The A View To A Kill Theme

After Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, somewhat drunkenly, asked 007 producer Cubby Broccoli at a party when he was going to hire someone decent to do a James Bond theme song, the English rock band was hired to work with composer John Barry.  The group went on to write one of the most successful theme songs in the series.

"A View to a Kill," recorded with a 60-piece orchestra, reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the UK music charts, both record highs for a James Bond theme song.  Other chart topping locations included Canada, Italy, and Sweden.  The single was nominated for a Golden Globe and was the last song recorded by the group prior to their reunion in 2001.

Like normal in this blog series, with any Bond theme song that John Barry is associated with you can read his full biography here.

Forming in 1978, Duran Duran is one of the most popular rock groups of the 1980s, with 14 singles to reach the top 10 on UK charts and 21 songs in the Billboard Hot 100.  The group was one of the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States that took place from the summer of 1982 to the autumn of 1986.  The group faced controversy with its music videos that included partial nudity and suggestive sexuality, but they were also the first to hire professional directors and use 35mm cameras, which gave their music videos a more polished look than their contemporaries.

Duran Duran's first self-titled record was released through EMI in 1981 and the very first single, "Planet Earth," was a hit, reaching number 12 on the UK charts.  However, it was the album's third single, "Girls on Film," that made the most commotion.  The video (pictured) featured topless women mudwrestling, pillow fighting, and other sytlised depictions of sexual fetishes.  It was originally made to play in nightclubs that featured video monitors and for pay TV stations such as the Playboy channel, but as it was released two weeks after the launch of MTV it made its way to cable, although heavily edited.  The song eventually peaked at number three on the UK charts.

The band's second album saw four singles make their way into the UK's Top 20, including the massively popular "Hungry Like the Wolf."  Following the release of a third studio album and world tour, drummer Roger Taylor retired from the band due to exhaustion and guitarist Andy Taylor also left.

The roster changed between 1986 and 2001, but eventually the original five reunited for a brief time.  In 2006, Andy Taylor again left, with the band claiming an "unworkable gulf" developing between its members and Andy Taylor.

Since its formation, Duran Duran has released 12 studio albums.  Working with fashion designers to build a sharp and elegant style, the band went on to great success that included two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, an MTV Video Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Octopussy Theme

Following a one-film layoff from the series, composer John Barry returned for Octopussy, where he, Tim Rice, Stephen Short, Rita Coolidge wrote, recorded, and mixed the movie’s theme song, “All Time High.”  For obvious reasons the film’s title was not used for the theme song.  The song’s title was selected among six options that Rice provided to Barry.

 

Prior to Coolidge being selected to perform the theme song, British singer Mari Wilson was in contention.  Wilson evoked a retro image that harkened back to the mid-1960s when the Bond series originated, but it was the lack of a United States profile that ultimately led to her dismissal.  Bond producer Cubby Broccoli later admitted he had also considered American singer Laura Branigan for the job, which Barry and Rice both stated would have been acceptable with them.

 

“All Time High” is the first Bond theme to receive a music video.  The song’s title was used in promotional material as a slogan for the film.  While not much of a hit with general audiences in America, reaching only 36 on the Billboard Hot 100, it did reach the number one spot for four weeks on Adult Contemporary radio.  While a hit in other European counties, “All Time High” rose no higher than 75 on the UK chart, making it one of the lowest ranking James Bond themes ever.

 

Being that Octopussy was the 10th Bond movie for John Barry to work on his biography has been covered already.  You can find it in full here.

 

Timothy Miles Bindon Rice is a British lyricist and author and was born November 10, 1944.  Rice is a recipient of an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Tony Award, and Grammy, and his most popular works are with Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and additional songs for the 2011 West End revival of The Wizard of Oz.  He is also known for his work with Walt Disney Studios, which includes songs for Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King.

 

Rice’s career began as a management trainee with EMI Records, but he later left EMI with record producer Norrie Paramor to work as an assistant producer.  His collaborations include working with Cliff Richard, Elton John, Alan Menken, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, and Rick Wakeman.

 

Rice was knighted for services to music in 1994, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is an inductee into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, is a Disney Legend recipient, and is a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.

