With the release of Billie Eilish’s theme song for the upcoming Bond film No Time To Die, we thought it time to take a look at the previous theme songs and determine where the latest ranks among the iconic and the forgettable. Each reinvention of the character speaks to the culture in which the film was made and released, so it seems fair to break down our ranking of Bond theme songs by era, based on the actor who wore the tuxedo.
Our breakdown only examines films produced by EON, so no Casino Royale from 1967 but yes Casino Royale from 2006. No Never Say Never Again, but yes Thunderball. We also left out the entirety of the George Lazenby era because We Have All the Time in the World — the theme to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — wins that era’s top spot by default as the only entry.
Today, we’re kicking things off with the Sean Connery era.
The original James Bond Theme by the John Barry Orchestra takes the top spot among the Connery era Bond films. The iconic cool theme introduced the world to Agent 007 and has been heard in every EON film since debuting in the first Bond film, Dr. No.
At #2 among Connery era Bond films is Thunderball, the theme to the film of the same name. The oozing Tom Jones machismo is a perfect pairing for Connery’s fourth outing as the womanizing secret agent.
At #3 among the Connery era Bond films is Goldfinger. This entry — the first of three by Shirley Bassey — set the gold standard (pun intended) for the women who would contribute to the franchise after her, a standard even Bassey herself could only get to close to but never achieve again.
Coming in at #4 among the Connery era Bond themes is From Russia With Love. The song captures the Rat Pack cool of the era while at the same time having utterly forgettable lyrics. How forgettable? The film’s opening credits sequence featured an up-tempo instrumental version of the song without any lyrics sung. The film is perhaps the best of the Connery era Bond films and introduced the world to the franchise’s signature sexy & psychedelic credits sequences… too bad it was shackled with an unremarkable theme song.
Fifth on today’s list of Connery era Bond themes is the second by Shirley Bassey, Diamonds Are Forever. Some could argue that this song deserves to be swapped in the rankings with From Russia With Love. They can write their own rankings on their own website. Diamonds Are Forever feels like a steep drop off from Goldfinger, yet still impressive enough to warrant Bassey being invited back for a third song — no one else has even performed two Bond theme songs — which we’ll get to tomorrow.
Are we splitting hairs between today’s #4 and #5? Sure.
Bringing up the rear of today’s list is Nancy Sinatra’s You Only Live Twice. The song, inspired by the film’s Japanese setting, actually charted higher in the U.S. than Diamonds Are Forever, From Russia With Love, and James Bond Theme, propelled by Sinatra’s star power (Sinatra’s break out hit, These Boots Were Made For Walkin’ was released the previous year).
What did we get right? What did we get wrong? Let us know in the comments below, and check back tomorrow for our ranking of Bond theme songs from the Roger Moore era!
