As we all know, whoever gets to sing the title song for a James Bond film immediately goes down in history as, well, the singer who got to sing the title song for a James Bond film.
Some of the singers in that esteemed category include:
- Shirley Bassey, “Goldfinger
,” 1964 (she also sang “Diamonds are Forever
” in 1971)
- Tom Jones, “Thunderball
,” 1965
- Nancy Sinatra, “You Only Live Twice
,” 1967
- Paul McCartney, “Live and Let Die
,” 1973
- Lulu, “The Man With the Golden Gun
,” 1974
- Carly Simon, “The Spy Who Loved Me
,” 1977
- Sheena Easton, “For Your Eyes Only
,” 1981
- Duran Duran, “A View to a Kill
,” 1985
- Tina Turner, “GoldenEye
,” 1995
- Madonna, “Die Another Day
,” 2002 (honestly, I either forgot or wasn’t paying attention when she did this song)
- Adele, “Skyfall
,” 2012 (I THINK this is probably my favorite, although let’s be real, all of the Bond theme songs are iconic.)
Now we can add Sam Smith to the lineup, as he’s been tapped to sing the title song for “Spectre,” the 24th installment in the James Bond franchise, hitting U.S. theaters Nov. 6, 2015.
The song, “Writing’s On the Wall,” will debut and be available to purchase and stream on September 25. Sam Smith co-wrote the song with fellow Grammy Award winner Jimmy Napes, and it’s the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965, when as noted above, Tom Jones was the chosen one.
At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Smith won for Best Pop Vocal Album (“In the Lonely Hour
In a press release, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of “SPECTRE,” said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for SPECTRE, and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”
Smith said: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”
And there quite possibly could be some awards involved. “Skyfall,” performed by Adele, was honored with the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
ABOUT “SPECTRE”
A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Sam Mendes returns to direct “SPECTRE,” with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time. “SPECTRE” is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The screenplay is by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, with a story by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.
“SPECTRE” arrives in U.S. theaters on November 6, 2015.
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