 

Marrying in 1974, his marriage to Jane McIntosh dissolved in the late 80s after it was revealed he had been having an affair with actress/singer Elaine Paige.  However, the divorce was never finalized and the two remain, technically, married still.  The couple had two children.

Stephen Short is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and operates Ping Pong Music, an artist management company.  Several of his works have gone on to win Grammies, Oscars, and Golden Globes.

 

Short’s career in music began at Trident Studios in London in 1977, where he worked with artists like Genesis, Queen, and Wings.  One of his earliest production credits was in 1978 with Donna Summer on “Last Dance.”  In the 1990s Short redirected his focus on production, leading to work with Phil Collins, dc Talk, and Chaka Kahn.

 

His current emphasis is on young talent, discovering new artists and bands, such as This World Fair and Camera Can’t Lie.

Rita Coolidge, born May 1, 1945, is an American recording artist and songwriter, gaining fame in the 1970s and 80s with charted hits in pop, country, adult contemporary, and jazz.  The artist began her career as a background singer, featured on records for Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills.

 

Kris Kristofferson and Coolidge were married in 1973, after meeting on a flight three years earlier.  While partnered with Kristofferson, Coolidge won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.  The first was in 1974 for “From the Bottle to the Bottom” and the second was in 1976 for “Lover Please.”  However, the two divorced in 1980.

 

Coolidge saw her greatest success from 1977-78 with four consecutive top 25 hits, three of which were cover songs.

 

Kristofferson and Coolidge had one daughter together.  She was also romantically involved with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, which the transition from one to the other has been cited as a contributing factor behind the 1970 breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  Coolidge has since married again in 2004.  She currently resides in Fallbrook, California.

 

Coolidge is a painter and has exhibited her work.  She also formed Walela, a Native American music trio, in 1997 with her sister and niece.

The For Your Eyes Only Theme

Although the American new wave band Blondie wrote a song for the 12th James Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only, producers opted to go with a theme written by the soundtrack’s composer Bill Conti and Michael Leeson.  Sheena Easton was selected to perform the theme song, and she has the distinction of being the only theme song performer to be seen onscreen during the opening credits, a decision made by credit sequence artist Maurice Binder.

 

 

“For Your Eyes Only” was an international hit, reaching number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, eight on the UK Singles Chart, and the top 10 in several other counties.  It also received an Academy Award Best Song nomination, but lost to “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” from Arthur.

 

Conti originally wanted to bring in a singer who fit the “Bond style,” such as Donna Summer or Dusty Springfield.  After studio executives suggested Sheena Easton, who had recently seen her song “9 to 5,” renamed “Morning Train (9 to 5)” to avoid confusion with the Doll Parton song, reach number one on the American charts, Conti listened to Easton’s debut album but was unimpressed.  However, he decided to work with her after meeting with her in person.

You can listen to Blondie's submission for the film here.

William Conti was born April 13, 1942.  After graduating from Louisiana State University and studying at the Julliard School of Music, Conti’s big break in the movie industry came with scoring Rocky, which at the time was a small United Artists film.  The movie went on to become a critical and audience favorite.  Conti’s training montage tune, “Gonna Fly Now,” topped the Billboard singles chart and earned him his first of three Academy Award nomination.  Conti went on to serve as soundtrack composer for all the Rocky sequels, excluding Rocky IV.

 

Along with Rocky films and For Your Eyes Only, which he got to work on because John Barry refused to return to the series for tax reasons, Conti’s other film work includes scoring The Right Stuff, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Score, The Karate Kid, 1999’s remake of The Thomas Crown Affair, and the TV series Dynasty.  He also wrote the theme song to the original version of American Gladiators.

 

In addition to the three Oscar nominations, Conti also received three Golden Globe nominations and 13 Emmy nominations, with all but one of those being for his work as musical director at the Academy awards, a role he has served in a record 19 times.  This year Conti was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

 

Michael Leeson is a lyricist and screenwriter, whose film and television credits include The Cosby Show, The Partridge Family, Happy Days, The War of the Roses, and The Bill Engvall Show.

