2022 marks 60 Years of one of the greatest franchises and longest-running series in Hollywood history, James Bond.
We currently know a calendar is to be released and a third Anthony Horowitz book will be coming out to celebrate the diamond anniversary.
I’ll probably write more but will get new details about IO Interactive’s Project 007, maybe at E3 with a title, cast announcement, footage and release date.
Plus No Time To Die home entertainment release and will mark the year EoN move house from MGM to Amazon.
The one thing I’d love to see as a music fan is a covers album of all the Bond themes similar to David Arnold’s Shaken & Stirred. These would be the artists and bands I’d be looking at a vibe along the lines of Punk Goes Pop, where rock/punk bands/artists cover popular current pop songs.
Without further ado, here are my choices for the 25 Bond themes, and again these are my choices, but it’s a bit of fun.
Zac Brown Band – Live and Let Die
Many will say, “who the fuck is Zac Brown Band?” and when they see they’re a country band, they will raise an eyebrow, but hear me out.
I first heard of them while watching Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways docu-series and been hooked since.
What makes them different and perfect for this song because both lean towards the rock genre and would love to hear a bit of country in a Bond song especially adding the history of Johnny Cash recording a demo for Thunderball.
To give a vibe of Zac Brown Band and their rock background with this song Heavy Is The Head featuring former Bond theme alum Chris Cornell. This song could be a Bond theme.
Olivia Rodrigo – You Know My Name
Speaking of Chris Cornell, You Know My Name is a top tier Bond song for the best film in the series Casino Royale.
There’s no one as current, popular and incredibly talented as Olivia Rodrigo to cover a highly regarded song within the Bond fandom and get the general public to listen to the song/album.
If you’ve heard any current live performance from either The Brits, SNL or her Prom show, there’s no denying her talent, and you’ve listened to singles Brutal or Good 4 U, then know she can easily handle the praise and would bring an under-current of pop-punk to the song.
Miley Cyrus – Diamonds Are Forever
There’s no debate. Miley Cyrus is an incredible singer and the only one I’d trust to handle Shirley Bassey’s high notes in this song.
Additionally, Cyrus has developed as a performer to the point she is easily this generation Stevie Nicks. I wouldn’t be surprised in the next decade she’ll be in the discussion for a Bond theme, this would be the perfect opportunity.
Jorja Smith – From Russia With Love
From Russia From Love doesn’t have a theme during the opening credits, but Matt Monro’s song of the same name is usually the first thing you think of when discussing Bond themes.
It’s easy to see why Monro sings beautifully, and when I hear Smith, I think the same thing. I think she would bring something new to the song because her vocals combine well with the lyrics.
Similar to Cyrus, this would be an excellent chance for her to get her own theme, as she’s said in interviews to have written a song.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Under The Mango Tree
Similar to From Russia With Love, Dr. No doesn’t have a Bond song. It’s just the iconic Bond theme plays leading into Three Blind Mice, but it’s seen Under The Mango Tree as the defacto song.
It’s hard to think of someone to perform because it’s a simple song, but someone would have fun, and this is why I chose Sophie Ellis-Bextor because she did a beautiful cover of Nobody Does It Better and injecting some 2000s British pop will break things up from the ballads.
Will Young – We Have All The Time In The World
Inserting another piece of 2000s British pop in the form of Will Young singing the final unofficial Bond song with Louis Armstrong’s We Have All The Time In The World from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Young will be able to deliver the soulfulness of the original Armstrong track but make it his own as he did with Light My Fire by The Doors.
A Day To Remember – Licence To Kill
Musically 1989’s Licence To Kill is in my top five favourite songs. It has a fantastic theme sung by Gladys Knight and an end credits song of Patti Labelle’s If You Asked Me To, which should’ve been a theme on its own.
I chose the rock band A Day To Remember to cover this song because they’d kill the instrumental elements, making it slightly heavier. Jeremy McKinnon would do a similarly excellent job as the powerful Knight.
