RIP Roger Moore

[Brian]

How can any discussion of the best Bond songs not include the great Shirley Bassey's Diamonds Are Forever?

[McNutt]

Shirley Bassey rocked all three Bond songs she sang. Moonraker is a damn good song too.

[Brian]

Indeed. Though I would rank Moonraker the least of the three. Just personal preference.

[gbasden]

But it had the best theme song!

I'm pretty sure you meant to say A View to a Kill -- which to me was THE James Bond movie experience I'll always consider definitive and the first one I absolutely saw in a movie theater. Christopher Walken? Tanya Roberts? Grace Jones? Hello? Exactly.

Smoove wins. The rest of you can bugger off.

Of course Smoove is right. He normally is. Goldfinger? Really?

[Daehawk]

Grace Jones ruined anything she was in. Tanya couldn't act but looked and sounded so hot no one cared. Beastmaster lake scene anyone?

[NickAragua]

Grace Jones ruined anything she was in.

Nope, Conan the Destroyer was just fine.

[McNutt]

Nope, Conan the Destroyer was just fine.

[Brian]

Nope, Conan the Destroyer was just fine.

[hentzau]

But it had the best theme song!

I'm pretty sure you meant to say A View to a Kill -- which to me was THE James Bond movie experience I'll always consider definitive and the first one I absolutely saw in a movie theater. Christopher Walken? Tanya Roberts? Grace Jones? Hello? Exactly.

Smoove wins. The rest of you can bugger off.

Of course Smoove is right. He normally is. Goldfinger? Really?

Really.

[Jeff V]

Well, Hentzau does have an affinity for the cabaret/jazz style singing. When they switched to pop artists, I think Bond theme songs gained a lot more notoriety and became more of a thing...had they all been in the early style, this would probably be a much shorter thread as few people would find them comment-worthy.

[AWS260]

Goldfinger? Really?

Really.

It's pronounced

GoldFINGAAAAAAAH

And hentzau is correct.

[Pyperkub]

Classy guy - he'll be missed. This story is making the rounds:

Londoner Marc Haynes shared on Facebook his account of meeting Moore for the first time at seven years old, and how it was just as special to meet him once again 23 years later.

Read the full post here:

As an seven year old in about 1983, in the days before First Class Lounges at airports, I was with my grandad in Nice Airport and saw Roger Moore sitting at the departure gate, reading a paper. I told my granddad I’d just seen James Bond and asked if we could go over so I could get his autograph. My grandad had no idea who James Bond or Roger Moore were, so we walked over and he popped me in front of Roger Moore, with the words “my grandson says you’re famous. Can you sign this?”

As charming as you’d expect, Roger asks my name and duly signs the back of my plane ticket, a fulsome note full of best wishes. I’m ecstatic, but as we head back to our seats, I glance down at the signature. It’s hard to decipher it but it definitely doesn’t say ‘James Bond’. My grandad looks at it, half figures out it says ‘Roger Moore’ – I have absolutely no idea who that is, and my hearts sinks. I tell my grandad he’s signed it wrong, that he’s put someone else’s name – so my grandad heads back to Roger Moore, holding the ticket which he’s only just signed...

[ImLawBoy]

Well, Hentzau does have an affinity for the cabaret/jazz style singing. When they switched to pop artists, I think Bond theme songs gained a lot more notoriety and became more of a thing...had they all been in the early style, this would probably be a much shorter thread as few people would find them comment-worthy.

I saw a Bond feature once (probably on a DVD) that noted that Bassey's "Goldfinger" was precisely the song that elevated the Bond songs from obscurity to "a thing".

[tgb]

I saw a Bond feature once (probably on a DVD) that noted that Bassey's "Goldfinger" was precisely the song that elevated the Bond songs from obscurity to "a thing".

Wasn't it the first? I don't recall Dr. No or From Russia With Love having "songs" per se.

[Isgrimnur]

Dr. No opened with a calypso version of Three Blind Mice

[tgb]

Dr. No opened with a calypso version of Three Blind Mice

I don't know if I would consider that a Bond song.

[Daehawk]

Classy guy - he'll be missed. This story is making the rounds:

That was a great story.

[Jeff V]

I saw a Bond feature once (probably on a DVD) that noted that Bassey's "Goldfinger" was precisely the song that elevated the Bond songs from obscurity to "a thing".

