
Welcome to my April A-Z! This month I will be posting about James Bond 007 every day except Sunday, mostly focusing on the movies, not the books. Enjoy!
One of the most enjoyable aspects of a Bond flick is the music. Fans love to hear the signature theme play near the beginning after “Bond, James Bond” introduces himself and the scene segues to the “gun barrel sequence.” Almost every 007 film begins this way. That original music was written by Monty Norman, who has received royalties since 1962. John Barry wrote the “007 adventure” music for From Russia with Love, and this music has appeared during action scenes of subsequent Bond films. Norman has won two libel actions against publishers for claiming that Barry wrote the theme. The James Bond Theme is what plays during the gun barrel sequence (and sometimes other places). Monty and John are listed as composers on some of the songs that play during the films (the songs are distinct from the theme music).
Luckily for us, YouTube has a plethora of videos to choose from to watch the opening sequence of Bond films along with the music. I chose a compilation to share and it’s really interesting to view the subtle changes in the gun barrel sequence as well as slight modifications to the tune. What’s also interesting is to see how much more comfortable Connery and Craig are when firing their guns as opposed to Moore, who actually hated guns in real life. I never noticed that before, but it’s obvious when you view the openings one after another. Yes, I watched the whole thing as a true Bond aficionado.
Bond films have introduced us to memorable songs as well. I already mentioned Shirley Bassey singing “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” and there are many more. Other great tunes are “Thunderball” sung by Tom Jones, “Live and Let Die” written and performed by Paul McCartney & Wings, “Nobody Does It Better” sung by Carly Simon (for The Spy Who Loved Me), and “Writing’s On the Wall” written and performed by Sam Smith (for Spectre). I had mixed feelings about Adele’s “Skyfall,” but it’s grown on me. I love her singing generally, but I thought that song was too “light” for such a heavy movie at the time.
My personal favorite is the Carly song.
Tune in tomorrow for more A-Z Bond!
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Information and images from Wikipedia, Wallpapercave.
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