Blackpink – Another Way To Die
It’s easily racked as the joint-worst Bond theme, and it’s a shame because both Jack White and Alicia Keys are outstanding artists. I mean give Keys her own theme; she’d easily win an Oscar. But this doesn’t mesh well and it’s just noise for the most part with her singing with the guitar being ear grating.
So why not change it entirely and give it to Blackpink, the biggest girl band in the world, and give it some K-Pop vibes and be a full Blackpink epic pop song.
Madison Beer & Jax Jones – Die Another Day
I actively hate this song. It’s an active representation of the film because I hate the movie as much, apart from the two Bond girls and the sword fight.
So to find someone to perform this cover and be better won’t be hard because Madonna makes me want to punish my own face.
So I do feel sorry for whoever gets this turd but is offered a chance to change and improve things. I’d somewhat keep it in the world of dance music and get Madison Beer, with her fantastic voice and Jax Jones create so sort of polish.
Halsey – All Time High
It’s one of the most forgettable Bond songs (not compared to the Brosnan’s) but is a lovely little ballad by Rita Coolidge. Listening to it, I can hear it change into a country song or have undercurrents of the genre.
I wanted a versatile voice to cover and make it a bit more punchy, so that’s why I’m going with Halsey because her talent can lead to any genre of song.
Panic! At The Disco – Moonraker
It was more of Bassey’s melancholy Bond songs compared to her iconic big band ballads of Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever.
However, Brendon Urie would be able to deliver something unique and the fact this isn’t a big pressure song to sing to match Bassey’s vocals will give Panic! The chance to make it his own.
Michael Buble – Goldfinger
This is the daddy of all Bond songs and the first one people will think of when Bond themes are mentioned. I don’t think any artist could attempt to match prime Shirley Bassey.
Don’t get me wrong, Lara Del Ray and Dua Lipa did pop in my mind. Still, I wanted something different but equally powerful with a big band, and Michael Buble would be the person I’d turn to just because I can imagine the Rat Pack singing it back in the day and doing the song justice.
Hayley Williams/ Paramore – You Only Live Twice
The instrumental for You Only Live Twice is my favourite of the whole series and should be used as the James Bond theme alongside the 007 theme.
Even though they wanted her dad, Nancy Sinatra does a good job with the song itself, and the vocals and beat of the music would suit Williams/Paramore perfectly.
Either solo or with Paramore, Hayley Williams has nothing to prove when it comes to her incredible vocals and in the past proven she can perform slower ballads with the likes of The Only Exception.
Foo Fighters – Nobody Does It Better
This is an exciting mix because Dave Grohl’s catalogue is all loud, drum/guitar rock, but Foo Fighters have been my top choice to do a Bond song for years and covering Carly Simon would shock everyone.
It’s easily one of the most iconic Bond songs and helped the franchise as it’s the perfect song to describe the character.
For these reasons, you need the biggest rock band to cover it as the song while a ballad it’s an upbeat rock song, and if you had an orchestra alongside, I truly believe it’d be the best cover of the whole album.
Madison Beer – The Man With The Golden Gun
The campiest of all the Bond themes and was ideal for the high energy 70s, and Lulu does a great job of getting the title stuck in your head.
Because it’s probably one of the funniest songs to sings, I can see artists, and honestly, I feel so bad for lumping Die Another Day at her feet that Madison Beer deserves a second chance to do a Bond song.
PVRIS – Tomorrow Never Dies
I can openly admit I forgot this was the Bond theme and Sheryl Crow sang it. It’s not her fault, but again I forgot the theme by the end of the film.
I think that’s a bad thing because while I hate Another Way To Die & Die Another Day, I react to it compared to them.
PVRIS is a band I happily came across flicking through the music channels one day and been hooked since and can see Lynn Gunn’s voice doing a decent job, and the band themselves create something new.
