Stereoboard's Top Ten James Bond Songs - Does Adele's Make It? (James Bond Theme Song Feature)
Tuesday, 05 March 2013
Written by Simon Ramsay
Amidst Hollywood's glitterati at the recent Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles a British singer by the name of Adele capped off an incredible few years by winning the best Original Song Oscar for her James Bond theme tune, 'Skyfall'. But on a night when the Academy paid special tribute to 50 years of 007 movies, it was Dame Shirley Bassey who stole the limelight from the young pretender with a thunderous rendition of one of her gold plated Bond classics. Whilst 'Skyfall's title track is easily superior to recent efforts like Jack White and Alicia key's clunky duet or Madonna's disastrous 'Die Another Day', does it really stand up against the series best efforts? Or is it merely a well written and performed track that imitates the great compositions of yesteryear without ever threatening to surpass them? Stereoboard's Mission: To compile a dossier of the ten greatest James Bond songs in order to assess how Adele's all conquering entry compares when pitted against the best of the rest.
Firstly, we need to establish a criteria by which to separate the prize winning specimens from the treacherous flops. So pay attention. After all, over the last fifty years there have been 23 official Bond films, and if you count additional songs over closing credits, rejected submissions that have since seen the light (Alice Cooper's swaggering 'Man With The Golden Gun') and instrumental tracks there's a skyscraping stack of healthy contenders. So let the cull begin as we hurl the unworthy failures into a pool of ill tempered sea bass. That may be another film.....
RULE ONE: It has to be a lyrical song, not an instrumental piece. That excludes both Monty Norman's indelible 007 theme tune and John Barry's stirring composition for the title sequence of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.
RULE TWO: It has to have been in a Bond film somewhere, whether it be opening / closing credits or to score a particularly poignant moment. This instantly terminates the hopes of all those entries that could and should have been selected by the megalomaniacs running the Bond franchise. Seriously, Lulu over Alice Cooper...WTF?
RULE THREE: It has to be identifiable with the film it's from, to the point where a few chords can summon up memorable images of exotic locations from the sun drenched beaches of Jamaica to the glitzy Casino's of Monte Carlo, the luminous blue waters of the Bahamas to the colour drenched carnivals of Rio De Janeiro. As well as evoking vivid flashbacks of iconic scenes and much loved characters, such as death defying stunts and scantily clad Bond babes. Which pretty much discards any post John Barry composition, as his great skill was taking the theme song and underscoring the movie with it. Whether slowed down to a romantic swoon or turned it into an action packed big band romp, each and every Bond film was given it's own distinct flavour and feel courtesy of Barry's beautiful, sweeping orchestrations. Producers like Bill Conti and George Martin successfully cloned that style when he was unavailable, but post 1989 the likes of David Arnold, Eric Serra and Thomas Newman have rarely come close, although Arnold had a decent go on 'Casino Royale'.
RULE FOUR: It has to scream Bond as a great 007 song epitomises everything that's loved about the films, ranging from dramatic, romantic and cheeky to cheesy, mysterious and dangerous. A combination of these ingredients is essential to soundtrack the mythical world of Ian Fleming's charismatic killer. Which instantly assassinates Sheryl Crow's dull as dishwater 'Tomorrow Never Dies.'
RULE FIVE: Bond is the star, not the performer. When an artist records a Bond song they should adapt their style so it works within the formula of the franchise. In no way should they be arrogant enough to make it sound like one of their dire electronic, computer generated beep fests with auto tuned vocals and no discernible melody. And then have the audacity to appear in the film as a bloody fencing instructor.
RULE SIX: It doesn't have to be a great song, but it does have to be a great Bond song. No, it's not a riddle. 007 tunes exist within their own bubble, and any attempts to make them commercially cool or musically mind bending prog workouts would be somewhat inappropriate. Besides, would 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Kashmir', 'Voodoo Chile' or 'My Generation' make acceptable Bond songs? Exactly.