 

Leeson’s musical work with writing partner Peter Vale, after meeting Vale at the University College London, includes Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight,” “Would I Lie to You” by Charles and Eddie, and work with Ray Charles, The Commodores and Paul Young.

 

Leeson has been on the Board of the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters and received a BMI TV Music Award, two Emmy awards, and a Humanitas Prize.

Sheena Shirley Easton, born April 27, 1959, is a Scottish recording artist and actress.  Easton rose to public fame when she was the focus of an episode of the first British reality television program, The Big Time: Pop Singer.  The show followed Easton’s attempt to gain a record contract, eventually showing her signing with EMI Records.  Easton’s debut singles reached the UK Top 10, making her the first UK female artist to appear twice in the same Top 10.

 

Easton has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, is a six-time Grammy nominee, winning two, and received five U.S. gold albums and one U.S. platinum album.  From her 16 studio albums and 45 singles, 15 songs have reached the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.  She also had 25 Top 40 hits in international territories around the world.  Easton was the first artist in history to have a top five hit on five different Billboard charts consecutively.

 

Her discography includes working with Kenny Rogers, Prince, Babyface, and Christopher Neil.  Easton’s television work includes a five-episode appearance on Miami Vice and voice work for the All Dogs Go to Heaven series and Gargoyles.

 

Easton has been married four times, with no nuptial lasting more than 18 months.  She has two adopted children.

The Moonraker Theme

Although a 007 veteran and having already recorded one of the most popular James Bond theme songs, Shirley Bassey was not the first choice to sing “Moonraker,” her third and last song of the series.  Frank Sinatra was originally considered and Johnny Mathis was also approached.  Mathis was set to record the tune, but at the last minute decided to bow out.  This left the producers scrambling to find a replacement.  Kate Bush declined, so John Barry, who composed the Moonraker soundtrack, offered the chance to Bassey.  Due to the short notice, Bassey didn’t have time promote the single or provide any intellectual input to make it her own, which probably attributed to the song’s failure to chart well.

 

 

Paul Williams (pictured below) originally wrote lyrics for the theme song, but his work was discarded and Hal David, who had worked on “We Have All the Time in the World” from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, ended up contributing the final lyrics.

 

The only significant note regarding the film’s theme song is that the opening notes were used in a 2007 tourism commercial for the Dominican Republic, which is to say that the song had little impact on popular culture.

 

For complete biographies of the soundtrack’s composer John Barry, lyricist Hal David, and singer Shirley Bassey, go here, here, and here.

Christoph Waltz Joins Bond 24

The latest reports have Christoph Waltz being signed to a somewhat mysterious role in the newest James Bond film, currently titled Bond 24.  The part Waltz is portraying is being described as "extremely cunning" and "a nemsis of sorts," but as to whether it is the main villain is unclear.

Waltz is an Austrian actor who has been working since the late 1970s, but his breakout role that caught the attention of Ameican audiences was in Quintin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  Since that time he has been busy, mostly portraying villains, and won a second Best Supporting Actor Oscar in Tarantino's follow-up film, Django Unchained.  Other Hollywood productions Waltz has been seen in include The Green Hornet, The Three Musketeers, Epic, The Zero Theorem, Muppets Most Wanted, and most recently Horrible Bosses 2.

This will be Waltz's first time to work with director Sam Mendes and he joins a cast that already includes Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomi Harris, Ben Wishaw, Lea Seydoux, and Dave Bautista.  Principal photography will begin December 6 with a UK release set for October 23, 2015, and stateside release date of November 6, 2015.

Cute Emery Story

A few weekends ago Emery and Jack went to my mom's house to spend some time with their cousins, Colt, Ella, and Carly.  My mom shared a story from that day that was too cute not to share.

 

First there is a bit of character development that needs to be known.  One of my brother's childhood friends has a son named Knox.  Knox knows Colt, Ella, and Carly through Bart's friendship with his dad and Emery and Jack know Knox because he used to go to Jack's daycare, which Emery has spent time at in the past.  Now you are pretty much up to speed on everyone.

 

While eating dinner, the five children were all sitting around the table talking about whatever it is kids talk about these days.  At some point they got to Knox.  Jack's limited vocabulary regulated him to just repeating over and over again that "Knox is my friend."  The other kids were all talking about Knox in some way or another and the conversation was a jumbled mess with voices being spoken over one another.

