Day four of our ranking of Bond theme songs brings us to the Pierce Brosnan era, after exploring and ranking the songs from the Connery era, the Moore era, and the Dalton era. The Brosnan era Bond films were the first I watched in theaters, so many of them hold a special place in my heart… but not all of them.
As much as I legit wanted to put my #2 pick from the Brosnan era in the top spot because of how much I dig that song, there’s no way I could bump Goldeneye. Queen Tina Turner doesn’t just channel Shirley Bassey here, she outdoes the franchise’s most frequently collaborator vocally, while the score evokes the series’s storied past. As mentioned in the ranking of the Moore era theme songs, sometimes EON will go big when they introduce a new Bond actor that they’re excited about, and the studio was thrilled to finally land Brosnan in the title role after his commitment to Remington Steele kept him from taking over in the late 80s, with the role going to Timothy Dalton at that time. With a fantastic film, killer N64 video game, and arguably the best Bond theme song, Goldeneye introduced a new generation to the ageless spy. Unfortunately, for all the love Brosnan gets as Bond, this is the only decent film in his four film run.
Look, I get it. Tomorrow Never Dies is a snoozer of a film. It’s hard to list anything related to the film among my favorites in the Bond franchise. Except for the theme song. I’m no Sheryl Crow superfan, but I’ll be damned if her vocals don’t lend a smoky, alluring quality that perfectly matches the retro-cool vibe of the score. I know it’s not the “best” Bond theme song — it’s not even the “best” song from the Brosnan era, but it just might be my favorite Bond song to listen to.
At #4 among the Brosnan era Bond songs is The World Is Not Enough. Nothing screams “peak 90s” like Shirley Manson’s vocals. The tune has an oily feel that matches the opening credits’s visuals. That’s the only remarkable thing about this utterly forgettable film.
In the interest of full completion, you knew we’d have to list this one, right. I’m sorry. Die Another Day is far and away the worst Bond song.
If Die Another Day didn’t run you off completely, then come back tomorrow as we take a look at and rank the Bond songs from the Daniel Craig era.
