The James Bond Theme

My wife and I recently had a date night and went to see a screening of The Man with the Golden Gun at the Magnolia.  This now puts my total of James Bond movies seen in the theater at 14.

 

One of the trademarks of the 007 film series is its music and each film has its own theme song.  These are normally songs that match the title of the film and are sung by a popular band or musical artist of the time period.  However, when it comes to The Man with the Golden Gun, the singer is a girl by the name of Lulu.  Although I’m an 80s baby and the Bond film series began in 1962, I can tell you at least something about each theme song singer, barring Miss Lulu.

 

Wanting to know a little more about Lulu the singer, I did some research and found out she is a bit more popular than I realized, but far below the level of stardom most 007 theme song performers have reached.  With little to do at work right now and wanting to share my James Bond knowledge with the world, I thought I would start a new series of posts that expounds upon the lives of those involved with composing and performing each theme song of the Bond series.  Obviously we will begin with the first film, 1962’s Dr. No.

 

Dr. No is an example of when the film’s title doesn’t match the theme song’s title.  The title of the theme song, which is quite original, is the “James Bond Theme.”  There is a bit of controversy to who actually composed the “James Bond Theme,” but the three men most involved in popularizing it is Monty Norman, John Barry, and Vic Flick.

 

Of those three, John Barry has the most history with the James Bond filmmakers.  Barry, born November 3, 1933, as John Barry Prendergast, was an English composer and conductor who worked on 12 Bond soundtracks from 1962 to 1987.  His work on Dr. No comprised of arranging the music that Monty Norman composed, including the “James Bond Theme.”  Barry then went on to compose the soundtracks for From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds are Forever, The Man with the Golden Gun, Moonraker, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights.

 

Other notable film scores include The Lion in Winter, Midnight Cowboy, Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, King Kong (1976), Robin and Marian, The Black Hole, Body Heat, Howard the Duck, Peggy Sue Got Married, Zulu, Chaplin, and The Ipcress File.

 

Barry started his own band in 1957 and went on to write some of the most legendary music in film history.  His accolades include winning five Academy Awards, four Grammys, two BAFTAs, two Emmys, and a Golden Globe.  He also received two Lifetime Achievement Awards, was made a fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

 

Having been married four times, he died of a heart attack in January 2011 and at the time of his death was survived by his wife of 33 years, four children, and two grandchildren.

 

While Barry is repeatedly mistaken to be the creator of the famous Bond theme song, Monty Norman actually is the legal composer.  Norman was born Monty Noserovitch on April 4, 1928.  Norman’s career in music began as a singer for big bands and on variety shows.  In the late 1950s, he began composing music, including songs for Count Basie and Bob Hope.

 

Norman’s most famous contribution to music is the “James Bond Theme,” but he also composed for the musicals Songbook and Poppy.  His film composition includes theme songs for The Day the Earth Caught Fire and Call Me Bwana.

 

Earning six pounds for his work on the “James Bond Theme,” which was made up of recording the guitar riff on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Vox AC15 amplifier, Victor Harold Flick, better known as Vic Flick, was born on May 14, 1937.  Flick joined John Barry’s band, the John Barry Seven, in the 1960s and his guitar playing was used on such television shows as Juke Box Jury and Drumbeat.

 

His work with the 007 series didn’t conclude with Dr. No.  He continued playing on soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.  Flick also provided his guitar talents for the soundtrack of the From Russia with Love video game.

 

Other film work included playing on the soundtrack of The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night.  He has also worked with artists including Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page.

 

James Bond musical theme history will return in From Russia with Love.