 

All of a sudden, Emery threw her hands out to the side and said, "Wait a minute!  Wait a minute!  Wait just a minute!  How does everyone here know Knox?"  I'm not sure what answers the other kids gave, but I'm pretty sure Jack replied, "Knox is my friend."  I picture Emery looking something like this when she brought things to an immediate halt.

But you know ... just, being a girl and all.  And not being in the middle of a street.  In fact, now that I am studying this picture, what kind of parent chooses to take photos of their kid standing in the street over actually getting them out of danger?  Whatever,  Survival of the fittest will probably take care of that family sooner or later.

The Spy Who Love Me Theme

While “the spy who loved me” was written into the song, “Nobody Does It Better” was the first James Bond theme with lyrics to not have the same title as the film it was paired with.  “Nobody Does It Better” was composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager and performed by Carly Simon.

 

 

“Nobody Does It Better” became a great success spending three weeks at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reaching the top spot on the Easy Listening chart.  It reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart.  It has since landed on several publications’ lists as one of the best Bond themes of all time.  Numerous cover versions have been recorded over the years and the single has also been featured in other films, including Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Lost in Translation, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

 

Receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, but lost out to “You Light Up My Life.”  In 2004, the American Film Institute included “Nobody Does It Better” at 67 on its 100 Years … 100 Songs list, which catalogued the greatest songs from film of all time.

Marvin Hamlisch, born June 2, 1944, and died August 6, 2012, was an American composer and conductor who was child prodigy, who at the age of 5 began mimicking piano music he heard on the radio.  A few months before his seventh birthday, Hamlisch was accepted into what would is now the Julliard School Pre-College Division.

 

Hamlisch is one of the 12 people to ever win the EGOT, which is an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.  He is one of only two people, the other being Richard Rogers, to win the EGOT and a Pulitzer Prize.  He is also one of only 10 people to win three or more Oscars in one night and the only one other than a director or screenwriter to do so.  In total, Hamlisch won two Golden Globes, four Emmys, three Oscars, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Awards.  He was also inducted into the Long Island Music and American Theatre halls of fame in 2008.

 

Hamlisch began his musical career as a rehearsal pianist for Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand and was hired to play piano at parties for producer Sam Spiegel.  Early film scores included working with Woody Allen on Take the Money and Run and Bananas.  With a few chart hits in the 1960s, Hamlisch really hit it big in the 1970s after adapting Scott Joplin’s ragtime music for the Paul Newman, Robert Redford Academy Award winning Best Picture The Sting.  Hamlisch’s score included the theme song “The Entertainer,” which hit number one on the Billboards Adult Contemporary chart and number three on the Hot 100.

 

Along with The Sting and The Spy Who Loved Me, other successful film scores included the Academy Award winning The Way We Were, which beat out Paul McCartney and Wings Bond theme song “Live and Let Die,” Ordinary People, Sophie’s Choice, A Chorus Line, Three Men and a Baby, The Informant, and the HBO film Behind the Candelabra.

 

His stage work included playing piano for Groucho Marx in 1972, the 1975 Broadway musical A Chorus Line, for which he won his Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, and the 1978 musical They’re Playing Our Song, which was loosely based on his relationship with “Nobody Does It Better” lyricist Carole Bayer Sager.

 

Hamlisch was Musical Director and arranger of Barbra Streisand’s 1994 concert tour of the United States and England, as well as of the television special, Barbra Streisand: The Concert, resulting in two Emmy wins.  He also conducted several tours of Linda Ronstadt.  He held the position of Principal Pops Conductor for several orchestras, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Seattle Symphony.  At the time of his death he was preparing to lead the Philadelphia Orchestra.

 

Hamlisch married Terre Blair, a weather and news anchor in Columbus, Ohio, in 1989 and the two remained married until his death.

Carole Bayer Sager (pictured with Hamlisch) is an American lyricist, singer, songwriter, and painter, who was born March 8, 1947.  While still a student at the New York City High School of Music and Art, she wrote “A Groovy Kind of Love” with Toni Wine, which was recorded by the Mindbenders and hit number two on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 chart.  The song was later recorded by Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, and Phil Collins.