With the benchmark for brilliance established, the contestants are now ready to battle it out to be included in our 'Ten Greatest Bond Songs Of All Time' hit list. Let the countdown commence. Preferably slowly, in a dodgy East European accent.
0010: MOONRAKER THE ARTIST: SHIRLEY BASSEY THE BOND: ROGER MOORE
THE FILM: Bond is pushed out of a plane without a parachute. Minor inconvenience. Jaws is back! Falls in love with a blonde midget and finds redemption. Bond drives a Gondola through the streets of Venice. Diseased rodent does double take. Dr Goodhead is a woman. Bond fights with lasers in deep space. Everything gets ever so slightly ridiculous. Bond saves the earth. Then attempts re-entry. He will return.
THE SONG: Whilst the weakest of Dame Shirley's three efforts her deeply soulful singing easily elevates it into the top ten. It's actually a beautifully sad number that aches with the kind of melancholic longing every Bond girl feels for the mysterious secret agent. The timeless elegance of Bassey's delivery, coupled with John Barry's entrancing strings, creates a slow burning, understated Bond song that's as gently haunting as the loneliness of life on an earth orbiting space station.
THE LYRIC: “Just like the Moonraker goes in search of his dream of gold”. The Moonraker is a space shuttle. It has no dreams. And isn't necessarily masculine. It's utter nonsense and therefore a brilliant Bond lyric.
VERSUS ADELE: The first face off between the platinum lunged divas is a close call. Whilst the winning Bassey / Barry combo takes some beating the lack of a chorus makes it rather unmemorable, in spite of showcasing superior orchestration to that of the Oscar winning tune. Vocally, Dame Shirley's sophisticated power and poise gives her the upper hand, but as a song 'Skyfall' boasts better pacing, building nicely from a moody beginning to a rousing finale.
WINNER: ADELE
009: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY THE ARTIST: SHEENA EASTON THE BOND: ROGER(ING) MOORE
THE FILM: Blofeld's back! Bond picks his wheelchair off the ground with a helicopter. Drops him down huge chimney stack. That's him off Disability Living Allowance then. Baddies get shot with crossbows. They get the point. Bond drives bright yellow Shitroen. Leaps over tables and houses on skis, defying all previously established laws of physics and gravity. Maggie Thatcher thanks parrot for saving the world. Parrot suggests destroying the Trade Unions. Bond and crossbow babe get frisky. For his Eyes Only. Damn. He will return in 'Octopussy'. Stop sniggering.
THE SONG: Bathed in one of the most blissfully romantic melodies John Barry never wrote this is an underrated gem in the Bond back catalogue. Due to the great maestro being unable to work in the UK for tax reasons Bill Conti was brought in to score the film and aped Barry's style with aplomb. Whilst Easton is no Bassey her tender, wistful vocal delivers a heartfelt love letter to the super smooth spy. The song also underscores Bond's difficult relationship with vengeance seeking Melina throughout the film and works wonderfully when played over the stunning vistas of Italy, Greece and The Bahamas.
THE TRIVIA: Although it's not remembered as a Bond classic the track was actually nominated for an Academy Award in 1982, but unlike Adele failed to scoop the statuette.
To this day Sheena Easton is still the only performer to have sung a theme song on screen during the film's title sequence. Which is way cooler than appearing as a mannequin like fencing instructor.
VERSUS ADELE: The ornamental grace of Easton's song kicks 'Skyfall' to the ground, but it dusts itself off and fights back as a certain gold doorstop threatens to level proceedings. In the end, the shimmering passion of 'For Your Eyes Only' sees the diminutive Scot land the prize.
