Stanko's Stance

Madonna’s foray into the James Bond theme world is not good. The song is a time capsule for the turn of the millennium. Additionally, the sound of the music seems purposeful in line with the visual cues. It is as if Madonna bowed to the medium rather than creating something that could have lasted.

Didn’t expect to hear maraca in the background of a From Russia With Love song, but choices were made. Simply put, From Russia With Love is a boring song. It sounds like it is being performed in an intimate Italian restaurant, and I’d rather have a singer address a theater with their version of a Bond song.

I don’t want to speak ill on a Sinatra, but I will. You Only Live Twice was the first bond song where I listened through and scrunched my eyes with “what are we doing here” thoughts. The chorus of ladies behind Nancy is overpowering at times. And there is a lazy river type of feel to the song, which does anything than evoke the excitement of Bond or romance.

The introductory beat to Another Way To Die promises something, but what that is remains unknown. It’s like a suspenseful hand on a door handle, but what behinds the door is a garage full of random odds and ends.

The odd step-child of the 007 franchise, Lani Hall had either no pressure or all the pressure in the world to deliver a hit song. Unfortunately for her, I am not a fan of the song. How will the song royalties recover?

I have never heard of the band a-ha, but they remind me a little bit of a knock-off The Police. Don’t know if that’s fair to say. In terms of this song, the chorus itself has some sing-along quality to it, but the verses are very boring. Timothy Dalton’s debut deserved better than this. The instrumental bit that extends the song doesn’t help its cause.

The song kinda jumps around in its opening before Sheryl Crow arrives to level it out. But is it bad that I wanted more from Crow? Perhaps just because I actually know her as an artist. The song sounds like a long pleading for acceptance, and I don’t know if I can get there with this song.

Listen, even legends can have bad outings and decisions. I grant that Shirley Bassey didn’t make the movie Moonraker, but the choice to have this song be a love ballet is brutal. Are we singing about Jaws finding love and sacrificing himself on the ship?

The song comes in with a funky start and then Lulu comes in like an enthusiastic karaoke singer. The Man With The Golden Gun moves remarkably fast and then slows down to a traffic jam about halfway through. This song felt as if it was trying to make a certain time rather than ensuring a good time. Unfortunately, a great Bond movie and villain don’t get a great song.4ex

When Tom Jones first grizzlies out the word “Strikes” it grabs you, but the rest of the song lacks the same sort of magnetism. This is a song that is purely vocals and the instrumental is secondary. The Bond theme kicks in at the final chorus for Jones to show off his vocals (which are good), but this has one of two ingredients.

Admittedly, I like Sam Smith’s voice. However, when he goes into that super high pitch…I am not a fan of this song. The crescendo about risking it all works great, but suddenly it’s helium time and the momentum is drained from my ears. That being said, it was nominated for an Oscar in 2016.

I wish I knew what Billie Eilish was saying the entire time. This is a me problem, not the general public. I get that. Eilish has won multiple Academy Awards, including one for this song, so her presence in the movie industry is felt. I just wish I felt the same trophy-giving way about this song.

I do believe it’s the first time the song associated with the movie is called something different? All Time High is linked up with Roger Moore’s Octopussy, and I have a take that is obviously biased a smidge. This song sounds a TAD like an ABBA version of a Bond song.

I like the opening of the song, and I’ll be honest, I like the song. The World Is Enough has an air of supremacy with its lyrics, and the power of the chorus when it kicks in is like a glare from a patriarch to a serf. I will admit that it gets a bit strange in the middle, but it comes back to its chorus and keeps it from going off the rails.

Listen, shitty movie, but great song. Gladys Knight brings the goods and ends a bit of a cold streak of songs that I’d rather skip. The emphasis of License To Kill followed by going straight for the heart is a great love ballet lyric. It’s at this point when I’m listening through all the songs that I realized almost all of them are professions or statements of love.

Holy rock and roll! You have my attention with the electric guitar Mr. Chris Cornell. The pace of the song is quick, providing a very different vibe to the ballads that perpetuated many of the first 20+ films of the franchise.

The song opens with an astronomy feel, like stars twinkling in the night sky. Then Sheena Easton comes in with a love ballet that’s, dare I say, legit great? Most Bond songs that don’t punch the adrenaline are lower on this list, but the piano crescendos have me craving for a steamy 1980s romance. For Your Eyes Only was nominated for Best Original song at the 1982 Oscars.

When love is in the name of the title, then a love ballad of this strength is well in its right to rock as hard as it does. Nobody Does It Better could be a wedding song if it wanted, or it could be a song inserted into a romantic comedy in the modern day. Nobody Does It Better was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1978 Academy Awards.

A tough song to rank just because it is the Bond theme song remixed, but credit to John Barry for doing something notably different with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. My unexercised musical ears sense more of an electric vibe and more high pitched brass than the thundering trombones. You listen to this song on its own and you can picture a chase happening on screen, and a fun one in the snow at that.

The opening to GoldenEye sucks you in slowly and leaves it to Tina Turner to act as its turning tide. There is not a tone of brass working behind the legendary voice. Instead, it’s a softer baseline that keeps the beat. During the last minute of the song, Turner gets to play with the lyrics, and she knocks it out with her “in my sights” closing sequence.

I had no idea this was a Bond song. I started watching A View To Kill and the credit sequence starts and I am all of a sudden thrown into a world of deja vu. The fact I knew this was a song before the Bong movie says something, and then there is the style. If you are not head-bopping when the Dance Into The Fire chorus starts, then you are simply lying to yourself.

This one took me by surprise. I listened to all the Bond songs once before I began jotting down notes, and this is the song I was singing in my head after 26 songs. The lyrics comparing love and diamonds twist together nicely, and Shirley Bassey returns to provide some powerful vocals when love is not needed.

The song’s opening absolutely punches you in the face. Then Shirley Bassey comes in and delivers a wonderfully venomous vocal performance. The line “It’s the kiss of death.” hits hard, setting up the final portion of the song when Bassey clears out the room with her finish. This is the first of three Bond theme songs Bassey performed.

When I was a child, I was guilty of thinking that Live And Let Die was done by The Beatles. Time has taught me that it was Paul McCartney and The Wings who worked out this genre-twisting theme. Nominated for an Oscar at the 1974 Academy Awards, Live And Let Die switches moods and never its entertainment value. Also, a personal connection for myself; I played this song when I played the Trombone back in the day. I had no idea I would love it as much as I do now.

Undeniable. Listened to it non-stop when Skyfall first came out, and damn if it hasn’t without the test of time remarkably well. Adele is not currently working on any new songs, and that’s fine because I have this masterpiece to listen to. Adele and the song Skyfall took home one of the two Oscars that film Skyfall achieved, the other being best Sound Editing.

Undeniable. Listened to it non-stop when Skyfall first came out, and damn if it hasn’t without the test of time remarkably well. Adele is not currently working on any new songs, and that’s fine because I have this masterpiece to listen to. Adele and the song Skyfall took home one of the two Oscars that film Skyfall achieved, the other being best Sound Editing.