 

Sager wrote many of her 1980s songs with her former husband, composer Burt Bacharach.  She won an Academy Award, Grammy, two Golden Globes, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for her contributions to music.  Her songwriting has been recorded by a variety of artists that includes Bette Midler, Dolly Parton, the Doobie Brothers, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Rod Stewart, Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, and Michael Jackson.

 

Her relationships include a marriage to record-producer Andrew Sager in 1970, but the two were divorced eight years later, a romantic affiliation that never resulted in marriage with Hamlisch, marriage to Bacharach in 1982.  The two adopted a son in 1985, but were divorced in 1991.  Since 1996, Sager has been married to former Warner Brothers chairman and Dodgers CEO Robert Daly.

 

Carly Elisabeth Simon, born June 25, 1945, became famous after recording a string of hit records in the 1970s, but since then she has become a successful children’s author as well.  She started as part of a sister act in the Simon Sisters throughout the 1960s, reaching mild success.  However, after her sister went off to get married and start a family, Simon signed with Elektra Records in 1970.

 

Her self-titled debut solo album won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artists, but it was her album No Secrets in 1972 that made her an international star.  The record sat at number one for five weeks on the Billboard 200.

 

In 1988, Simon became the first artist to win a Grammy, Academy Award, and Golden Globe for a song both written and performed entirely by a single artist, winning with “Let the River Run” from Working Girl.  The only artist to do so since was Bruce Springsteen for “Streets of Philadelphia,” from 1993’s Philadelphia.

 

Throughout Simon’s career, she has had 13 Top 40 U.S. hits, including “You Belong to Me,” “Jesse,” “Mockingbird,” and “You’re So Vain,” 24 Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, and 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles. She has had four gold-certified singles, three gold-certified albums, four platinum-certified albums and The Best of Carly Simon has been certified three times platinum.

 

Simon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004, and awarded the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Founders Award in 2012.  She received the Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement and an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music.

 

Simon had highly publicized relationships with Cat Stevens, Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, and James Taylor, whom she married, throughout her career.  Simon and Taylor had two children, both of whom are now musicians.  She was also engaged, but never wed, to satirist William Donaldson and musician Russ Kunkel.  Simon married poet James Hart in 1987, but the couple divorced in 2007.

Hot Cinema Opinions

A few announcements were made yesterday in regard to some high-profile films that are slated for release in the next few years, and I have what may turn out to be surprising views on said announcements.

 

We will start with the one that doesn’t really do anything for me.  Disney announced the official subtitle of the upcoming J.J. Abrams’ directed Star Wars film.  It is to be called The Force Awakens.  The Internet went crazy yesterday with opinions about the title, with one website going so far as to rank the Star Wars subtitles by greatness.  That seems a little ridiculous, but I love lists, so why not.  It seems like most people are aligning themselves against the subtitle, citing the Force as something that doesn’t nap, but I really don’t think you can judge a film based on its subtitle.  That is just my opinion though.

 

If the release of a subtitle has fans in this much of an uproar, I dread what is going to happen if the teaser trailer doesn’t meet the standards that moviegoers are expecting.  There may be rioting in the streets.  Suicide by light saber will become a thing.  The first trailer is expected to be released in December, probably with the next Hobbit film, and a full-length trailer will likely be linked with the release of The Avengers next year.

 

Next up was the revelation that Pixar would be releasing a fourth installment in the Toy Story franchise.  With such a successful trilogy of films that not only put Pixar on the map, but helped solidify their reputation as one of the greatest animated studios of all time, I’m actually a little disappointed in this news.  While I am a staunch supporter of Pixar and the Toy Story films, the trilogy ended perfectly and closed the chapter on Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang.  I’m sure they could come up with another 10 stories about toys coming to life when humans aren’t around, but releasing another movie in the series just doesn’t seem necessary.  Go out on a high note and only use the characters in TV shorts and Christmas-specials.

 

The final interesting bit was the official synopsis and cast for Quintin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.  The plot sounds like a mashup of Tarantino style and Agatha Christie mystery.  The press release from the Weinstein Company is as follows:

 

In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape.  The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race toward the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice.  Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former Union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a Southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new sheriff.