WINNER: SHEENA EASTON
008: A VIEW TO A KILL THE ARTIST: DURAN DURAN THE BOND: ROGER SOME MOORE
THE FILM: Bond snowboards away from devilish Ruskies. To the sounds of the Beach Boys. Grace Jones is mental. Bond nails her. She becomes good. Christopher Walken is more mental. Bond don't swing that way. Lots of horses. No one eats them. Or do they? Bond saves husky voiced sexpot. She tries to shoot him with her gun. By the end he shoots her with his. So to speak. Lots of Zeppelins. None made out of Led. Bond prevents massive earthquakes. Then moves earth for husky blonde. In the shower. With Q filming. Pre YouTube. He will return, but Rog is done.
THE SONG: Simply put, it's a cracking example of how a Bond theme can be given a contemporary (for the time) edge without losing it's identity. With the synth stabbing intro, enigmatic verses and a downright killer chorus it manages to be both Duran Duran and Bond in equal measure. It's also one of the few 007 tunes that people can move to on the dance floor, as it's up-tempo, new wave groove fits the Bond template with a surprisingly seamless ease.
THE VIDEO: Whilst presumably impressive at the time, the promo piece Duran Duran made for the song is hilariously terrible. There are flying cameras that levitate and spin around the Eiffel Tower. Superimposed. Really, really badly. There are computers with big plastic buttons that make ZX Spectrums look like cutting edge technological miracles. The band members are also at the Eiffel tower doing a number of bizarre things, which are then inter-cut with clips of Bond chasing Grace Jones' Mayday. Cunningly edited to appear like it's all happening at the same time. Except the footage doesn't match. It's filmed on different formats and the sky is a different colour. Technicalities eh. At the end the lead singer turns to the camera, wearing a dodgy Beret and over sized flasher mac and states “the name's Bon. Simon Le Bon”. World cringes.
VERSUS ADELE: Whilst Adele could easily sing (and probably drink) Simon Le Bon under the table the double D number is a much better song with a more palpable pulse. The way it's used throughout the film is also heavenly, particularly the slowed down version that reveals a heart melting piece of pure divinity lying within the 80's pop rock drama.
THE WINNER: DURAN DURAN.
007: THE SPY WHO LOVED ME THEME SONG: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THE ARTIST: CARLY SIMON THE BOND: ROGER MOORE: NOT JUST A NAME, BUT A STATEMENT OF INTENT.
THE FILM: Big boat swallows Nuclear submarine. Doesn't spit. Bond is on a mission. Pulls out. Prematurely. Skies off huge precipice. Deploys Union Jack parachute. GO BRITIAN!! Scary giant with big metal teeth. People get fed to sharks. Dr Evil stylee. Bond meets Ringo Starr's wife. Does her better than anyone else. Cool-white-Lotus-car-submarine-thing. We wants one. Huge battle. Bad guys fire lots of bullets. Couldn't hit barn door with banjo. Bond shoots baddie. Point blank. Four Times. Best to be certain. Escapes with Mrs Ringo. Gets out of wet clothes. Keeps the British end up. He will return.
THE SONG: Sensuality incarnate, this supreme ballad delicately begins with a flirtatious piano before the band kicks in and Barry's yearning score weaves it's magic, with gently whistling strings and some characteristic horn phrases towards the end. But the real star is Simon, whose reflective vocal and wide eyed hero worship are a perfect match for someone as cheekily indestructible as Sir Rog's Bond.
THE LYRIC: This was the first 007 song to have a different title to the film since 1962's 'Dr No', and kudos to the writers for being able to squeeze 'The Spy Who Loved Me' into the lyric without it sounding too clumsy. What's it all about though? “Nobody does it better - makes me feel sad for the rest” There are a number of complex, highly cerebral theories about the lyrical subtext, but it's most likely alluding to the fact that Bond's a better shag than anyone else. Albeit expressed with more poetic finesse.
THE TRIVIA: The track was nominated for an Academy Award in 1978 but lost out to 'You Light Up My Life' by someone called Kasey Cisyk. Answers on a postcard....
It was also the most successful song of Carly Simon's career and her longest charting hit.
Radiohead covered it and Thom Yorke described it as “the sexiest song ever written”. Possibly the only time the word's 'Thom Yorke' and 'sexiest' have appeared in the same sentence.
