![]() If it wasn’t for an eleventh hour replacement of the titular theme, sung by Sheryl Crow, k.d. ![]() Many songs entered into the contest to become Tomorrow Never Dies’ theme, but one contender had the duties locked down so tight, you still hear its melodic signature throughout David Arnold’s debut score in the James Bond canon. We lost a superior tune when “This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave” did just that, and in a shorter time span. Sadly, when the band and the franchise producers clashed over creative direction, the Pet Shop Boys left, and a-Ha took on the duties to turn in “The Living Daylights.” While that theme song is still one of the top tier tunes from the whole canon of 007 themes, the Pet Shop Boys’ tune not only ties into the defection that kickstarts the film’s plot, after a hell of an opening, it’s also steeped in the sexy danger James Bond has been known for. And listening to what this song became in its final form, it would have been a hell of a follow-up to Duran Duran’s previous work on Roger Moore’s swan song, A View to a Kill. Here’s an interesting story: famed ‘80s duo the Pet Shop Boys started to cook up a tune that would eventually be turned into “This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave,” in service of Timothy Dalton’s debut The Living Daylights. Pet Shop Boys, The Living Daylights (1987) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” would be heard for quite some time. However, seeing as Thunderball was apparently a magnet for attracting lawsuits, and Shirley Bassey was upset her version wasn’t going to be used, neither version of “Mr. Were the course of events to have progressed as intended, Dionne Warwick’s longer version of the tune would have been used. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” with Bassey acting as the original vocalist, but with Warwick re-recording the tune due to scheduling conflicts. When it came time to cook up an opening number for Thunderball, there were two very different approaches at work before settling on Tom Jones’ banger of a theme the first of which saw Bond theme song royalty go head to head with another contemporary talent of her day.īoth Shirley Bassey and Dionne Warwick recorded the original theme tune, “Mr. Radiohead’s big double header for Spectre was predated by at least two other major examples of musical themes flying everywhere before a Bond film. Anyone who’s seen “On Her Majesty‘s Secret Service” or “Casino Royale” is aware of that.ĭare I say “Spectre” didn’t even deserve this song? The film wasn’t a cringe fest like “A View to a Kill,” but it wasn’t 007’s most memorable outing either.Dionne Warwick/Shirley Bassey, Thunderball (1965) ![]() The 007 series hasn’t been afraid to get melancholic. So why was the song “Spectre” rejected from the film “Spectre?”Īllegedly it was deemed “ too melancholy ” for the final product, which I find painfully ironic. That parting shot before it fades from view - its mission accomplished. Lastly, that final, Bond-esque flourish at the end. There’s the melodic dichotomy in the notes of “Listening In”’s video: the merging of the classic with the current, much like what “Spectre” did with the reintroduction of Blofeld and the sinister, eponymous organization. Or perhaps it’s the way the lyrics bemoan the hollowness of Bond’s soul, having lost everything he’s held dear by this point, “my hunger burns a bullet hole, a spectre of my mortal soul,” as well as his inner insecurities, “fear puts a spell on us, always second-guessing love.” It’s in the way the strings lurch as guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s film scores tend to do, almost like it’s melting in and out of the shadows. “The only truth that I could see, is when you put your lips to me.” It’s a fitting image the more I think about it: this track is dark, mysterious, mournful, romantic and fatalistic. There’s a mental image that appears when I hear “Spectre” - that of a Victorian Gothic couple slow dancing as their manor burns down around them. I could say that but for me, it’s about what I see. That much is true and it really does sound like the sexy, spy cousin of “ Pyramid Song ” or the equally forlorn spouse of “ Exit Music (For A Film). I could repeat what others have said: that it sounds at home in both a Bond film and a Radiohead album. I was bewildered - how in the world was this song cut? The hair on my arms didn’t just stand on end, they seemed to sway while chills ran over me in waves. I immediately paused it, hunted “Spectre” down on Spotify and sat there as its melody washed over me. As soon as I heard Thom Yorke’s unmistakable voice cut in, the rest of the video cut out. With this knowledge, I hit play and the song began.The piano kicked in and the narrator began to speak about chords and bars, but all I could hear was the piano.
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