 

Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren, and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass.  When they arrive at Minnie’s they are greeted not by the proprietor, but by four unfamiliar faces, Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), cowpuncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate general Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern).  As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all.

 

If you know anything about the history of this movie, you will be aware that the original script was leaked online and Tarantino claimed he would never go on to make the film.  There was some lawsuit threats made, but ultimately Tarantino backed down and decided to go ahead with the film anyway, making some changes to the story.

 

I like the sound of this movie and am a fan in general of Tarantino, but I wish Tarantino had actually stuck to his guns and shelved the picture for all time, or at least a decade or so.  The reason I support not making the movie is that I wanted Tarantino to teach the Internet a lesson in civility.  Not everything that is available should be put online.  By not making the picture and denying the public what sounds like an interesting concept for a Western movie, Tarantino could have communicated to the world that it is not okay to make scripts not yet in production available for viewing online.  I know that in the digital world we live in nothing is safe, but I also think we have reached an extremen point in society where every film news article has to start with Spoiler Alert.  It has become quite annoying.

The Man With The Golden Gun Theme

This is the song that started this entire series of blog posts.  After a viewing of The Man with the Golden Gun on a date night with my wife in Dallas, I began wondering how in the world the theme song’s singer got the gig to sing the James Bond theme.  She is among the likes of Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Duran Duran, Aha, Tina Turner, Madonna, and Adele.  However, I knew nothing about the singer.

 

 

John Barry and Don Black returned to compose and write the lyrics to “The Man with the Golden Gun.”  You can find their biographies here and here.

 

The newcomer to the 007 film series to sing the title song was born as Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on November 3, 1948.  She is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who is best known by her stage name, which is simply Lulu.  Gaining international attention with her rendition of the theme song to the film To Sir, With Love in 1967, Lulu went on to become a big star in Europe with the Eurovision Song Contest winning entry “Boom Bang-a-Bang” and the crowd pleasing “Shout,” which was originally recorded by the Isley Brothers but Lulu’s version was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

 

While still a teenager, Lulu was signed to Decca Records and when she was only 15 she recorded her initial version of “Shout.”  She would record the single again in 1986.  The first version peaked at number seven on the UK music charts.  Lulu’s second top ten hit was “Leave a Little Love.”

 

In 1966, Lulu toured Poland with the Hollies, making her the first British female singer to appear behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.  Following two hit singles with the Luvvers, Lulu went on to start a solo career.  After switching record labels, she returned to the UK singles chart with “The Boat That I Row,” a song written by Neil Diamond.  While touring with the Monkees in 1968, Lulu had a brief romance with Davy Jones.

 

Her television and film career began with a starring role in To Sir, With Love.  Her performance of the film’s theme song resulted in a number one hit in the United States.  She had a television series that featured music and comedy, which ran under several titles from 1968 to 1975.

 

Although she had mild musical success in later decades, nothing was quite as popular as her 60s tunes.  She married hairdresser John Frieda in 1977 and had one son, but the couple divorced in 1991.

 

Adopting the name Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, which was her late mother’s birth name before she was adopted by the McDonald family, she received an OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2000.  She released her autobiography in 2002, titled I Don’t Want to Fight.

 

It should be noted as somewhat of a coincidence that while Lulu is the only performer of a James Bond theme song, “The Man with the Golden Gun” is the only Bond title track to not chart as a single in either the US or UK.

 

Alice Cooper has made the claim that his song “The Man with the Golden Gun” was originally to be used by the film’s producers but was then dropped in favor of Lulu’s song.  Cooper later included the track on his album Muscle of Love.  You can listen to it here.

The Live And Let Die Theme

For the first time ever in the James Bond series, John Barry wasn’t involved in composing the score for a 007 movie with the release of 1973’s Live and Let Die.  “Live and Let Die” is the main theme song to Roger Moore’s debut film as the British superspy, written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul’s band, Wings.