VERSUS ADELE: Carly Simon's seductive delivery is much more appealing than Adele's sombre vocal, whilst the song itself is one of the most loved Bond theme tunes. It doesn't quite have the feel of vintage 007, especially when compared to the 60's retro of 'Skyfall'. But there's a timeless warmth about Simon's tune as it purrs with a luscious allure that's hard to top.
WINNER: CARLY SIMON
006: THUNDERBALL THE ARTIST: TOM JONES THE BOND: SEAN CONNERY.
THE FILM: Bond punches widow. Someone introduce him to Yoko. SPECTRE are back. They nick Nuclear warheads. They demand £100 million in diamonds. Mike Myers takes note. Bond meets flame haired psycho babe. Uses her as sexy human shield. Mike Myers keeps scribbling. Lots of water. Lots of ships. Lots of sea men. Bond fights bad guy with eye patch. Myers runs out of paper. Day saved. Hooks up with smouldering Domino. No pizzas ordered. He will return.
THE SONG: It's virtually impossible to hear this song without picturing underwater battles featuring men in garish orange wetsuits firing harpoons. From the aquatic whoosh of the opening percussive waterfall this is as Bond as Bond gets. Lascivious ladies man Tom Jones turns in a performance stacked to capacity with hammy theatrics and exaggerated melodrama. It fits like a dream, striding masterfully over bombastic instrumentation that finds the 007 motif diving in and out before a finale that's as vocally histrionic as it gets.
THE TRIVIA: The final note Sir Tom hit was so high he fainted after singing it, recalling that "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning."
THE THUNDERBALL: This week it was number 14.
VERSUS ADELE: Not even a contest. Sir Tom is a ballsy powerhouse over a song that's damn near perfect. Vintage, menacing and intense with feisty orchestration that rips listeners out of their mundane lives and drops them straight into the exotic, dangerous dimension that is the Universe Of Bond. 'Skyfall' is virtually moribund by comparison.
THE WINNER: TOM JONES
005: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. THE ARTIST: SHIRLEY BASSEY THE BOND: SEAN CONNERY
THE FILM: Connery's back! Removes woman's bra and strangles her with it. We all find them tricky. Kills Blofeld for murdering Australian model's wife. Or does he? Mr Wint and Mr Kidd are good friends. Like, really good. Bond impersonates a smuggler. Sorry, schmuggler. Plenty O'Toole was named after her father. Nice rack. Blofeld's still alive. And has hair! Plans to use stolen diamonds to build giant laser. Sound familiar? Bond tosses him all over the place. In a boat. Immolates Mr Wint and blows up Mr Kidd. They go puff. He will return, albeit English, smoother and with a funnier name.
THE SONG: One of the shining Bijou's in the Bond cannon, this is Bassey and Barry at their best. From the mysterious, glistening intro Shirley owns the spotlight, with a spellbinding vocal tour de force that's commanding, impassioned and full of sensual control. Backed with typical élan by her partner in crimes punctuated horns and silky string passages, the tune develops into a funky waltz courtesy of skipping cymbals and strutting bass flourishes.
THE TRIVIA: The lyrics are so ridiculous Shirley Bassey couldn't get an emotional handle on how to sing things like “Diamonds are forever, they are all I need to please me, They can stimulate and tease me”. So good old John Barry told her to imagine she was singing about a certain part of the male anatomy. And it wasn't the coccyx.
VERSUS ADELE: Both are blessed with a restrained, glacial elegance that glides and then soars, but there really is no competition. Musically and melodically Barry is at the top of his game on a song that instantly evokes 007's timeless cocktail of sex, death and intrigue. Plus, Bassey in her prime was unbeatable, and no matter how many albums Adele sells she just can't match the vocal superiority of an absolute legend.
