Bond's songs: shaken, not stirred
Listen Up!
Brian Washburn
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: Lifestyles
The agent on Her Majesty's Secret Service has returned. After a two-year break, the model for how every man wants to live his life and the man of all girls' fantasies returned to the silver screen. His name is Bond, James Bond.
But while every Bond movie features beautiful women, fast cars and dry martinis, they also give fans unexpected pleasure with unique and popular theme songs. The new Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," is no different. In fact, this Bond film might have put together the most unique duo, Jack White and Alicia Keys, to compose what might be the best Bond song of all time, "Another Way To Die."
The guitar work and songwriting talents of White, as well as his notable high-pitched vocals, complement Key's piano skills and booming voice almost perfectly. However, while this Bond song is unique and relates to the film like most other Bond songs, that's not to say all the films' theme songs are great. Does anybody remember that disaster of a Bond song Madonna did a few years ago?
But a notable Bond song usually relates to a notable Bond movie. These theme songs usually feature notable artists, as well, from Carly Simon and Tom Jones to Tina Turner and Duran Duran. Nancy Sinatra even added her vocal talents to the 1967 Sean Connery Bond movie, "You Only Live Twice."
The most popular song spawned from the depths of 007 has to be Paul McCartney's masterpiece "Live and Let Die," which was also classically remade by Guns N' Roses. A close second for the Bond songs goes to Duran Duran for "A View to a Kill." Is it sad if a band's best song comes from the influences of a movie about a secret agent?
Every good Bond song is like every Bond movie. You have the good (Roger Moore, "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell), the bad (Daniel Craig, "The World Is Not Enough" by Garbage) and the ugly (Timothy Dalton, "The Man with the Golden Gun" by Lulu). But then again, James Bond movies and songs are like pizza. Whenever they're bad, they're still pretty good.
Final Thought: With the unique and rather bizarre pairing of Jack White and Alicia Keys, even though I heard originally they wanted wrecking ball Amy Winehouse to sing the girl lead, what other unique duos can the Bond people put together for the film franchise's next installment? Let's hope for a Kanye West and Axl Rose collaboration - which would propel egos to destroy the song and maybe the rock-solid film franchise - or possibly a Dave Grohl and Jenny Lewis Bond song.
Either way, I'm sure the agent on Her Majesty's Secret Service will be back with another theme song to usher in another movie to blow fans away. Plus, it still can't be worse than the garbage Madonna put out a few years back. And people still wonder why Pierce Brosnan wasn't a convincing Bond. I say, blame Madonna.
Brian Washburn is the news editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Monday.
But while every Bond movie features beautiful women, fast cars and dry martinis, they also give fans unexpected pleasure with unique and popular theme songs. The new Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," is no different. In fact, this Bond film might have put together the most unique duo, Jack White and Alicia Keys, to compose what might be the best Bond song of all time, "Another Way To Die."
The guitar work and songwriting talents of White, as well as his notable high-pitched vocals, complement Key's piano skills and booming voice almost perfectly. However, while this Bond song is unique and relates to the film like most other Bond songs, that's not to say all the films' theme songs are great. Does anybody remember that disaster of a Bond song Madonna did a few years ago?
But a notable Bond song usually relates to a notable Bond movie. These theme songs usually feature notable artists, as well, from Carly Simon and Tom Jones to Tina Turner and Duran Duran. Nancy Sinatra even added her vocal talents to the 1967 Sean Connery Bond movie, "You Only Live Twice."
The most popular song spawned from the depths of 007 has to be Paul McCartney's masterpiece "Live and Let Die," which was also classically remade by Guns N' Roses. A close second for the Bond songs goes to Duran Duran for "A View to a Kill." Is it sad if a band's best song comes from the influences of a movie about a secret agent?
Every good Bond song is like every Bond movie. You have the good (Roger Moore, "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell), the bad (Daniel Craig, "The World Is Not Enough" by Garbage) and the ugly (Timothy Dalton, "The Man with the Golden Gun" by Lulu). But then again, James Bond movies and songs are like pizza. Whenever they're bad, they're still pretty good.
Final Thought: With the unique and rather bizarre pairing of Jack White and Alicia Keys, even though I heard originally they wanted wrecking ball Amy Winehouse to sing the girl lead, what other unique duos can the Bond people put together for the film franchise's next installment? Let's hope for a Kanye West and Axl Rose collaboration - which would propel egos to destroy the song and maybe the rock-solid film franchise - or possibly a Dave Grohl and Jenny Lewis Bond song.
Either way, I'm sure the agent on Her Majesty's Secret Service will be back with another theme song to usher in another movie to blow fans away. Plus, it still can't be worse than the garbage Madonna put out a few years back. And people still wonder why Pierce Brosnan wasn't a convincing Bond. I say, blame Madonna.
Brian Washburn is the news editor for The Arkansas Traveler. His column appears every Monday.
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