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

[stokeriño]

I'm actually struggling to remember what OHMSS is though...

Instrumental.

...That's really the only clue I can give you.

[Colly]

I knew that one (the one that's used in loads of Bonds afterwards, plus Goldeneye on N64?) was in it, but didn't think it was the main theme. Naff. Good tune, but its score.

[Vamp]

I'm pretty sure you're thinking of the second James Bond theme Colly and not the theme from OHMSS. The second James Bond thing was last used in Moonraker if I remember rightly (or a slowed down version of it anyway) and is awesome. As is the OHMSS theme actually, but then everything about that movie is great except the editing glitch during the stock car racing sequence. I guess the second Bond theme doesn't' really tie in with the current direction of the franchise, shame, its a perfect heroic tune.

In some ways its a shame "We have all the time in the world" can't really be considered in this because its grand and with the narrative (and, I suppose, the real life circumstances) that goes with it is just heart warming and haunting (for people who have actually seen and remember the movie) at the same time. Supposedly Armstrong recorded it said "thanks for the tune" and that was it.

[SRN]

"Live And Let Die" might be one of my personal favorite Bond films because it is so god damn ridiculous. The theme coming in at fifth is alright, too.

[Noah]

Diamonds are forever fails to make the top 5.

something, something....faith in humanity lost......something, something.

[METALMAN]

At least someone gets it!

[GoGo Yubari]

On my relistening to all of them, I actually think I maybe should have switched "Diamonds" and "Live and Let Die" because I forgot how much I don't care for that one point of the latter. But oh well! I'm not Rolling Stone-ing that shit.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yes, that one part of "Live and Let Die" is really, really not good. I'm shocked "Diamonds" missed your top five because I thought for sure it was a lock for top 4, but I'm not surprised "Live and Let Die" is out of the top 4 because, yeah, it's got that one part of the song. Still, the fact they landed Macca in 1973 says everything you need to know about how big Bond as a franchise was and is again. And where "Live and Let Die" is good, as is the case with much of the work McCartney has done in his career, it's fantastic.

[METALMAN]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

[GA!]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

I agree. It tricks you into thinking it's a soft typical McCartney song and then BAM!

[GoGo Yubari]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

I agree. It tricks you into thinking it's a soft typical McCartney song and then BAM!

I don't think you're thinking of the same part as metalman is since the trick is well past once that happens.

It goes soft sentimental McCartney --> BAM --> OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA LIFE GOES ONNNNN --> back to the previous.

[METALMAN]

Next you'll be telling me you don't like Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da!

[GA!]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

I agree. It tricks you into thinking it's a soft typical McCartney song and then BAM!

I don't think you're thinking of the same part as metalman is since the trick is well past once that happens.

It goes soft sentimental McCartney --> BAM --> OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA LIFE GOES ONNNNN --> back to the previous.

I meant between 1:25 and 1:35 of the song. Which bit are you referring to?

[METALMAN]

I was referring to that too. Just for the record.

[Skummy]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

My favourite thing about pretty much any Wings song is that they all feel like two or three unfinished songs just jammed together, and that bit of "Live & Let Die" is the best. Not a patch on "Band On The Run" for "wait, is this the same song?" though.

Diamonds Are Forever is fantastic. It's one of the Bond themes that I adore as a song in its own right just as much as a Bond theme, because it's just absolutely brilliant, and camp as anything. Allegedly John Barry's instruction to Shirley Bassey was "Imagine your singing about cocks".

[METALMAN]

Just imagine how good Diamonds Are Forever sounded when I was playing it on my trombone.

As for Wings. I actually like a lot of their songs. I think my critical faculties are being eroded in my old age, but Band On The Run is better than most Beatles albums.

[GoGo Yubari]

I like the silly cod reggae bit. it's probably the best part of that song. :/

I agree. It tricks you into thinking it's a soft typical McCartney song and then BAM!

I don't think you're thinking of the same part as metalman is since the trick is well past once that happens.

It goes soft sentimental McCartney --> BAM --> OB-LA-DI OB-LA-DA LIFE GOES ONNNNN --> back to the previous.

I meant between 1:25 and 1:35 of the song. Which bit are you referring to?

That is what I was referring to. I was confused because it doesn't really trick you into doing anything? The trick is in the first minute.

[GoGo Yubari]

Sorry for no update yesterday. To give perspective, the final four are; the most iconic Bond theme of all time (aside from the main one, of course), my childhood favorite Bond theme, probably the best song as a song (not necessarily as a Bond theme) in franchise history, and a song that hit such dizzying heights that they spent the following three movies desperately trying and failing to replicate how good it is.

So. It's tough, and which finishes third and which finishes fourth could change on the day.

So. Yeah. Fuck.

4. "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon (from The Spy Who Loved Me)

"Nobody Does It Better" I originally had slated at sixth, and then I listened to it again and was like "no, that's impossible. It's too good for that." I suppose it should be docked a couple points for directly inspiring some of the worst Bond themes ever, but eh. You can see why they wanted to try to recapture what worked here, because "Nobody Does It Better" is really gorgeous. The use of the string section in particular, and the way it coincides with certain lines of the song, is so fantastic that in

Thom Yorke sings the lyric in a way that impersonates the strings instead of how Simon herself sung the line. Just a phenomenal song, and on anyone else's list I could 100% see it being top three, or top two, or what-have-you.

The most impressive thing? It does all this in spite of having the one of the most infamously dumb Bond theme lines ever; "from heaven above me/THE SPY WHO LOVED ME." Work that movie title in, brother.

[Skummy]

I can't stand Radiohead, yet I absolutely adore their cover of that song. I absolutely love Nobody Does It Better. It would arguably make the top of my list. It's brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

In vaguely relevant news, last night I watched an episode of 8 out of 10 Cats where Victoria Coren admitted to obsessing over the lyrics of the theme from Goldfinger, which was wonderful. Mostly the "such a cold finger" and "a spider's touch" lines.

Also, in addition to Scott Walker having sung a great unused Bond theme ("Only Myself To Blame" from The World Is Not Enough), he was offered "You Only Live Twice". I can only imagine how brilliant that would have been.

[METALMAN]

It just makes me think of this:

STOP GETTING BOND WRONG!