Don Broco – The World Is Not Enough
Again this was another song I forgot about, and that Garbage performed it. But on its own, it’s a decent song and probably compete with Tina Turner’s Goldeneye for the best theme during Brosnan’s era.
I chose Bedford’s Don Broco because they’re my favourite UK rock band, and they have this nack of belting out top draw anthems in their own right, and Rob Damiani vocals with Matt Donnelly’s backing would breathe new life to this song that would rip live.
Chvrches – Writing’s On The Wall
I know people wanted Radiohead, but I can’t stand Radiohead, so I’m glad the Bond producers picked Sam Smith.
When this song was released, I liked it and felt like I should keep that to myself and pretend to hate it, but Smith does a cracking job and, in my eyes, deserved the Oscar.
I love the instrumental throughout the song and the lyrics fit the film of Daniel Craig’s Bond being a broken man from his previous outings.
I wanted this band to get involved, and this song fits ideally to Chvrches and can see Lauren Mayberry crushing it to the point it would open the door to perform their own theme.
Dua Lipa – Skyfall
Skyfall is easily the best Bond theme to come out since Nobody Does It Better, it’ll be synonymous with the Craig era forever, and Adele will perform it probably the rest of her career.
Similar to Writing’s On The Wall, I liked the song the moment it was released.
Much like Shirley Bassey, this song needs a top draw artist, and Lipa is just that. It’s only a matter of time before she performs a Bond theme, as I thought she might’ve secured No Time To Die and would love it to be a straight battle between the pop princess and the Foos for Bond 26.
Blink 182 – The Living Daylights
This is a lower-tier/bottom three Bond song for me, and it was the final Bond John Berry composed because he had such creative issues with A-ha.
The expectation will below, but the song fits the 80s. I could see it working in the pop-punk genre. So why not get the kings of pop-punk in Blink 182 and give it a faster typo with Travis Bakers drumming.
Bring Me The Horizon – Goldeneye
Arguably the best Bond song in the Brosnan era, giving Tina Turner her Shirley Bassey moment with the song written by U2’s Bono and The Edge, and it’s a killer song.
It’s pretty tricky to find someone like the covers for Bassey and Adele because it’s such a big band song. So why not go utterly leftfield from that song and hand it to Bring Me The Horizon turning it into a kick-arse rock song and make it slightly screamo.
Sigrid – For Your Eyes Only
Another song attached to the Moore era and used for montages and Sheena Easton did a lovely job. I love the theme, it’s defiantly a top 10 theme.
Norwegian Sigrid would do a terrific job with her cover of Everybody Knows for the theatrical cut of Justice League as proof and would’ve loved to heard it during the Snyder Cut.
Josh Groban – Thunderball
It’s a song that followed the Goldfinger mould with getting Tom Jones belting out a big orchestral number, and I feel this album just needed another bloke who could handle the big band stuff and be a little throwback.
The only other person who could do so is Josh Groban, and his opera background will help with the big ending.
Taylor Swift – A View To A Kill
Easily in my top three Bond songs as it works simply as a Duran Duran song and a great 80s pop song and be a great pop song today. This is why getting Taylor Swift would be a superb choice.
I think she’d make it slightly harder, bringing a rock/folk vibe.
You Me At Six – No Time To Die
I will admit this latest Bond theme had to grow on me, but I think it’ll work when it plays over the opening credits, but I do like it.
So I wanted to change things up for this song and looked into covers on YouTube; the rock ones obviously perked my interest. Then I was thinking who would cover it from Willow Smith (seriously, she’s coming through as a rock star), Marmozets, but I landed on You Me At Six.
This is down to this cover and while the screamo sections don’t work for me. The overall sound does and it sounds incredibly similar to YMAS.
So what do you think of this rundown? I’m sure it’s not to everyone’s style or what they want from a Bond theme, but if I’ve introduced you to some new people, then that’s a good job done.
However, I do feel like I’ve missed something. So please let me know if I have.
The Bear Cave 