It’s been no great secret that Adele would record the theme song to the new James Bond film, ‘Skyfall’. Rumors about the British singer’s involvement have abounded in recent weeks. For those few of you who’ve been waiting for official confirmation, the song was released Thursday at 7:07 PM Eastern. What’s your verdict?
I’m down with it. The song is very much Adele, but is also suitably Bondian. It’s very much in the style of the classic Shirley Bassey themes such as ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. The arrangement tastefully works in a tease of the iconic Monty Norman/John Barry “James Bond Theme.” The attempt to work the movie title into the lyrics feels like a bit of a kludge, but no more so than the themes to ‘Thunderball’ or ‘Moonraker’.
The song may not reinvent the notion of the James Bond theme or anything, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s an order of magnitude better than the franchise’s last three musical disasters: Madonna’s awful “Die Another Day,” Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” (from ‘Casino Royale’) or the Jack White/Alicia Keyes “Another Way to Die” (from ‘Quantum of Solace’).
[By the way, I snagged the banner image from this page. My apologies to the fine craftsman who Photoshopped it.]
Nick
What’s wrong with ‘You Know My Name’?
Josh Zyber
AuthorWhat’s right with it?
Nick
I agree that the Madonna track isn’t the best song for a Bond film, and ‘Another Way To Die’ is my pick for worst theme song since Shirley Bassey’s ‘Moonraker’, but I like Cornell’s song. But then again, I like ‘Avatar’, so maybe I’m without taste.
Opie
Madonna’s Die Another Day was a good, catchy pop song for a mediocre Bond film. “You Know My Name” (from ‘Casino Royale’) was a great pop song and a fitting establishing tune for an all new Bond. And Chris Cornell sang the hell out of it. Jack White/Alicia Keyes “Another Way to Die” (from ‘Quantum of Solace’) was a cool pop track that was a fitting opening for a very thin film as far as the story goes. Just because you don’t like them doesn’t mean their not good tracks. It just means they’re not you’re particular cup of tea. And they were all my cup of brown water. But that’s music. One man’s Mozart is another man’s Motley Crüe.
Nick McMahan
I like it, it’s not as memorable as some of the others but it’s decent. Some of the other title tracks easily eclipse the movie they accompany.
Jason
Most Bond fans I know like You Know My Name, myself included. But to each their own.
Nicholas Herum
I wonder if anyone has done a Breaking Bad-You Know My Name mash up yet. Could be epic.
besch64
The comfort with which Josh decries You Know My Name makes it seem as if he thinks he holds the majority opinion and is speaking on behalf of most Bond fans. I wonder if he knows that’s not true.
Nicholas Herum
It is however his site, where people come to read his opinion. Just because he says it doesn’t mean you have to agree with it.
With that said, I think Josh does like to poke the hornets nest every so often to get a reaction (aka comments) by saying something he knows will get people fired up. This would be a very mild case of that since I’m not sure how bloodthirsty people are about Bond theme songs.
M. Enois Duarte
Wow, Adele! I like it – very reminiscent of classic Bond.
William Henley
I like “Die Another Day”.
As for this, I am okay with it. Not the best, but not the worst. It’s a mediocore Bond theme for a mediocore actor playing the lead role in mediocore Bond stories. Once again, not the worst, but far from the best.
Brian Hoss
My initial reaction is that I wish they had done something different or not at all in place of the back-up singers, whose echoing of ‘Skyfall’ instills a crumminess that also makes the song seem too long by a minute and a half.
I like Chris Cornell, but his track came up short, which is not surprising up against songs like ‘Live and Let Die’ and a ‘A View to a Kill.’
‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ and ‘The World is Not Enough’ are decent Bond tracks in my view, but Tina Turner really nailed it with ‘GoldenEye.’
Thulsadoom
It’s okay, I guess. Admittedly, better than the last few. I’m not an Adelle fan, though. She’s not objectionable, but there’s nothing that stands out about her either, for me.
Then again, if I was making a Bond film, I’d probably just get the rights to use a reasonably appropriate Queen/Jefferson Airplane/Rolling Stones/Black Sabbath song. 😉 So what do I know? My modern music tastes go as far as feeling like a grumpy old git lamenting the generic nature of most popular music these days. 😀
Nicholas Herum
I like the song, but I could live without the background singers saying “Skyfall” over and over. I’m happy that the producers decided to go with a single female performer for this film since the Craig Bond films have been very guy heavy (even with Alicia Keys). I think that was intentional after all four Brosnan films had a female vocalist which I thought was a bit odd.
I’ve liked the previous two Bond themes. They aren’t extremely memorable, and they don’t stand up well without the movie behind them. That could be said for every Bond theme since the 80s.
What’s sad about Die Another Day is that the lyrics aren’t the problem. The problem is with who sings them and how the song is executed (felt too much like a dance club mix).
With that said my favorite three Bond themes are Live and Let Die, A View to a Kill (awful film, great song), and The Living Daylights.
JM
I don’t know Adele, but this would work if The Asylum made ‘Skyfell.’
paramedic0112
I agree with Josh. The song sounds great, very classic. I like Jack White, and his song was ok, but the rock songs were getting a bit old.
Stacy
I am an Adele fan…huge fan…and I do not like this!! It is morose and draw out. Sorry.
f451
The Craig-era Bond films are remarkably *outstanding* except for one element — the title song.
I don’t wish to disparage Eon for the dearth of memorable songs but I hit the mute button when I screen these at home. (I like Cornell’s song but not for Bond.)
They may be fine in their own way but they totally lack that electric Bond feel — that sense of excitement about the story about to unfold.
Here are two examples that exudes Bond excitement, a rejected song for “Quantum of Solace” — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg2dXY9TOKA — and a Shirley Bassey vocal — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Al45bX47Io&feature=related
The new Adele song is a solid step in the right direction.
Paulb
It is fine for a Bond opening but as a stand-alone song it is not notable or really very good as is instantly forgettable. Only I see this playing anywhere outside the movie itself is that Clear Channel has done some deal to play it every hour on their radio stations (seriously they have).
Now bring back Duran Duran..