 

 

Prior to the script being finished, the Bond producers approached McCartney and requested he write the theme song.  McCartney has stated it took him an afternoon to come up with the song after reading Ian Fleming’s novel.  The former Beatle reteamed with producer George Martin, who produced the song and arranged the orchestral break.

 

While producer Harry Saltzman wanted a different singer to perform “Live and Let Die,” Martin told filmmakers that McCartney would only allow the song to be used in the movie if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits.  Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce the Beatles musical film A Hard Day’s Night, didn’t want to make the same mistake again and accepted McCartney’s offer.

 

At the time of its release, “Live and Let Die” was the most successful Bond song to date, reaching second on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the UK Singles Chart.  It is one of Wings most famous singles.  The song was nominated for a Grammy, as was a cover version by Guns N’ Roses.  McCartney’s original version is also the first Bond song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to the theme song from The Way We Were, which was written by a future Bond composer.

 

A second version of “Live and Let Die” is heard throughout the film, performed by B. J. Arnau.  Arnau’s performance was originally meant to be used with the group, Fifth Dimension.

 

Sir James Paul McCartney … where to begin?  The man, or at this point should he just be referred to as a legend, was born June 18, 1942.  Along with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, McCartney formed the Beatles, one of the most influential bands the world has ever seen.  To his credit, he has 60 gold discs and sales of more than 100 million albums and 100 million singles, both as a Beatle and a solo artist.

 

McCartney’s accolades are too numerous to list, but some highlights include his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he wrote or co-wrote 32 songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, received an MBE, or Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in 1965, and was presented with a knighthood in 1997.

 

Look, if you don’t know who the Beatles are then there is nothing I can do for you.  I don’t have the three weeks it would take to properly provide a sufficient background of Paul McCartney.  Just take my word for it.  He is a really important musician who will go down as one of greatest icons in rock and roll history.  In a couple hundred years, his name will be synonymous with Mozart and Beethoven when people think of great musicians of the past.  He’s kind of a big deal.

 

Linda McCartney (pictured with Paul) was born Linda Louise Eastman on September 24, 1941.  She began her musical career as a photographer for different bands, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Jimmy Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, the Who, the Doors, the Animals, and Neil Young.  Mrs. McCartney is the only person to have a photograph featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone and to have been photographed for the magazine’s front cover herself.

 

Following the breakup of the Beatles, Paul taught Linda to play the keyboard and the duo formed the group Wings.  The group subsequently garnered several Grammy Awards and was one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s.

 

Paul and Linda McCartney had three children together, with Paul adopting a child from Linda’s previous marriage.  Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and died on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona.  She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in Sussex, England.

Sir George Henry Martin, born January 3, 1926, is an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer, and musician, but it is his association with the Beatles that most people recognize.  Martin was extensively involved with all of the Beatles original albums, garnering him the title of the “Fifth Beatle.”

 

Martin graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1950, where he studied piano and oboe.  His career began with the BBC’s classical music department, but he soon joined the record label EMI.  His work with EMI included producing comedy and novelty records, where he worked with Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov.

 

While at EMI, Martin signed the Beatles to a contract that resulted in its four members receiving a single penny to split for each record sold.  Following the band’s first number one hit, “From Me to You,” Martin requested EMI double the royalty rate, which did not sit well with the company.  Although the initial recording session did not go well, Martin liked the band members, which included Pete Best as drummer.

 

Martin went on to collaborate with the band for the duration of their time together, writing many orchestral arrangements and instrumental work.  He also arranged the score for the Beatles’ film, Yellow Submarine.  He also remixed music for the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, Love.

 

Other artists Martin has worked with include Bond theme singer Matt Monro, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick, Elton John, Celine Dion, and Pete Townshend.

 

Martin has worked in music, film, television, and live performance for six decades.  He produced 30 number one hit songs in the United Kingdom and 23 number one hits in the U.S., as well as having produced number one records in four consecutive decades (1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s).  In 1996, Martin was made a Knight Bachelor, which is the lowest form of knighthood.

 

Award nominations and wins range from the Academy Awards and Grammys to the BRIT Awards.  He has received Honorary Doctorates in Music from Berklee College of Music and Leeds Beckett University and an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Oxford, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Academy, and was awarded with the James Joyce Award by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin.