Tom: New Bond theme! And boy, is it ever a return to old-school Bond themes.
Tim: It’s like the Bond themes of the olden days. Soulful female vocalist, big orchestra behind it, title of the film in there in a way that people will always remember, long enough for everyone in the cinema to get thoroughly bored of it while it plays out in its entirety (WHY DO THEY DO THAT? NOBODY LIKES IT.)
Tom: Well, I like it. Tradition, and all that. But after the pop-rock of “You Know My Name” and Jack White being Jack White on “Another Way To Die“, this is welcome. And if you’re going to return to form and get a diva to belt out a traditional Bond theme, who else is there these days but Adele? What a voice.
Tim: It’s basically what everybody ‘knows’ a James Bond song is. You can’t blame them for going back to basics, as Another Way To Die didn’t exactly receive rave reviews, and as far as I’m concerned the less said about Die Another Day the better, really. But does it make it a bit dull, as some have claimed? No. It’s powerful – that chanting in the background works wonders for me, for a start.
Tom: Really? That’s the only thing I’m not sure about: I heard it more as a call-and-response that didn’t work. Other than that: my word, this could be belted out by Shirley Bassey, and could have been written for her years ago as well.
Tim: It’s one you want to sing along to. I love it.
Tom: A side note: the best Bond theme ever? Aimee Mann’s cover of “Nobody Does It Better”. It sends shivers up my spine.