GoGo Yubari Ranks the James Bond Themes (Except the Main One)

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

No. 8? :/ That kind makes me sad.

I love this theme and Duran Duran. I would rank it in my top 5 or even top 3. I also have a soft spot for this Bond film.

[NobBe Nobbs]

Really, it's a pity that this wasn't the theme for Dalton's first go-'round, because I love when Bonds get something striking and attention-grabbing as their first theme. More on that tomorrow, I bet.

Damn. I was really hoping You Know My Name would at least make top 5.

[gunnar hendershow]

Wow, I definitely pinpointed this for your top 5. I put it in that "canon" of great themes. So it appears in our discussions about it we have separate themes in our all-time classic top 5.

Consider this your first selection on the list where I've truly gone "What?!" It was long overdue. It's not a list without disagreements!

[Skummy]

I'm really not a fan of the Duran Duran one, so I have no problems with it being this low. It's not a bad song, but it never felt like a Bond song to me.

[GoGo Yubari]

Consider this your first selection on the list where I've truly gone "What?!" It was long overdue. It's not a list without disagreements!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awqNf-ZjuPg

7. "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell (from Casino Royale)

It's probably indicative of how wrong things went with Bond themes that a theme by Chris Cornell in 2006 felt completely fresh and modern. But fuck, I still remember being taken aback in the theatre when I heard it for the first time. It was the first rock song in the Bond theme canon in twenty years (Garbage did not make a rock song) and served as a fantastic way of further emphasizing the "this is a different, harder-edged Bond than you're used to" atmosphere (not that it desperately needed it after the scene it follows). But the difference-maker between it and "A View to a Kill" for me was, indeed, the opening credits. By finally dropping "it's Bond so we have to have naked women dancing and shit," instead there were fantastic visuals that stuck with me for months after seeing the movie in theatres, particularly matching up the scenes in the credits with their counterparts in the actual movie. Now, hopefully no other lists where Cornell ends up in the top ten. I'm not TheModernWay up in here.

No more hints, by the way. There are six songs left, after all. Feel free to try and predict all you like, though!

[gunnar hendershow]

It was a change of pace for sure, and absolutely set the theme for the Daniel Craig films. That said, I just much prefer "A View to a Kill", and maybe even "Thunderball" more than this. It deserves a placement around where it is, I just can't get past what it is immediately in front of.

[Kaney]

I'm happy with that placement cos I never expected you to place it that high. It s the best though.

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

It's a definate change of pace and a memorable Bond theme. The visuals are awesome too. They really stick with you. Looking at what's left: Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die, and The Spy Who Loved Me. I'm guessing the top 6 will be in this order.

6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

5. Diamonds Are Forever

4. Live And Let Die

3. The Spy Who Loved Me

2. You Only Live Twice

1. Goldfinger

[GoGo Yubari]

Interesting.

[GA!]

"You Know My Name" is a weird one. It's a great song, but like anyone else I know who thinks it's a great song, I'm a twenty-something fan of 90s rock. I could see the next generation of Bond fans ten/twenty years down the line dismissing it as forgettable compared to "A View to a Kill" and Bond's other flirtations with rock.

[Vamp]

It's a definate change of pace and a memorable Bond theme.

It's probably too early to tell but I'm not sure on this. I'm not sure that in twenty years time people will say "oh do you remember that Cornell Bond track?" And judging it on its own, its alright, until the point where it feels like its just some bland singer yelling "you know my name" at me. No I don't Chris, nobody does. Bugger off back to bland rock.

The visuals are pretty good though.

[GoGo Yubari]

It's a definate change of pace and a memorable Bond theme.

It's probably too early to tell but I'm not sure on this. I'm not sure that in twenty years time people will say "oh do you remember that Cornell Bond track?" And judging it on its own, its alright, until the point where it feels like its just some bland singer yelling "you know my name" at me. No I don't Chris, nobody does. Bugger off back to bland rock.

The visuals are pretty good though.

Calling anything "memorable" seven years later is definitely too soon, but I honestly do think this song will age well because generally, I think songs that break a pattern or do something distinctively new in the Bond canon work well. It's certainly a generic rock song in its way, but in the context of the series it's really fresh and entertaining, and being coupled with a great video and a great film will help (not that that's a must; GoldenEye has a bad song, and View to a Kill has a really good song).

Anyway, sorry about only updating once yesterday. The honest truth is that I listened to the song I had at #6 and realized that it's much too good to finish sixth, but I was too tired from the rest of the day to listen to the other ones and reevaluate. At this point, it really is full on into Songs I Love territory, and much like picking a song to miss the top ten was hard, so was picking a song to miss the top five. But eventually, I've bitten the bullet and picked...

6. "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey

Oh Christ was this hard. "Diamonds Are Forever" is fucking awesome. The problem is, every song left is fucking awesome. Every song, when I listen to it, I go "aw fuck this is really good." Shirley Bassey is the iconic Bond singer, and it's not just because she sings more than one theme but because she sings not one but TWO of the best Bond themes of all time. The way the song kicks into higher gear a little way in? Magnificent. The vocals? Majestic. Fuck, it even serves as the beat/vocal hook for a great Kanye West song forty years later so its lasting cultural relevance is there too. But the top five all have goosebump moments for me, and "Diamonds Are Forever" comes close but doesn't hit them. This is probably in a lot of your top fives. It has every right to be. It just baaaaaaaarely misses mine.

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

Everytime I listen to this song now, I wait for Kanye West to come in.

[GoGo Yubari]

FOREVAH EVAH, FOREVAH EVAH

[Kane's Mullet Slacker]

Throw your diamonds in the sky if you feel the vibe.

The Roc is still alive everytime I rhyme.

[METALMAN]

Seriously though, Diamonds Are Forever is the obvious #1.

[Hewey]

Nah, Goldfinger and Live And Let Die are better songs for #1.

[Sousa]

Man, fuck Live and Let Die. So hard.

[GoGo Yubari]

To everyone after this post;

5. "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings

OH YEAH. This was originally 4th, but then the song that was originally sixth made it blatantly clear how good it is and now I'm going to have the horrible task of ranking the top four. But "Live and Let Die" is for me a clear fifth. Not to suggest that "Live and Let Die" is bad, because of fucking course it isn't. "Live and Let Die" is a gamechanger, another great Opening Statement song. I mean, fuck. Getting Paul McCartney in 1973 to do a Bond Theme, and then have it be one of the more high-octane Bond themes ever? Of course it's overall a very very good song. Of course the transition from the first portion of the song to the second is riveting. And of course the visuals in the opening credits are some of the best ever (that fucking skull, man). But man, when it suddenly goes all "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" in the middle? Fuck that part of the song. Also, no other song that made it this high was ruined by a Guns N Roses cover. So there's that.

[Colly]

I'm no Guns n Roses fan, but them 'ruining' it made Macca put explosions into his live set, which is amazing. Otherwise I really like it but I can understand its placing. I'm actually struggling to remember what OHMSS is though...

Spy Who Loved Me to win!