I'm not sure that it really evokes the theme and spirit of a film about a man who visits an amateur dentist who reveals that he has been setting up an increasingly intricate series of worldwide criminal conspiracies all for the purpose of... revealing that he is a bit jealous his foster-brother was better at skiing when they were 14 - whilst the foster-brother sits there awkwardly wondering who on earth this weirdo is, why he has a cat, and why he took up dentistry as a hobby. The theme from Monty Python would have suited better! :-)
They weren’t allowed to use it because Radiohead performed it once, when they weren’t supposed to because the movie wasn’t released so they had to choose a different one
@@MC-pb2ph I think you might be referring to "Man Of War", which was written during the sessions Radiohead did recording The Bends. Eon rejected it because it wasn't written specifically for the film (largely because that would disqualify it for a 'Best Original Song' nomination). So Radiohead asked for another chance and actually took time off recording "A Moon Shaped Pool" to make "Spectre". Eon ultimately rejected it because Eon thought it was too melancholy - though Barbara Broccoli claims it arrived too late and didn't fit the title sequence.
Yeah it would have been so epic. Sure they maybe wanted something more modern but I still don't understand why they chose that horrible, lazy song over her. It's like they couldn't find any good song for the film and chose the last minute. Anything would have been better.
@@teijaflink2226 - one story I heard was that Amy Winehouse was scheduled to sing the theme, but died just before recording. So they went for 'option 2'.
That Radiohead Spectre theme is a revelation! It would have improved the viewing experience of the film. At different moments the Craig Era became too melancholy, but the theme of ghosts haunting Bond and Blofeld would have been so good!
I am a huge Radiohead fan and that recording is unbelievable!! A little too dark for opening credits - while I think that recording they made is great, I prefer Adele’s theme.
Fun fact, Swan Lee contributed their 'Tomorrow Never Dies' theme to be used by IO Interactive in the video game Hitman: Blood Money. Was use as the end credits theme.
Is it just me or is the main drumbeat "When the Levee Breaks?" It could be another drummer using the same beat, but making the vibration of the drums slow down would be quite a trick.
I'm honestly still bitter about KD Lang's Surrender being demoted to the end credits; they did her dirty. The song felt like a classic 60's Bond theme, but modernized really well.
Apparently they only wanted the singer Deborah to sing the theme,and she refused to do it without the band so they went for another singer and theme altogether.
@@EnglishDanReviews Great choice of song, Absolutely agree. I also was thinking “Take a Chance on Me” sounds very Bond-like, although the lyrics may have to be tweaked somewhat.
I agree. My favorite song is "Love is the Drug" but I doubt that would have made a good Bond song, however given other James Bond songs, you never can tell. Hahahaha
"No Good About Goodbye" is the best song never used for a James Bond theme - absolute travesty it wasn't when the actual theme is so appallingly bad. You can even hear snippets of Shirley Bassey's song in the film!
The lyrics Bassey wrote also fit the theme of Quantum of Solace better than the lyrics of Another Way to Die. In case you've forgotten, the emotional setup for QoS is of Craig's Bond seeking retribution for the death of Vesper, the woman he fell in love with in Casino Royale who was blackmailed into betraying him, in order to fill the void he feels after losing her, and I think the lyrics of the intro song for the movie ought to reflect the depressed loneliness with a strong hint of bitterness - all from the perspective of Bond. And that's exactly what the lyrics for "No Good About Goodbye" do. The lyrics for Another Way to Die are about what many Bond songs lament over - an unreliable yet charming daredevil casanova who finds more pleasure in killing his enemies than engaging with his lover, which could be appreciated, but doesn't really fit with the movie's emotional themes, but I guess since White and Keys were going for something intense as they combined their strengths in garage rock and R&B (I think the genres blend as poorly as it sounds they would on paper itself), they didn't want to write about the wishy washy themes of loneliness. Fine. Then at least write the lyrics about vengeance, even if QoS may not feel serviceable as a personal vendetta story. edit: in conclusion, Quantum of Solace is quite a different Bond movie, and the lyrics for it's intro song deserve to treat it as such.
long story short...shirley bassey recorded 'mr. kiss kiss bang bang'...they got dionne warwick to also come in and record it, prompting bassey to sue...the studio eventually decided to use neither one....
The Pet Shop Boys theme would have actually been a really catchy and memorable Bond intro. When you listen to the instrumental version it sounds ideally suited for an exciting opening sequence. The producers liked their song, too. However, Neil and Chris wanted to write the score for the entire Bond film, not just the theme. That was something the producers were not prepared to allow, and the Boys were not prepared to settle for less, so that's why they got fired. It all worked out in the end, though. Neil and Chris just kept the basic orchestration and simply added new lyrics, turning the music from a potential Bond theme into one that focused on Neil's unhappy time at boarding school, thus the title "This Must Be the Place I've Waited Years to Leave".
The Shirley Bassey one was actually recorded for her acclaimed album The Performance which, it was arranged and produced by David Arnold who has been involved with several Bond soundtracks
It sounds like something that the Whose Line is it Anyway Cast would have come up with for a singing game. "Do a James Bond theme in the style of Johnny Cash"
The title “Tomorrow Never Lies” makes more sense for the movie because of Carver’s master plot of telling the news before it happens. However the song Tomorrow Never Lies has my ears bleeding xp
@@garfieldsmith332 It was actually a fax artifact. Danjaq/Eon faxed "Tomorrow Never Lies" to MGM, but somehow it came out of MGM's fax machine as "Tomorrow Never Dies"; MGM approved it, and the producers decided to go with it rather than tell MGM that wasn't the title they wanted. (Edit: "Tomorrow Never Lies" does indeed fit the plot better; it was intended to be the motto of Jonathan Pryce's paper "Tomorrow".)
I wholeheartedly agree. And I'm not even an Alice Cooper fan. But then again, "Baby Shark" sung in belches and armpit farts would also have been better. (However, the coda that starts, "His eye may be on you or me..." was actually really good. The rest was pure cringe, and I felt that way as a kid when it came out.)