Wasn't it the first? I don't recall Dr. No or From Russia With Love having "songs" per se.

There was, they just weren't memorable and it wasn't yet a thing. I doubt Broccoli et al could have envisioned how enduring the franchise would become back in those days. Goldfinger probably gave them the idea that the theme song could be a hit, but I think it took a Beatle to set the tone where the theme songs became instant pop hits. The evolving cinematics combined with the song didn't hurt, either.

[dbt1949]

Dr No just had the James Bond theme for it's music. From Russia with Love had both the Jame Bond theme and it's own music. And the introduction of the AR-7 survival rifle, which I still have.

[Isgrimnur]

Dr No just had the James Bond theme for it's music.

Linked above. The theme, followed by some native drum music, and calypso Three Blind Mice into the opening scene.

[ImLawBoy]

I saw a Bond feature once (probably on a DVD) that noted that Bassey's "Goldfinger" was precisely the song that elevated the Bond songs from obscurity to "a thing".

Wasn't it the first? I don't recall Dr. No or From Russia With Love having "songs" per se.

There was, they just weren't memorable and it wasn't yet a thing. I doubt Broccoli et al could have envisioned how enduring the franchise would become back in those days. Goldfinger probably gave them the idea that the theme song could be a hit, but I think it took a Beatle to set the tone where the theme songs became instant pop hits. The evolving cinematics combined with the song didn't hurt, either.

"Goldfinger" didn't give them the idea that the theme song could be a hit - it was a hit.

Goldfinger was the third soundtrack composed by John Barry, and this time the theme song had lyrics written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse. The soundtrack reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spent 70 weeks on the charts.[4] It also peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart,[3] and received the Bond series first Grammy Award nomination, Best Original Score from a Motion Picture or Television Show.[5]

"Live and Let Die" might have ended up charting higher, but it's standing on the shoulders of giants. "Goldfinger" really kicked things off, but it was also huge in its own right.

[Jeff V]

I'm also thinking in terms of longevity. How often do you hear the Goldfinger theme on pop radio these days? I think I can count the number of times I've heard it on no fingers.

[ImLawBoy]

Sure, but "Goldfinger" isn't a pop or rock song that would still find play on today's radio, so the comparison isn't terribly informative.

[Jeff V]

Sure, but "Goldfinger" isn't a pop or rock song that would still find play on today's radio, so the comparison isn't terribly informative.

And we're back to my original point -- it gave the franchise the idea that theme songs could be something special and that was mostly likely to happen by going pop. There will always be the random hit from another genre, but in the grand scheme those genres remain niches. Had they remained with the same style as Goldfinger, I don't think we'd be talking today about the franchise also being the hit factory it's been over the past 40 years.

[ImLawBoy]

Sure, but "Goldfinger" isn't a pop or rock song that would still find play on today's radio, so the comparison isn't terribly informative.

And we're back to my original point -- it gave the franchise the idea that theme songs could be something special and that was mostly likely to happen by going pop. There will always be the random hit from another genre, but in the grand scheme those genres remain niches. Had they remained with the same style as Goldfinger, I don't think we'd be talking today about the franchise also being the hit factory it's been over the past 40 years.

I'll concede the point that "Live and Let Die" may have been the turning point that led to more pop success of James Bond movie songs, but my point was that "Goldfinger" is still the best of the Bond theme songs out there, regardless of the greater commercial success of lesser songs that followed.

[Jeff V]

On that point there's no argument.

[JCC]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Casino Royale's awesome song by the sadly late Chris Cornell. Awesome song.

[Jeff V]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Casino Royale's awesome song by the sadly late Chris Cornell. Awesome song.

I haven't seen the David Niven Bond in many years and honestly can't recall the theme song. Cornell must have been a child singer back in '67!

[hentzau]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Casino Royale's awesome song by the sadly late Chris Cornell. Awesome song.

I haven't seen the David Niven Bond in many years and honestly can't recall the theme song. Cornell must have been a child singer back in '67!

Pure Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert goodness!

[Jeff V]

Can't believe no one has mentioned Casino Royale's awesome song by the sadly late Chris Cornell. Awesome song.

I haven't seen the David Niven Bond in many years and honestly can't recall the theme song. Cornell must have been a child singer back in '67!

Pure Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert goodness!

With Chris Cornell singing? Such an odd combination!