The Hits, Misses & Ones That Got Away: A Look Back At 'James Bond' Theme Songs

FYI - We've limited each category below to five songs each, which means some of your favourites may not be here. Rest assured, there's a handy playlist here that features the official theme songs from all your favourite 007 films to re-live every brassy Bond moment.

007 THEME SONGS - HITS

A 'good' James Bond song needs to complement and extend the charm and charisma of its leading character. And while many, many Bond themes have hit the mark throughout the extensive film series, below are five standouts that thrilled.

Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger

All hail the queen of James Bond themes, aka Shirley Bassey. While Bassey has numerous Bond themes under her belt, including Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker, her iconic performance of Goldfinger for the titular 1964 Bond film nabbed her a Billboard Top 40 hit. While the first James Bond movie may have been 1962's Dr No, it was with Goldfinger that the true Bond theme as we know today was truly born.

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Tina Turner - GoldenEye

A song crafted by U2's Bono and The Edge, Tina Turner's 1995 Bond theme GoldenEye signalled at a significant return to form since 1989's Licence To Kill. And with six years between films prior to GoldenEye's release - while also marking the first to star the dapper Pierce Brosnan - Turner's powerhouse vocals and the bombastic yet complementary instrumentals cement this track as the stuff of theme song legends. Tina Turner has a licence to sonically kill and thrill.

Garbage - The World Is Not Enough

The late '90s marked a stark difference in every aspect of pop culture to the Swinging Sixties when the James Bond film franchise first kicked off. And while American rockers Garbage were seemingly not an obvious choice to take on theme song duties for the spy series, their outing on The World Is Not Enough in 1999 perfectly captured the essence of the surrounding era. All the glamour of Bond with the hypnotic swagger of Garbage - what more could you want!

Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice

Back to the '60s again here, and more specifically Nancy Sinatra's Bond moment with You Only Live Twice. With its moody swoon and psychedelic hues, Sinatra was riding high off her recent smash hit These Boots Are Made For Walkin' when Bond producers went looking for a voice for this Sean Connery-led flick. Previous names floated for the track included Sinatra's father Frank Sinatra as well as Aretha Franklin; but Sinatra's popularity walked all over the competition, with the track also eventually becoming one of the most recognised in her repertoire.

Adele - Skyfall

On the 50th anniversary of the release of the first ever Bond film, aka Dr No, back in 2012, the hotly anticipated theme song for the impending Skyfall film was officially unveiled to the world, with Adele's show-stopper of the same name throwing some serious muscle into proceedings. While the subject matter may not be the typical Adele fare (spoiler alert: she's singing predominantly about a mansion), Adele's thunderous vocals and pathos saw her scoop up an Oscar and bring a bit of old-school Hollywood back to the Bond theme world.

007 THEME SONGS - MISSES

Each time a new Bond film is released, there's generally years in the lead-up for fans to speculate who the new bad guy will be, whether there's the potential for a new Bond or Bond girl in the mix and, inevitably, who will take on the theme song. While many, on paper, seemed to fit the bill perfectly for the British spy cinematic universe, not all were home runs, as the list below highlights...

Sam Smith - Writing's On The Wall

Like Adele's monster hit with the Skyfall theme song, Sam Smith's 2015 Bond tune Writing's On The Wall for the film Spectre scored an Oscar at the 88th Academy Awards. But where Adele's track struck a colourful chord between emotive and theatricality that a Bond theme seemingly demands, Smith's outing was a touch more nondescript, and a bit of a let down for many fans (especially after fans learned Radiohead also had their hat in the ring for Spectre. More on that later).

Sheryl Crow - Tomorrow Never Dies

There is inherently nothing overly wrong with Sheryl Crow's 1997 Bond theme Tomorrow Never Dies in theory. As others have proven along the way, unlikely artists can take and make a Bond theme their own, but for some reason Crow just couldn't ignite any spy-adjacent fire for Pierce Brosnan's second Bond romp. Maybe it was the saturating '90s apathy dripping throughout the track, maybe it was the fact it didn't sound quite like a Sheryl Crow track. Either way, Crow can do better.

Lulu - The Man With The Golden Gun

Following 1973's Live & Let Die which featured the Paul McCartney and Wings track of the same name, 1974's Roger Moore Bond adventure The Man With The Golden Gun tapped Scottish pop sensation Lulu for theme song duties. While the trademark horns are there and Lulu is undeniably a phenomenal vocalist, the track feels somewhat like a parody of itself, and the overall structure of the song is, at times, perplexing. The track does, however, claim the bragging right as having the raunchiest performance of all Bond songs; and considering the raunchy undertones of most Bond films, that's saying something.

Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die

Teaming up two exciting artists like Jack White and Alicia Keys should have meant a total knockout James Bond theme for Daniel Craig's second outing on 2008's Quantum Of Solace. The combination of gothic pizzazz and soul boded for a truly fresh and unique take on the classic Bond sonic tropes; but the duet, the first of its kind in Bond history, fell flat for fans, despite finding some chart success, and it ultimately remains as a somewhat awkward entry into the 007 universe.

Madonna - Die Another Day

Many artists have taken on the Bond song and defied expectations and conventions, including Garbage listed earlier in this article. And while taking sonic risks is generally something an artist like Madonna has become insatiably revered for, her dance-infused theme for 2002's Die Another Day was a case of style over substance and, for many, far removed from a James Bond theme. We're certainly not against artists trying new things, but the jarring robotic jolts and lack of chorus leaves Madge's Bond outing with a fair bit to be desired.

007 THEME SONGS - LICENCE DENIED

Johnny Cash on a James Bond soundtrack? There was once a moment where we nearly lived in a universe where that was a case. Sometimes some truly iconic artists have had a crack at the 007 theme, only to be rejected and/or completely removing themselves from proceedings. Below are just a few that sit in the 'what might have been' category.

Radiohead - Spectre

Back in 2015, the rumours that English alt rockers Radiohead had been asked to record a Bond theme for the upcoming 2015 Daniel Craig-helmed Spectre were confirmed after the band revealed the audio of their rejected track Spectre on Christmas Day that same year. Interrupting work on their then-upcoming ninth studio album A Moon Shaped Pool, the track was inevitably knocked back for allegedly being "too melancholy" - which makes us query who commissioned them in the first place, given their prolific penchant for moodier sonic territory. Still, at least we got to hear the track, and it was certainly a merry Christmas in 2015 for Radiohead fans.

What We Got Instead: Sam Smith - Writing's On The Wall

Ace Of Base - GoldenEye

All that she wants is a James Bond theme; back in 1995, Ace Of Base were riding high on a wave of international infamy, thanks to their smash hit All That She Wants. When Bond producers came a'knockin' for the group to take on the GoldenEye title track, the story goes that their American label Arista squashed the notion, perceiving the band to be much bigger than the Bond franchise (particularly since there had been a then-six year hiatus since the previous Bond film release). While we may not have seen any sprawling opening credits featuring Ace Of Base, the band did end up releasing the track in 2002, rebranded as The Juvenile.

What We Got Instead: Tina Turner - GoldenEye

Pet Shop Boys - The Living Daylights

Technically, the Pet Shop Boys' James Bond song was never actually finished, with the synth-poppers submitting several instrumental pieces for the first Timothy Dalton Bond flick The Living Daylights. Demoing was as far as the duo got, with unconfirmed rumours that the group departed the project after not being able to secure providing a complete soundtrack for the film. Whatever the ultimate reason, the demos proved to showcase a mix of upbeat and slightly darker sonic territories, with one of the demos going on to become the pair's 1990 track This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave.

What We Got Instead: A'ha - The Living Daylights

Johnny Cash - Thunderball

It's hard to imagine the 1956 Bond film Thunderball without the suave tones of Tom Jones prowling throughout the opening credits. But that was very nearly the case, with Jones actually acting as a last-minute addition to the film's theme song after country legend Johnny Cash departed the project. While Cash's track is undeniably a fun and entirely trademark endeavour from The Man In Black, Jones' version is quite obviously far more in keeping with the Connery-led Bond era, as opposed to the Western flavours dished up on Cash's alternative.

What We Got Instead: Tom Jones - Thunderball

Blondie - For Your Eyes Only

Like Ace Of Base and other acts approached at the height of their fame to join Team Bond, American pioneers Blondie were tasting the height of fame when the director of 1981's For Your Eyes Only approached them to take on the theme song. While it was undeniable why the group were courted for the honour given their soaring fame at the time, the group eventually backed out when singer Debbie Harry cottoned on to the fact that the film producers were really only after them to utilise Harry and not entertain any significant input from the actual band. The track did see the light of day though, popping up on the group's 1982 album The Hunter.