One song that I'm mad they never used for a Bond theme is Supremacy by my favorite band, Muse It screams James Bond Theme and the song is fire, you should listen that out!
I'm not sure a song about watching porn in hotel rooms is Bond theme stuff! Musically though, yeah, you've definitely got a point. It's a wonderful song on a cruelly disparaged album, an album that I love dearly. Mind you, I think U2's Pop is pretty great too so my opinion is probably best ignored.
The Man with the Golden Gun rejected theme is fantastic. They should have used it. It was ahead of its time. It fits perfectly with the theme that was used for Quantum of Solace.
@@patriceesela5000 need a new bond movie that has the same syllable count as "the world is not enough" so we can re purpose this song for a proper movie.
I agree. I listened to it for the first time, and I really like it! The lyrics are perfect, too. I read that the reason it was rejected was because it was considered ''too dark". That's a cop out!
edit: TL;DR: To agree with Mattchester, while I strongly believe that while Radiohead's distinguished Bond intro theme doesn't deserve to be the intro for Spectre, it would have been the perfect setup for Bond's emotional headspace in the beginning of Quantum of Solace. Long reply: While I do think Radiohead's Spectre is the superior song to Writing's On The Wall, in the context of a contemporary Bond theme, I agree with Mattchester, because I believe it might be a bit too ahead of its time. I personally think if you slightly change the lyrics to play on the words in the title of Quantum of Solace instead of Spectre, Radiohead's Spectre's distinct nature would have fit in a Bond movie that was trying to be just as uniquely candid and dark as it's intro theme, like Quantum of Solace. I don't want to get bogged down in the music theory or lyrical poetry, but Radiohead's Spectre could be interpretted to describe an emotional void after being both betrayed by and secluded from a loved one, which is exactly how Craig's Bond feels at the end of Casino Royale and supposedly the majority of Quantum of Solace (although the movie is so mediocrely made it's not really obvious outside of Craig's honest attempt at expressing it - which does carry the movie for me, but good acting can't surpass mediocre production).
Apparently, another theory about 'Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' not being used is because of the threat of legal action from original singer Shirley Bassey after she got wind of EON's decision to replace her with Warwick.
I can enjoy with all the selected Bond except “Writing’s on the Wall”. It’s not even a bad song it’s just that Radiohead’s “Spectre” was so great. It baffles me how Sam Smith’s song was chosen instead.
Radiohead arguably had their heyday 15/20 years prior to Spectre, and Sam Smith was a current, big selling, artist at the time, who was getting a lot of airtime on radio and music video channels. Seems like there’s more to the choice of song than musical merit - especially as airtime for the song is a good marketing push for the film. Not that I personally mind Sam Smith’s song. Though I am in two minds as to whether it’s really all that suitable for a Bond theme. It definitely doesn’t fit the usual mould.
John McGrady, Their heyday was 15/20 years prior to Spectre? Really? Even if that assertion isn't factually incorrect, the song they produced should be the only consideration, which in comparison with Smith's commercial piffle, is leagues ahead. Aside from which, by your reasoning, no entry from an individual artist (or band) that's basically an unknown one to any kind of sizable audience, should ever have a shot. Is that what your proposing, as well?
@@mitchellmelkin4078 it’s not what I’m proposing. It does seem to be the commercial reality for Eon though, whose purpose is to make money. What/who is “of the moment” and more likely to shift copies and effectively market the film seems to be given a lot of weight when Eon decide on a title song. I would make very different decisions to Eon, but I’m not in charge. They’ve been making decisions like this for 60 years now, and seem to be doing alright though - so what do i know?
@@mitchellmelkin4078 Radiohead's commercial peak was surely late 90s/early 00s, although they remain very popular now, so from a commercial point of view it makes sense to pass them over for Sam Smith. And their purple period ended in 2007, for my money. Other than this magnificent song, I don't think much of anything they've done since In Rainbows.
I had NO idea that Red Flag had contributed a James Bond Theme for consideration - and it sounded great. That is just too cool. I loved their Naive Art album.... so good. And "Sleep With Me Tonight" by Sandra is FAR from her best work. It's good, but she has so many other great tunes. Really enjoyed this vid!
I can totally understand why none of these songs were included, with the exception of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which is a great song, but I still like Thunderball as a title song..and anything Shirley Bassey sings, is well enough appropriate for ANY Bond theme
Amy Winehouse was supposed to do QOS. But because she fell off the wagon, they moved on to JW and AK. The Shirley Bassey theme was written after the fact by David Arnold as a nod.
Not exactly. David Arnold wrote the song before Winehouse died. He often did, recording his version and then using the more popular version. He did it for “Tomorrow Never Dies” with k.d. Lang’s “Surrender” He did it with “The World Is Not Enough” with Scott Walker’s “Only Myself To Blame” When Winehouse was clearly not going to happen it was too late to substitute Bassey’s song because they already committed to putting it on her Solo album coming out the next year. It’s said Winehouse DID complete the song but her producer kept it under wraps for one reason or another. Jack white and Alicia keys were probably the latest song to be added to a movie (Thunderball also was done pretty late)
The Daniel Craig themes have all been dire in my view. Sandra - super talented singer. Going back further, K.D. Lang should absolutely have been the official theme for Tomorrow Never Dies. Stunning.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Supremacy by Muse. This is the most James Bond sounding song that I've ever heard. It's big, it's dramatic and clearly Muse were big James Bond fans. It was submitted as a potential song for Skyfall.
It was completely unofficial. Supremacy was recorded after Casino Royale. Matt wished they would want it for Quantum of Solace. By the time Skyfall was in the works, the song was outdated.
@@eTORtaCHito It was actually recorded after QoS too. Concretely at the time when Skyfall was made. The drummer actually declared they want Supremacy for the Skyfall theme song
“The World is Not Enough” by Garbage has to be possibly the most Bond sounding song in the more “modern” Bond movies. Top tier That said, Swan Lee’s “Tomorrow Never Dies” is just one of those melting swooning ballads you run into and hear every once in a while that makes you stop and get lost in the chromatic progressions.
Absolutely, K D and David Arnold were robbed. I hated the Sheryl Crow one at the time. I've grown to quite like it now that I've found an instrumental version, but it's more of a theme for a James Bond rip off film than a real Bond.
I truly believe that K.d. Land’s “Surrender (Tomorrow Never Dies)” should’ve been the true theme song to “Tomorrow Never Dies” instead of it being the outro song.
Great video, here's my top five (shout out pet shop boys) 5. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Dionne Warwick 4. The World Is Not Enough - Straw 3. The Man With the Golden Gun - Alice Cooper 2. Spectre - Radiohead 1. Quantum of Solace - Shirley Bassey The Sandra song is a vibe, would’ve been nice in the credits maybe.
The Pet Shop Boys song you included ('This must be the place I waited years to leave') is what their original 'Bond theme' turned into, released as a track on their 1990 album 'Behaviour'. The original that was considered for Bond was a similar sounding demo with no lyrics. I could be wrong, but I don't think it was ever submitted to have ever been rejected either.
Have to say the Eva Almer one is my fave, totally nails the bond style. Don't know why it wasn't used, can only think that it was too typical bond in the old Shirley Bassey style when maybe they wanted to direct bond themes into a new direction with more contemporary bands and sound?.
I think it had to come down to Alicia Keys & Jack White being more marketable names. If you go through the Craig era, it seems a bias toward big names at the time is pretty strong. Cornell, Keys/White, Adele, Smith, & Eilish were all at or near the peak of their success when they did their Bond song. It seems the producers just didn’t want to go for lesser known artists and make them niche “Bond songs” instead of fairly mainstream hits you could hear on the radio that also happen to be Bond credit songs. “Forever” is unmistakably attached to a Bond movie (wedging “quantum of solace” into the lyrics, the brief clip of Craig’s dialogue, the throwback Bassey-style), whereas the 5 actual Craig era songs all could double as being another marketable hit from their artists’ albums I agree that “Forever” is a better song (and WAY better Bond song) than “Another Way to Die”, and QoS would be better for it having been the choice (I also think they should’ve extended the intro sequence all the way through to Bond shooting at the screen when he kills the double agent while hanging from the rope and doing another 4th wall gun barrel into the credits like Casino Royale did)
@@YankeeBlues21 Yeah agree, good explanation, makes sense 👍 Afterall you never hear 'the man with the golden gun' on radio 😂 Yet although we don't hear 'Diamomds are forever' much nowadays and although the title itself is a film reference it is a generic enough theme to be radio friendly and is seen as a classic song in it's own right and stands on it's own as a song. Guess as you say big/well known names with songs that go well in radio air time that fit in with the artists usual repetiore. 🙂
I am sure Celine Dion had a song made for No Time To Die. It's called Lovers Never Die on her last album Courage. It's got Bond written all over it. This was a great video never knew about these songs at all.
@Being James Bond, I literally snorted my morning coffee at your 'western' graphic for Thunderball! Johnny Cash's rendition was a poor fit with James Bond, but when those mesas popped up behind the title card, I lost it. Thanks for the laugh!
Well this is cool since I am a huge Saint Etienne fan. The ending of that song has a killer orchestra swell that is unreal. I love how the song also references the theme song from "On Her Majesty's'. That being said..The Swan Lee song is also excellent and I have never heard that one before. So thanks for posting.
I always thought it was just a coincidence about with the title for the Swan Lee song when I heard it during the Dance with the Devil level in the video game Hitman Blood Money. Thought even back then it would have made a good Bond theme.
I love Tina Turner’s Goldeneye. It’s one of my favorites. Sheena Easton’s For Your Eyes Only is so much a part of the movie that it’s as least as well known as the movie, if not more.
...Ace of Bass, like Aqua, had the ability to transcend their musical sphere. I still believe Free Me by Emma Bunton is a Bond song looking for a film!
Swan lee actually won the job, but EON didn't think they were known enough in the UK, so they would have to let another artist perform it, and they refused. So, technically its not a rejected theme song, but a band who rejected their terms of the contract.
One of the things I liked about Tomorrow Never Dies is how they also had a polished song during the end credits. They should've kept that practice going.
What surprises me is that Muse never did a Bond theme....especially with how close some of their actual songs sound to the typical feel of a Bond theme!!
Pet Shop Boys was not a passover. They decided not to offer it as they thought it would be the kiss of death and it ended up being “This Must be the Place I waited years to leave” on their fourth album, the downbeat “Behaviour.”
Blondie's "For Your Eyes Only" would have injected the energy the movie needed, instead we were treated a dreary, depressing rendition by Sheena Easton.... also... Shirley Bassey should have got the nod for "Quantum of Solace" - that sultry voice - timeless ! Straw's version of "The World is Not Enough"... definitely has serious Duran Duran vibes - that melody and vocal arrangements... hmmmm.
The Spy Who Loved Me had the theme song Nobody Does It Better. That was the best Bond song, and it did NOT have the same name as the film. The lyrics do mention the name of the film, but only once in the chorus.
And the Sandra song is actually called "Sleep" by Conjure One, who is also the front man for Delirium who did Silence with Sarah McLachlan. And that version is tops!
Without seeing the songs with the film's credits, I do not know these would be better or as good. I can write many of the singers and bands, which I have not heard of, I did like their songs and music.
@@triplr3777 not necessarily mediocre, but something trendy. Same for Spectre. Adele & Sam Smith were more trendy than Muse & Radiohead when the films were released (which is a shame).
Muse’s Supremacy... it’s a crime that track was never used. Every Bond musical element is there, even along with a tip of the hat to Live and Let Die. Well worth a listen!
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Why they didn't use Radiohead's 'Spectre' is beyond me. It captures the theme and spirit of the Bond movie so well.
I'm not sure that it really evokes the theme and spirit of a film about a man who visits an amateur dentist who reveals that he has been setting up an increasingly intricate series of worldwide criminal conspiracies all for the purpose of... revealing that he is a bit jealous his foster-brother was better at skiing when they were 14 - whilst the foster-brother sits there awkwardly wondering who on earth this weirdo is, why he has a cat, and why he took up dentistry as a hobby. The theme from Monty Python would have suited better! :-)
They weren’t allowed to use it because Radiohead performed it once, when they weren’t supposed to because the movie wasn’t released so they had to choose a different one
@@MC-pb2ph I think you might be referring to "Man Of War", which was written during the sessions Radiohead did recording The Bends. Eon rejected it because it wasn't written specifically for the film (largely because that would disqualify it for a 'Best Original Song' nomination). So Radiohead asked for another chance and actually took time off recording "A Moon Shaped Pool" to make "Spectre". Eon ultimately rejected it because Eon thought it was too melancholy - though Barbara Broccoli claims it arrived too late and didn't fit the title sequence.
@anon did you catch Spectre’s visual intro?
I’m actually annoyed that it’s playing in the background during the Casino Royale section. Wellp, moving on..
Shirley Bassey is sooooo Bond, she should have got the Quantum of Solace gig.
Agreed 100% , White Stripes was Tripe.
Yeah it would have been so epic. Sure they maybe wanted something more modern but I still don't understand why they chose that horrible, lazy song over her. It's like they couldn't find any good song for the film and chose the last minute. Anything would have been better.
@@teijaflink2226 - one story I heard was that Amy Winehouse was scheduled to sing the theme, but died just before recording. So they went for 'option 2'.
100%
There's no words that rhyme with solace, so it shouldn't have had a theme song, just an orchestral overture, like OHMSS.
I honestly think Radiohead's Spectre thematically fits perfectly with the movie
That Radiohead Spectre theme is a revelation! It would have improved the viewing experience of the film. At different moments the Craig Era became too melancholy, but the theme of ghosts haunting Bond and Blofeld would have been so good!
I am a huge Radiohead fan and that recording is unbelievable!! A little too dark for opening credits - while I think that recording they made is great, I prefer Adele’s theme.
@@complicatedtime Radiohead's song wasn't written for Skyfall but for Spectre. It would have replaced Sam Smith's song Writing's on the wall
@@joee8278 yes. You’re right.
@@joee8278 and that would have been a massive improvement!
I prefer Radiohead's Man of War which I believe was written for GoldenEye.
They need an officially released CD of all the rejected themes.
I think it might even have made the film a better experience somehow
Check Spotify. There’s a playlist 😃
And it should be called 'For Your Ears Only'
@@abrahamcambridge1250 brilliant😆😆😆
Just find the songs and make a playlist.
Fun fact, Swan Lee contributed their 'Tomorrow Never Dies' theme to be used by IO Interactive in the video game Hitman: Blood Money. Was use as the end credits theme.
Yes! I knew I heard that somewhere!
Is it just me or is the main drumbeat "When the Levee Breaks?" It could be another drummer using the same beat, but making the vibration of the drums slow down would be quite a trick.
I'm honestly still bitter about KD Lang's Surrender being demoted to the end credits; they did her dirty. The song felt like a classic 60's Bond theme, but modernized really well.
Definitely and much better than the one by Sheryl Crow.
I put it on my top three of all times, after Goldfinger and Goldeneye...
It’s an absolutely gorgeous song. Her voice is perfect
Totally agree
I remember being far more disappointed that Pulp's far edgier Tomorrow Never Lies wasn't the theme song! :-)
The Blondie one sounds fantastic! Thanks for the introduction.
Apparently they only wanted the singer Deborah to sing the theme,and she refused to do it without the band so they went for another singer and theme altogether.
I love blondie's "for your eyes only." More exciting and bond-ish then the theme they went with.
Moore exciting?
@@Rougarou99 😆
@@Rougarou99 badum-fcking-tsss!
yes indeed Shenna Easton was so lucky getting the Bond gig. From pub singer to a bond theme in less than a year
I actually like the version they went with. It felt smoother to me.
The biggest crime in a Bond film was to never ask Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music to perform a theme song.
Finally someone else thinks like i do. A reworked Kiss and Tell would have been a fantastic 80`s early 90`s bond theme
@@EnglishDanReviews Great choice of song, Absolutely agree. I also was thinking “Take a Chance on Me” sounds very Bond-like, although the lyrics may have to be tweaked somewhat.
I agree. My favorite song is "Love is the Drug" but I doubt that would have made a good Bond song, however given other James Bond songs, you never can tell. Hahahaha
Agree completely.
That's definitely one of the biggest crimes -- but the single biggest was never having Portishead do one. Bryan Ferry would be a close second.
Spectre by Radiohead was just…amazing, honestly sm better than what we got IMO
He didn't even mention it so not everyone seem to agree or like the song.
"No Good About Goodbye" is the best song never used for a James Bond theme - absolute travesty it wasn't when the actual theme is so appallingly bad. You can even hear snippets of Shirley Bassey's song in the film!
True, they should've given her that last song.
I found it unmemorable.
@@ThreadBomb 🤷♂
quantum of Solace just doensn't feel bondish, neither song nor movie. more like a Jason Bourne
Shirley Bassey and James Bond go together like chocolate and peanut butter! She should have been picked for the Quantum opening song.
Somewhere in an alternate universe without a writer's strike there's a competent Quantum of Solace film w Shirley Bassey's song and coherent editing.
@@HipHopHappens that would have been nice
David Arnold has actually debunked that the Shirley Bassey song was intended for the film. He wrote it for Basseys new album witch he produced.
The lyrics Bassey wrote also fit the theme of Quantum of Solace better than the lyrics of Another Way to Die.
In case you've forgotten, the emotional setup for QoS is of Craig's Bond seeking retribution for the death of Vesper, the woman he fell in love with in Casino Royale who was blackmailed into betraying him, in order to fill the void he feels after losing her, and I think the lyrics of the intro song for the movie ought to reflect the depressed loneliness with a strong hint of bitterness - all from the perspective of Bond.
And that's exactly what the lyrics for "No Good About Goodbye" do.
The lyrics for Another Way to Die are about what many Bond songs lament over - an unreliable yet charming daredevil casanova who finds more pleasure in killing his enemies than engaging with his lover, which could be appreciated, but doesn't really fit with the movie's emotional themes, but I guess since White and Keys were going for something intense as they combined their strengths in garage rock and R&B (I think the genres blend as poorly as it sounds they would on paper itself), they didn't want to write about the wishy washy themes of loneliness. Fine. Then at least write the lyrics about vengeance, even if QoS may not feel serviceable as a personal vendetta story.
edit: in conclusion, Quantum of Solace is quite a different Bond movie, and the lyrics for it's intro song deserve to treat it as such.
@@GlennEdell *Which.
long story short...shirley bassey recorded 'mr. kiss kiss bang bang'...they got dionne warwick to also come in and record it, prompting bassey to sue...the studio eventually decided to use neither one....
"Forever (I am all Yours)" just sounds--feels--like a Bond theme to me
I agree. It just has that classic era Bond feel to it. A very good Bond theme, in my opinion
It would have been a perfect ending song for Casino Royale, since that's what James says to Vesper Lynd: "...I'm yours".
Way, way too good for the actual movie though. QOS is hideous.
Well, that Pet Shop Boys song definitely had no chance against the masterpiece A-Ha delivered.
They were both great IMO.
@@robbelliii No the song was shit lol , They were right to go with Aha
Agree. That is a poor Pet Shop Boys song.
The Pet Shop Boys theme would have actually been a really catchy and memorable Bond intro. When you listen to the instrumental version it sounds ideally suited for an exciting opening sequence. The producers liked their song, too. However, Neil and Chris wanted to write the score for the entire Bond film, not just the theme. That was something the producers were not prepared to allow, and the Boys were not prepared to settle for less, so that's why they got fired. It all worked out in the end, though. Neil and Chris just kept the basic orchestration and simply added new lyrics, turning the music from a potential Bond theme into one that focused on Neil's unhappy time at boarding school, thus the title "This Must Be the Place I've Waited Years to Leave".
I love the song and totally agree. The early PSB stuff was really good.
The Blondie one works surprisingly well.
Yes, it sounds very Bondish and Blondieish at the same time
Tomorrow Never Dies by Swan Lee is the most slept on song of all of these. It's an amazing track and should have been used for the James Bond film.
The Shirley Bassey one was actually recorded for her acclaimed album The Performance which, it was arranged and produced by David Arnold who has been involved with several Bond soundtracks
It sounds great
Eva Almers’ song being skipped over for Quantum of Solace was a true crime to the franchise
Shirley Bassey should return. I bet fans would pay to see hear that on a cinema sound system alone.
Almer’s is by far the best version of any rejected Bond song. Period. So Bond-y. And it goes so elegantly with the opening credits.
If Thunderball had been a John Wayne western then Johnny would have been perfect haha. And that Bassey song for Quantum is absolute fire!
It sounds like something that the Whose Line is it Anyway Cast would have come up with for a singing game. "Do a James Bond theme in the style of Johnny Cash"
Shirley Bassey could sing the Yellow pages and sound beautiful.
It's very "Ghost Riders in the Sky".
Absolutely. It's a great song, it really is! It would be perfect for the Lone Ranger! For James Bond, no.
Tommorrow Never Dies by Swan Lee was acutally used as the credits song for a videogame called Hitman Blood Money (great game btw).
Maby that's becaus swan lee are danish on so are the creators of hitman
The Eva Almer song for Quantum of Solace is an absolute belter!!! It's been one of my favourite 'Should-have-been' songs of all time.
The title “Tomorrow Never Lies” makes more sense for the movie because of Carver’s master plot of telling the news before it happens. However the song Tomorrow Never Lies has my ears bleeding xp
That was the title. But a typo error was made and it ended up as being "Dies".
Tomorrow never *_DIES_* *_DIES_* *_DIES_* *_DIES_* !!!!
Fell asleep, sorry, you were saying?
@@garfieldsmith332 It was actually a fax artifact. Danjaq/Eon faxed "Tomorrow Never Lies" to MGM, but somehow it came out of MGM's fax machine as "Tomorrow Never Dies"; MGM approved it, and the producers decided to go with it rather than tell MGM that wasn't the title they wanted. (Edit: "Tomorrow Never Lies" does indeed fit the plot better; it was intended to be the motto of Jonathan Pryce's paper "Tomorrow".)
@@richellebrittain2127 Thanks for the update. I guess it could be called a Faxo.😊
Love the Blondie one. The Alice Cooper one starts good, but gets goofy Muppet show like. It has potential but needs work.
Blondie fell short and do not care for that Alice Cooper arrangement.
Alice Cooper's "Man with the golden gun" was MUCH BETTER than the song they used!
I wholeheartedly agree. And I'm not even an Alice Cooper fan.
But then again, "Baby Shark" sung in belches and armpit farts would also have been better.
(However, the coda that starts, "His eye may be on you or me..." was actually really good. The rest was pure cringe, and I felt that way as a kid when it came out.)
The Swan Lee song is still played quite regularly on Danish radio. Good song 👍
14:13 Oh yes! What an unbelievable song that was by Eva Almer. And what a head-scratching rejection as well.
Yes! This totally sounds like a Bond theme!
One song that I'm mad they never used for a Bond theme is Supremacy by my favorite band, Muse
It screams James Bond Theme and the song is fire, you should listen that out!
My favourite would be Bjorks version of You Only Live Twice....I love her voice when she sings that song.
5:37 Pulp has a cinematic 6-minute song called "This Is Hardcore" - streamline it to under 4 minutes and you've got a Bond theme.
This Is Hardcore sounds way more like a Bond theme
Their cover of "All Time High" was amazing too
I'm not sure a song about watching porn in hotel rooms is Bond theme stuff!
Musically though, yeah, you've definitely got a point.
It's a wonderful song on a cruelly disparaged album, an album that I love dearly.
Mind you, I think U2's Pop is pretty great too so my opinion is probably best ignored.
The Man with the Golden Gun rejected theme is fantastic. They should have used it. It was ahead of its time. It fits perfectly with the theme that was used for Quantum of Solace.
That would've been better than Lulu's screeching.
Q of S , Forever ....they lost out there , perfect fit .
Straw - The World Is Not Enough is a winner for me, almost criminal how this one was turned down
It's the best bond theme I've ever heard. The references in it are too good. What a banger.
@@dereklewis4321 Totally agree
@@patriceesela5000 need a new bond movie that has the same syllable count as "the world is not enough" so we can re purpose this song for a proper movie.
@@dereklewis4321 😄😄😄sounds like a plan
I thought I was hearing things when I heard "Kiss kiss bang bang" in the lyrics. Great song.
Oh my god, how can they rejected Shirley's theme song for Quantum???? Amazing song.
Because it's not the 1970s anymore and they went with something more modern and harder hitting, rightfully so.
Shirley had the superior song, but maybe it was too familiar from the direction they were taking bond then.
I liked Radiohead’s Spectre 1000x more than Sam Smith’s extremely generic sounding and safe choice of a tune.
I agree. I listened to it for the first time, and I really like it! The lyrics are perfect, too. I read that the reason it was rejected was because it was considered ''too dark". That's a cop out!
It's an interesting experiment, but doesn't really fit Bond. It's too soft and experimental. I'd say neither was a good choice
I thought that musically; the radiohead song was better - but Thom Yorke's falsetto vocals were almost impossible to understand.
edit:
TL;DR:
To agree with Mattchester, while I strongly believe that while Radiohead's distinguished Bond intro theme doesn't deserve to be the intro for Spectre, it would have been the perfect setup for Bond's emotional headspace in the beginning of Quantum of Solace.
Long reply:
While I do think Radiohead's Spectre is the superior song to Writing's On The Wall, in the context of a contemporary Bond theme, I agree with Mattchester, because I believe it might be a bit too ahead of its time.
I personally think if you slightly change the lyrics to play on the words in the title of Quantum of Solace instead of Spectre, Radiohead's Spectre's distinct nature would have fit in a Bond movie that was trying to be just as uniquely candid and dark as it's intro theme, like Quantum of Solace.
I don't want to get bogged down in the music theory or lyrical poetry, but Radiohead's Spectre could be interpretted to describe an emotional void after being both betrayed by and secluded from a loved one, which is exactly how Craig's Bond feels at the end of Casino Royale and supposedly the majority of Quantum of Solace (although the movie is so mediocrely made it's not really obvious outside of Craig's honest attempt at expressing it - which does carry the movie for me, but good acting can't surpass mediocre production).
I'd prefer white noise over that dreadful crap. Just about the only Bond theme I actively dislike.
The Swan Lee song was used in “Hitman: Blood Money”. And now IOI is working on a 007 game. Funny how life works, huh?
Apparently, another theory about 'Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' not being used is because of the threat of legal action from original singer Shirley Bassey after she got wind of EON's decision to replace her with Warwick.
Didnt Warwick do a version of the song ?
@@speedracer1945 Yes
"Thunderball" the western is a movie I would have loved to see 🤣🤣🤣
Always wanted Goldfrapp to do a theme song
Yes!... St Étienne, My favorite 👏👏👏👍
I can enjoy with all the selected Bond except “Writing’s on the Wall”. It’s not even a bad song it’s just that Radiohead’s “Spectre” was so great. It baffles me how Sam Smith’s song was chosen instead.
Radiohead arguably had their heyday 15/20 years prior to Spectre, and Sam Smith was a current, big selling, artist at the time, who was getting a lot of airtime on radio and music video channels. Seems like there’s more to the choice of song than musical merit - especially as airtime for the song is a good marketing push for the film.
Not that I personally mind Sam Smith’s song. Though I am in two minds as to whether it’s really all that suitable for a Bond theme. It definitely doesn’t fit the usual mould.
John McGrady, Their heyday was 15/20 years prior to Spectre? Really? Even if that assertion isn't factually incorrect, the song they produced should be the only consideration, which in comparison with Smith's commercial piffle, is leagues ahead. Aside from which, by your reasoning, no entry from an individual artist (or band) that's basically an unknown one to any kind of sizable audience, should ever have a shot. Is that what your proposing, as well?
@@mitchellmelkin4078 it’s not what I’m proposing. It does seem to be the commercial reality for Eon though, whose purpose is to make money. What/who is “of the moment” and more likely to shift copies and effectively market the film seems to be given a lot of weight when Eon decide on a title song. I would make very different decisions to Eon, but I’m not in charge. They’ve been making decisions like this for 60 years now, and seem to be doing alright though - so what do i know?
@@mitchellmelkin4078 Radiohead's commercial peak was surely late 90s/early 00s, although they remain very popular now, so from a commercial point of view it makes sense to pass them over for Sam Smith.
And their purple period ended in 2007, for my money. Other than this magnificent song, I don't think much of anything they've done since In Rainbows.
While The Man With the Golden Gun does sound like Alice --it also sounds like James Bond as well.
What a missed opportunity.
I didn't like that.
I really like Alice's Man With The Golden Gun
They could have put it in the end credits. Love Alice's version.
I had NO idea that Red Flag had contributed a James Bond Theme for consideration - and it sounded great. That is just too cool. I loved their Naive Art album.... so good. And "Sleep With Me Tonight" by Sandra is FAR from her best work. It's good, but she has so many other great tunes. Really enjoyed this vid!
I can totally understand why none of these songs were included, with the exception of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which is a great song, but I still like Thunderball as a title song..and anything Shirley Bassey sings, is well enough appropriate for ANY Bond theme
Amy Winehouse was supposed to do QOS. But because she fell off the wagon, they moved on to JW and AK. The Shirley Bassey theme was written after the fact by David Arnold as a nod.
What a missed opportunity
Not exactly. David Arnold wrote the song before Winehouse died. He often did, recording his version and then using the more popular version. He did it for “Tomorrow Never Dies” with k.d. Lang’s “Surrender”
He did it with “The World Is Not Enough” with Scott Walker’s “Only Myself To Blame”
When Winehouse was clearly not going to happen it was too late to substitute Bassey’s song because they already committed to putting it on her Solo album coming out the next year.
It’s said Winehouse DID complete the song but her producer kept it under wraps for one reason or another.
Jack white and Alicia keys were probably the latest song to be added to a movie (Thunderball also was done pretty late)
@@ozdeveraux2082 Arnold has claimed he didn't write it for QOS, but you hear the tiniest bit of it in the film at 32:47.
@@jamesnorman4035 he clearly did
The late Amy fits perfectly with the Bond franchise's British aesthetic
The Daniel Craig themes have all been dire in my view. Sandra - super talented singer. Going back further, K.D. Lang should absolutely have been the official theme for Tomorrow Never Dies. Stunning.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Supremacy by Muse. This is the most James Bond sounding song that I've ever heard. It's big, it's dramatic and clearly Muse were big James Bond fans. It was submitted as a potential song for Skyfall.
Was just thinking the same thing! Supremacy would’ve been an epic Bond theme.
It was completely unofficial. Supremacy was recorded after Casino Royale. Matt wished they would want it for Quantum of Solace. By the time Skyfall was in the works, the song was outdated.
@@eTORtaCHito It was actually recorded after QoS too. Concretely at the time when Skyfall was made. The drummer actually declared they want Supremacy for the Skyfall theme song
@@xyzdgthereal I love Muse and Supremacy is awesome but would've worked better for QoS honestly...
@@eTORtaCHito true. And one condition MGM has regarding the songs is that all the submissions have to be an original song.
“The World is Not Enough” by Garbage has to be possibly the most Bond sounding song in the more “modern” Bond movies. Top tier
That said, Swan Lee’s “Tomorrow Never Dies” is just one of those melting swooning ballads you run into and hear every once in a while that makes you stop and get lost in the chromatic progressions.
Joss Stone performed a great theme for the bond video game "Blood Stone". Should have asked her to do something for Spectre.
And a great game too
KD Lang’s awesome Surrender remains my fav non title Bond song. She was robbed! Radiohead’s Spectre is also brilliant.
Absolutely, K D and David Arnold were robbed.
I hated the Sheryl Crow one at the time. I've grown to quite like it now that I've found an instrumental version, but it's more of a theme for a James Bond rip off film than a real Bond.
I truly believe that K.d. Land’s “Surrender (Tomorrow Never Dies)” should’ve been the true theme song to “Tomorrow Never Dies” instead of it being the outro song.
Saint Ettiene sounds awesome. Love the intro.
Great video, here's my top five (shout out pet shop boys)
5. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Dionne Warwick
4. The World Is Not Enough - Straw
3. The Man With the Golden Gun - Alice Cooper
2. Spectre - Radiohead
1. Quantum of Solace - Shirley Bassey
The Sandra song is a vibe, would’ve been nice in the credits maybe.
The Pet Shop Boys song you included ('This must be the place I waited years to leave') is what their original 'Bond theme' turned into, released as a track on their 1990 album 'Behaviour'. The original that was considered for Bond was a similar sounding demo with no lyrics. I could be wrong, but I don't think it was ever submitted to have ever been rejected either.
Spectre was an incredible mistake on the part of the Producers. Sam Smiths effort is a piece of poppy rubbish.
Actually you’re being kinda generous. That Sam Smith song is pure CRAP.
Sam Smith also claimed that he didn’t know who Tom Petty was
Have to say the Eva Almer one is my fave, totally nails the bond style. Don't know why it wasn't used, can only think that it was too typical bond in the old Shirley Bassey style when maybe they wanted to direct bond themes into a new direction with more contemporary bands and sound?.
I think it had to come down to Alicia Keys & Jack White being more marketable names. If you go through the Craig era, it seems a bias toward big names at the time is pretty strong. Cornell, Keys/White, Adele, Smith, & Eilish were all at or near the peak of their success when they did their Bond song.
It seems the producers just didn’t want to go for lesser known artists and make them niche “Bond songs” instead of fairly mainstream hits you could hear on the radio that also happen to be Bond credit songs.
“Forever” is unmistakably attached to a Bond movie (wedging “quantum of solace” into the lyrics, the brief clip of Craig’s dialogue, the throwback Bassey-style), whereas the 5 actual Craig era songs all could double as being another marketable hit from their artists’ albums
I agree that “Forever” is a better song (and WAY better Bond song) than “Another Way to Die”, and QoS would be better for it having been the choice (I also think they should’ve extended the intro sequence all the way through to Bond shooting at the screen when he kills the double agent while hanging from the rope and doing another 4th wall gun barrel into the credits like Casino Royale did)
@@YankeeBlues21 Yeah agree, good explanation, makes sense 👍
Afterall you never hear 'the man with the golden gun' on radio 😂
Yet although we don't hear 'Diamomds are forever' much nowadays and although the title itself is a film reference it is a generic enough theme to be radio friendly and is seen as a classic song in it's own right and stands on it's own as a song.
Guess as you say big/well known names with songs that go well in radio air time that fit in with the artists usual repetiore. 🙂
Thank you for taking particular interest in KD Lang's tune - it was brilliant
I am sure Celine Dion had a song made for No Time To Die. It's called Lovers Never Die on her last album Courage. It's got Bond written all over it. This was a great video never knew about these songs at all.
@Being James Bond, I literally snorted my morning coffee at your 'western' graphic for Thunderball! Johnny Cash's rendition was a poor fit with James Bond, but when those mesas popped up behind the title card, I lost it. Thanks for the laugh!
Glad you liked! 🤣 Thanks for the shout out!
Well this is cool since I am a huge Saint Etienne fan. The ending of that song has a killer orchestra swell that is unreal. I love how the song also references the theme song from "On Her Majesty's'. That being said..The Swan Lee song is also excellent and I have never heard that one before. So thanks for posting.
I agree - they should have gone with "Forever (I'm yours)" for Quantum
The Pretty Reckless song '25' is another great bondesque song... maybe for the next bond reboot where he may actually be 25 again :)
I always thought it was just a coincidence about with the title for the Swan Lee song when I heard it during the Dance with the Devil level in the video game Hitman Blood Money. Thought even back then it would have made a good Bond theme.
I love Tina Turner’s Goldeneye. It’s one of my favorites.
Sheena Easton’s For Your Eyes Only is so much a part of the movie that it’s as least as well known as the movie, if not more.
I love Tina Turner's rendition of "Goldeneye" too. I can't imagine the film without it.
...Ace of Bass, like Aqua, had the ability to transcend their musical sphere. I still believe Free Me by Emma Bunton is a Bond song looking for a film!
Totally agree with you on Casino Royale and the songs connected to it 👍
Saint Etienne are a pretty well known band - I wouldn't have thought you needed to introduce them as 'a band called Saint Etienne'
SWAN LEE was phenomenal. Reminds me of M83 & lead vocalist Susanne Sundfor who recorded that sumptuous Oblivion theme song.
The secret to any good JB theme song is to work the title of the movie into song. The iconic John Barry Bond theme must be hinted at in the song too.
Disagree on your second point. It makes them sound samey.
Radiohead for Spectre would have been awesome as well imo
Not saying Sam Smith isn't bad
Johnny Cash's Thunderball sounded very cowboy-on-a- horse in a desert heading towards a duel in a faraway town
I'm so glad they went with the official choices for each of these.
The Swan Lee song is fantastic! The fact that they are from my home country has not clouded my judgement ;)
Interesting fact: In my home country of Denmark Swan Lee's Tomorrow Never Dies is actually rather popular, I hear it pretty often on the radio.
Nice! I should really check out this band some more!
Swan lee actually won the job, but EON didn't think they were known enough in the UK, so they would have to let another artist perform it, and they refused. So, technically its not a rejected theme song, but a band who rejected their terms of the contract.
Very good point! Every song on this list has its own strange circumstances.
Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang stands on par with Thunderball... Love it so much!
For those who played the James Bond Video games - you would know that the Bloodstone theme song is amazing
They literally laced the entire Thunderball soundtrack with the music from Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang…
One of the things I liked about Tomorrow Never Dies is how they also had a polished song during the end credits. They should've kept that practice going.
What surprises me is that Muse never did a Bond theme....especially with how close some of their actual songs sound to the typical feel of a Bond theme!!
Supremacy off the 2nd Law album was absolutely a Bond theme. No one can convince me otherwise.
Pet Shop Boys was not a passover. They decided not to offer it as they thought it would be the kiss of death and it ended up being “This Must be the Place I waited years to leave” on their fourth album, the downbeat “Behaviour.”
It would have been a cool bond tune though. I always thought it's bond-esque long before I knew it came out of a bond demo.
@@florisvandenberg7424 Always enjoyed Pet Shop Boys
The Pet Shop Boys is one of my fav for years, the live version is even better.
Was it ever intended as a Bond theme, as the lyrics are about Neil Tennant's boyhood in a Catholic School?
@@davidjames579 They said so themself, and I heard that been mentioned for years. And the style and guitar are very in the Bond style.
The thought of Johnny Cash in Thunderball lol!
Blondie's "For Your Eyes Only" would have injected the energy the movie needed, instead we were treated a dreary, depressing rendition by Sheena Easton.... also... Shirley Bassey should have got the nod for "Quantum of Solace" - that sultry voice - timeless ! Straw's version of "The World is Not Enough"... definitely has serious Duran Duran vibes - that melody and vocal arrangements... hmmmm.
No good about goodbye by DSB is a classic. Shame on the people who rejected it and subjected us to the crap we ended up with.
Tomorrow Never Lies is a better title, frankly.
The Spy Who Loved Me had the theme song Nobody Does It Better. That was the best Bond song, and it did NOT have the same name as the film. The lyrics do mention the name of the film, but only once in the chorus.
And the Sandra song is actually called "Sleep" by Conjure One, who is also the front man for Delirium who did Silence with Sarah McLachlan. And that version is tops!
Bummer that Supremacy by Muse didn't make the list haha, such a great song!
PSB's 'This Must Be The Place I Waited Years to Leave' was a proposed JB theme song? Wow!
With different lyrics maybe
Without seeing the songs with the film's credits, I do not know these would be better or as good. I can write many of the singers and bands, which I have not heard of, I did like their songs and music.
What!? Not even a mention of Julie Rogers' rendition of You Only Live Twice? I'm very fond of that one.
This was one of the most original YT videos I've seen / heard in a lonnng time! Thank you for creating this!!
Love Swan Lee.... such a good band that unfortunately doesn't exist today.
Supremacy by Muse , would have been one of the best if they'd used it
For real! I couldn't tell if they wrote if for bond since it's so good
@@botanicus2921 was written for Skyfall but not picked apparently. Instantly sounds like a Bond song
Typical of the broccolis. Skip over something great for something mediocre
@@triplr3777 not necessarily mediocre, but something trendy. Same for Spectre. Adele & Sam Smith were more trendy than Muse & Radiohead when the films were released (which is a shame).
I came here looking for this song... when it was lacking, I came to the comments - thank you for not letting me down, Hairy Welder =)
The most annoying is when they pass up a good song for a terrible one, which happens a little too often
Muse’s Supremacy... it’s a crime that track was never used. Every Bond musical element is there, even along with a tip of the hat to Live and Let Die. Well worth a listen!
Also, check out Depeche Mode's "Home". It has strong Bond elements. They should do a great theme song with David!