THE WINNER: SHIRLEY BASSEY
004: LIVE AND LET DIE THE ARTIST: PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS THE BOND: ROGER MOORE PLEASE WE'RE BRITISH
THE FILM: It's Rog! Bond is now a super slick pervert with a gun. Gets down with his bad self in Harlem. Fails to blend in. Unsurprisingly. Meets virgin fortune teller. She didn't see him coming. Except she probably did. Deflowered. Plays hop, step and jump on alligators. Chased by redneck Sheriff. Spooky voodoo rituals. Snakes. Coffins. Bond is captured. Nearly fed to Sharks. Again. Inflates bad guy with air capsule. He's huge. Unless compared to Meat Loaf. Hook handed henchman thrown out of moving train. Rendered armless. Bond and solitaire alone. Except for trouser snake. He will return.
THE SONG: Backed by the band the Beatles could have been, Macca knocks this one out the park by throwing everything into a storming devil's cauldron of a song. A typically crooned beginning suddenly takes flight with crashing bursts of orchestration seguing into the coolest riff of the series, galloping along with an exotic sense of terror and danger. Eerily dissonant strings and Sir Paul screaming like a possessed banshee in the middle are the icing on the cake.
THE TRIVIA: This was both the first out and out rock & roll song for a Bond film and the first score not to be composed by John Barry, with a certain George Martin stepping into the breach. You may have heard of him. It was written by Sir Paul along with his then wife Linda. Which means he wrote it and she banged the odd tambourine.
THE COVER: A balls to the wall hard rock version was unleashed by the most dangerous band on the planet in 1991, when Guns N' Roses recorded it for their 'Use Your Illusion One' album. They instantly made it their own. The main riff was venomously Slashed up as Axl howled and screeched like a demon with it's ass on fire.
THE TRIVIA: 'Live And Let Die' was also nominated for an Academy Award but lost out to Barbara Streisand's 'The Way We Were'. By a nose.
VERSUS ADELE: The unbridled adrenalin and thrilling excitement of Macca's tune easily makes up for the fact he's not your typical Bond vocalist. The dizzying peril aroused by the song, with it's instantly identifiable refrain and soul shaking journey through ballad, rock and reggae passages, makes it the clear winner. 'Skyfall' is good, but almost seems dull compared to this heart racing blast of multi-faceted excellence.
WINNER: PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS.
003: YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE THE ARTIST: NANCY SINATRA THE BOND: SEAN CONNERY
THE FILM: Hijacked spacecraft. Ruskies and Yanks blame each other. Brits to the rescue. Bond goes to Japan. Becomes Bond San. Has hairiest chest this side of King Kong. Gets inside little Nelly. Rides her hard. SPECTRE are behind everything. Blofeld is seen. He's bald. Strokes pussy. Feeds failures to piranhas. Has lazy eye. Lawsuit for Mr Myers. Bond becomes martial artist. Teams up with Ninjas. Storms hollowed out volcano base. I repeat, Lawsuit for Mr Myers. Blofeld's defeated, but escapes. He'd have gotten away with it if it wasn't for that pesky Bond. Who will return, albeit in a couple of film's time.
THE SONG: Floating on a feathery cloud of lush instrumentation this tune is possibly the prettiest piece in Bond history, with a combination of violin and French horn delivering one of the most recognisable melodies of all time. Nancy Sinatra's swaying vocal is delicately crooned and Barry's injection of subtle Asian instrumentation inspires picturesque images of oriental splendour.
THE TRIVIA: Nancy Sinatra was an up and coming singer at the time and was terrified of recording the song, asking producers “are you sure you don't want Shirley Bassey?” Dame Shirley has subsequently recorded a version, which appeared on her 2007 album 'Get The Party Started'.
THE COVERS: It's been recorded by a colourful variety of artists, from Coldplay to Bjork, Soft Cell to Natacha Atlas. The main hook was also sampled by some fat dancer from Take That on his 1998 song 'Millennium'. When he developed a Bond complex. Which was before his Freddie Mercury complex. Which pre-dated his God complex.
