I was spring cleaning my music library and one of my favorite Bond theme songs came on. That got me thinking about the music and the movies. There are many songs I really enjoy and some that are iconic to the institution of Bond. Interestingly, my favorite movies do not necessarily coincide with my favorite theme songs. Of course, my curiosity sent me down the rabbit hole and I had to research both the movies and the music!
I did not realize Shirley Bassey did three Bond theme songs. I remembered Gold Finger and Diamonds are Forever but had forgotten about Moonraker. Many of the theme songs weren’t particularly memorable for me but I listened to all of them and found several rankings online with a fair amount of crossover. Here is the Rolling Stone list in case you’re interested- James Bond Theme Songs
I only included one Shirley Bassey song in my list (organized by decade) because she had an unfair advantage statistically. At the top of my list are songs that built the image of the franchise in my mind. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Goldfinger, and Thunderball. I actually saw Tom Jones in concert and he was amazing but, unlike many, I was not compelled to throw my underwear onstage!
Moving into the 70’s, Live and Let Die and Nobody Does It Better are the standouts in my mind. My favorite 80’s theme song is definitely View to a Kill because Duran Duran. In the 90’s Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll worked her magic with Goldeneye. Moving into the millennium, Adele’s Skyfall is my favorite.
When it comes to the movies, I prefer Sean Connery in the role, followed by Daniel Craig. The actor definitely influences my favorite Bond movie choices. Connery managed to be smooth in spite of a lot of camp and Craig made the character more believable and proved the doubters wrong.
Goldfinger and Dr. No are my favorite Connery performances. Casino Royale and Skyfall are the best of Craig. I’ve seen all of the movies and would watch any of them again. They are entertaining even when the plot is awful, the women’s names are ridiculous and the whole franchise is sexist. Here’s SyFy Wire’s ranking of Bond movies-
Bond Movies Ranked
Did you know that James Bond has a website? 007
What are your favorite Bond movies and theme songs?
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