The James Bond movies are known for their charismatic lead actors, globe-spanning adventures and sex appeal. And that’s not even touching upon how much their theme songs have left a crater-like impact upon the pop charts and our culture in general.
Well, most of them anyway.
You see, for every “Nobody Does It Better” there is a “Writing’s on the Wall.” It’s the ying yang theory of Bond themes: That the good counterbalances the bad. In this particular writer’s opinion, the worst Bond theme of all is Shirley Bassey‘s “Moonraker” from the movie of the same name. Although she sang what is arguably the finest song — “Goldfinger” — for the franchise, her title tune for the outer space-bound 1979 effort is dull, and perhaps even more damning, a retread of her previous, much better work. (To paraphrase the great chanteuse herself, it sounds like a little bit of history repeating). Of course this really isn’t her fault, she was brought in at the last minute to sing the song, and she does her best with what she was given. Yet I single out this song because I expect so much from her, as she is a singular talent like no other. So her version of “Moonraker” lands with a thud for me instead of soaring to the cosmos. But your mileage may vary, which is why I want to know what James Bond theme song you hate and why. Let us know in the comments below.
And now that I really think about it, is it too late to change my pick to that awful Sam Smith song?
Previously on MovieFanFare:
James Bond in the 1970s: Moonraker