VERSUS ADELE: For all 'Skyfall's' classic Bond stylings and funereal darkness it's a slightly cold affair, whereas Sinatra's song should be in the dictionary as a perfect definition of the word bliss. It would certainly take a hard heart not to be enraptured by the sumptuous warmth of such a fantastically composed, soul soothing piece of syrupy sweetness.
THE WINNER: NANCY SINATRA
002: ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE THEME SONG: WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD ARTIST: LOUIS ARMSTRONG THE BOND: GEROGE LAZENBY. GOOGLE HIM.
THE FILM: Bond's had major plastic surgery. And developed a cod English accent. Saves Contessa Teresa (Tracy) from drowning. She nicks his car. Never happened to the other fella. Goes after Blofeld. Adopts even more ridiculous cod English accent. Is it? Can it be? Yep - it's Blofeld via Kojak. Who loves you baby! Big bad baldy uses women to spread deadly bacteria. Big bad Bond uses them to spread his seed. Go feminism! Bond's captured. Placed in easily escapable situation. Obviously. Big chase. Tracy saves Bond. He loves her. They marry. Blofeld shoots her. He's single again - Yeah baby! He will return with renewed Scottish vigour. Lazenby? F*** knows.
THE SONG: Louis Armstrong's last recorded song is a tear jerking ballad of substantial depth and resonance. Although the great man was very ill when he recorded his vocal, and said voice wasn't at it's best, the vulnerable fragility of his breaking croak added a sorrowful poignancy that perfectly reflected the heartbroken ending of the film. Barry's gentle score features subtle horns and breezy strings, supporting Armstrong's weary optimism with a light, masterful touch.
THE TRIVIA: 'We Have All The Time In The World' wasn't actually used over the film's title sequence, but scored a mid movie montage where Bond courts, and falls in love with Tracy.
John Barry claimed this was the finest piece of music he ever wrote for a Bond film, and selected Armstrong to sing it because he felt the old master could deliver the title line with the irony the film's narrative needed. Bond speaks it right at the end in a state of stunned denial, as his newly wed bride lies dead in his arms.
The song actually disappeared when it was first released, only finding success 25 years later when used for a Guinness commercial.
Even though he was in poor health at the time, Armstrong nailed the track in one take. Pure class, right until the end.
THE COVERS: This hugely popular Bond nugget has been recorded by a number of diverse artists, such as My Bloody Valentine, Iggy Pop, Fun Lovin' Criminals, Vic Michael Ball, Tindersticks and The Pale Fountains.
VERSUS ADELE: Even though 'Skyfall' and 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' are tonally similar films, these two tracks are very different. The creaking emotion in Armstrong's fading delivery, coupled with the state of his physical condition and the implicit irony in the lyric, produces a profundity never witnessed before or since in a Bond song. It doesn't really feel like a 007 tune, whereas 'Skyfall' broods with a tasty apocalyptic fever that's Commander Bond to a tee. But the way it's used within the movie, and the song's huge importance to those who consider 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' the greatest Bond film of all time, sees it ease to a comfortable victory.
WINNER: LOUIS ARMSTRONG
001: GOLDFINGER THE ARTIST: SHIRLEY BASSEY THE BOND: SEAN CONNERY
THE FILM: If you've not seen it, you're probably a social retard. Bond electrocutes man in bath. Simply shocking. Goes after bad guy with inconspicuous name; Auric Goldfinger. Bond plays golf. Keeps his balls out the rough. Dumpy sumo wrestler decapitates statue with a hat. Which is perfectly plausible. Gold painted lady. Iconic. Aston Martin with ejector seat. No joke. Bond's captured. Laser approaches family jewels. Not expected to talk. Pussy galore. No dream but she bats for the other team. Bond converts her. Fries hat hurling sumo. Disarms nuclear device. Saves Fort Knox. Kills Goldfinger. Survives plunging aircraft. Cures the common cold. Kisses Pussy. He will return.
