristina Wayborn, Kabir Bedi, Steven Berkoff, tennis star Vijay Amitraj and Robert Brown as M.

Octopussy also features another great Bond line.  When Khan quips to Bond that he has a "bad habit of surviving", Bond replies back, "Well you know what they say about the fittest."

Written by Barry and Tim Rice, "All Time High" was co-produced by Phil Ramone.  Coolidge enjoyed a #1 smash of four weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart and reached #7 in Switzerland and #8 in both Sweden and the Netherlands.

Join us for Part Two of the great Bond themes tomorrow, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

A fun special coming at ya' beginning Friday exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

 The James Bond franchise has been responsible for some of the best movie themes in cinema history and we thought it'd be a fun idea to rank the songs and present them.

The Best Songs from James Bond* starts Friday!