THE SONG: The stars aligned and messers Barry and Bassey hit upon THE formula that would define and characterise the majority of Bond themes for the next five decades. It's big, bold and brassy as the wailing trumpet intro grabs the attention with a howling animalistic ferocity, before Dame Shirley's towering vocal, all glint eyed steel and sassy raunch. Bond's signature prowl loiters in and out as the punch packing brass section and metallic chimes hammer home the film's themes of metal and gold. Flawless, in every way.
THE TRIVIA: One of the original Bond Producers, Harry Saltzman, hated the song and described it as "the worst *** song I've ever heard in my *** life". Time constraints meant it was fortunately too late to change it.
The song was first sung on the demo by one of it's writers, Anthony Newley, whose supposedly creepy version was described by Barry as 'terrific'. However, Newley didn't want to record it for real as he apparently thought it was a bit weird.
Shirley Bassey first heard an instrumental version of the track and said it gave her “goose pimples”. She told Barry she'd sing whatever lyrics were written for it, breaking her own golden rule in the process.
Michael Caine had a listen and pointed out that it was exactly the same song as the 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' hit 'Moon River'. So Barry added the famous three note brass line to disguise the similarity.
Bassey struggled in the studio with the song's final high note. There was a rustling behind her screen. Then she threw out her bra and really went for it, totally unconstrained!
VERSUS ADELE: This is the one John Barry says created the template. Where he and Dame Shirley found their Midas touch. No 'Goldfinger', no 'Skyfall'. Simple as that. The resplendent verve and unique, pioneering magnificence of the track have made it the most famous and popular song in Bond's history. And Bassey's lioness vocal even makes the excellent Adele seem like a whimpering cub, establishing a pinnacle of performance that most subsequent Bond singers have failed to match. Easily the best of the best.
WINNER: SHIRLEY BASSEY
THE VERDICT: With all votes counted and comparisons made it seems this is one contest Adele won't be winning, although her song does make it into our top ten at the expense of 'Moonraker'. 'Skyfall's' strength lies in it's willingness to embrace Bond's heritage, whilst the chant like backing vocals during the chorus give it a contemporary feel that prevents it from being purely nostalgic. It's a slight let down that Adele seems overly restrained during the song, only unleashing her full range in bursts towards the climax. It's not really the full throated performance that was hoped for after belters like 'Rolling In The Deep', 'Someone Like You' and 'Set Fire To The Rain'. The main problem, however, is that it's nowhere near as melodically strong as John Barry's compositions, and therefore may lack the identity needed to see it considered an all time classic years from now. Which isn't helped by it's failure to appear in Thomas Newman's 'Skyfall' score, as inclusion within the films has given most of our top ten their distinguished status and familiarity.
However, like one of Bond's finest wines 007 songs can mature and become more appreciated and desired over time. As seen with 'We Have All The Time In The World'. Likewise, those that were initially hailed as something special on release have been known to age badly, exposing themselves as nothing more than cheap, watered down copycats. This trend is also known as 'The Brosnan Effect'. Therefore, a better time to judge Adele's entry and it's place in the history of James Bond songs may be a few years from now. Though all the signs suggest that being attached to one of the best 007 movies of all time, winning an Oscar and being sung by a global phenomenon will see it favoured kindly for a long time to come. The only question that remains is whether or not she'll take up the mantle of Dame Shirley and 007, by returning for further adventures. After winning an Oscar she may wonder how she can possibly top that kind of success. Although post '21' that's something she's probably going to be wondering for the foreseeable future, regardless of what she does.
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Firstly, we need to establish a criteria by which to separate the prize winning specimens from the treacherous flops. So pay attention. After all, over the last fifty years there have been 23 official Bond films, and if you count additional songs over closing credits, rejected submissions that have since seen the light (Alice Cooper's swaggering 'Man With The Golden Gun') and instrumental tracks there's a skyscraping stack of healthy contenders. So let the cull begin as we hurl the unworthy failures into a pool of ill tempered sea bass. That may be another film..... 
