What James Bond Theme Should Have Won The Best Song Oscar Before Skyfall? An Investigation
(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)
Best Original Song is such an odd category. On the Academy Awards broadcast, it is the one that gets the most airtime, as it is typical to perform all five of the nominated tunes during the show. While this is technically meant to showcase the nominees, it is really an excuse to break up what would be a fairly monotonous, long awards show.
However, most of the songs nominated for Best Original Song aren't all that interesting. A lot of the time, these tunes aren't integral to the film itself in the slightest, and they are simply musical wallpaper to play over the end credits of a movie as you file out of the theater. This is also the category most susceptible to people nominating mediocre songs from movies no one has ever heard of simply because they got some big name artist to write a little ditty.
Occasionally, though, the category spotlights a song truly worthy of the category, like "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" or "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR." These numbers are major elements of their films' success. But the importance of a song doesn't just mean it's from a musical or a movie about musicians. It could also be an important piece of tone-setting that helps establish the film's musical identity, and few films exhibit that better than the James Bond series. The elaborate opening credits sequences have become a staple of the franchise, and every entry gives us the potential of a new classic song. So, would it shock you to learn it took 40 years for a Bond film to win this category?
The 'Skyfall' breakthrough
The James Bond theme songs have now become Oscar frontrunners. The last three films in the series have all taken home the award. Billie Eilish is an Oscar winner because of this series. Even the truly dreadful "The Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes from "Spectre" won the award. That is a movie I will heavily defend from all the naysayers, but even I can't back that song.
All of this recent success can be traced back to the 2013 Oscars with Adele and "Skyfall." First of all, "Skyfall" is just a great song. There's a reason the following two installments have essentially used that same torch song template to try and recapture that magic (which I'd argue Eilish nearly does). But a big reason for "Skyfall" to breakthrough at the Oscars was that this was the pretty much the first time a James Bond had been truly taken seriously. Yes, "Casino Royale" did this too some years earlier (and I think it's a better film), but that was still mostly a glamorous, escapist action picture. "Skyfall" broke beyond the series' standing as pure popcorn fare and could be within the respectable crown, and no one is more respectable than Adele.
Bond has now become the home of auteurs, but for the first 40 years, it was the space of the journeyman filmmakers who made movies for the masses. Those aren't the kinds of pictures that are all that Academy friendly. But that doesn't mean they don't have merits worthy of awards recognition. So, let's go through the times prior to "Skyfall" where the Academy did throw the series' famous theme songs nominations and see which of them should have won Best Original Song over those barren decades.
'The Look of Love'
Maybe the only thing more surprising than a James Bond theme song not winning Best Original Song before "Skyfall" is that the first one to ever get nominated didn't even come from the mainline Bond series. Instead, we look to the 40th Academy Awards where Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "The Look of Love" (performed by Dusty Springfield) was nominated for the 1967 parody film "Casino Royale." That means the themes of every Sean Connery led Bond picture until this point were passed over by the Academy before getting to the first nomination. In fact, "You Only Live Twice" came out this very same year, featuring a dynamite song performed by Nancy Sinatra and written by John Barry and Leslie Bricusse, and yet the Bond song they went with was "The Look of Love" instead.
That isn't to put down "The Look of Love" at all, which is a delightful piece of '60s pop crafted by Bacharach, and it's a big reason why Mike Myers wanted him in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery." I certainly like it more than the winner, which was Leslie Bricusse's "Talk to the Animals" from the notorious "Doctor Dolittle." It's a dreadfully boring number that poorly recreates the patter song magic Rex Harrison had with Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe on "My Fair Lady." But "The Look of Love" wouldn't be my winner. The title track from "Thoroughly Modern Millie" puts up a good fight, but my winner would be "The Bare Necessities" from Disney's "The Jungle Book," an endlessly catchy tune by Terry Gilkyson with fantastically fun lyrics like "When you look under the rocks and plants / And take a glance at the fancy ants." I'd even take that over "You Only Live Twice," I think.
'Live and Let Die'
The official James Bond series wouldn't get its first Best Original Song nomination until its eighth entry, and if you have to wait for it, this is one to wait for. While not a terribly controversial opinion to have, I do believe this to be the best song of the whole series. I am, of course, talking about Paul McCartney and Wings' title song for the first Roger Moore led Bond film "Live and Let Die," which McCartney co-wrote with Linda McCartney.
Up until this point, the Bond themes have all been brassy, jazzy numbers with lush orchestrations. Meanwhile, "Live and Let Die" swerves between several different musical styles, from symphonic rock to classic McCartney pop to that divisive reggae-inspired breakdown. It's unlike any other Bond theme before or since, and its singularity makes it one I return to constantly.
Unfortunately, they were up against a cultural force already entrenched in the Academy: Barbra Streisand. "The Way We Were," the titular song from the blockbuster romance in which she starred opposite Robert Redford, became the number one song in the country on February 2, 1974. The nominations for the Oscars were announced on February 19, 1974. So, the song was reaching its cultural zenith at the perfect time for voting.
"The Way We Were" is a pretty good ballad written by Marvin Hamlisch and Alan & Marilyn Bergman with expectedly stellar vocals from Streisand. It would be my clear second place finisher that year over "Love" from Disney's "Robin Hood," "All That Love Went to Waste" from "A Touch of Class," and "Nice to Be Around" from "Cinderella Liberty," none of which make much of an impression on me. So, without question, this should've been a win for "Live and Let Die."
'Nobody Does It Better'
The Academy passed over the next Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun," the following year, and frankly, there's no love lost there. They would be back in the fold with Roger Moore's third (and best) outing as 007, though. "The Spy Who Loved Me" would earn a Best Original Song nomination for "Nobody Does It Better," one of the rare Bond opening credits songs that doesn't share a title with the film itself, performed by Carly Simon.
I could see how "Nobody Does It Better" would be very Academy-friendly. For one, the Bond series learned from its Oscar loss and brought in "The Way We Were" composer Marvin Hamlisch and added lyricist Carole Bayer Sager. It's lush and beautifully builds with an absolutely killer string section. Though its musical approach is classical, its lyrics are hilariously about how good at sex Bond is, which is a fun counterpoint. It may be traditional, but "Nobody Does It Better" is certainly in the top-tier of Bond songs.
It lost to the title track from "You Light Up My Life," written by Joseph Brooks. This wasn't just a case of a Bond film losing to a number one song. At the time, Brooks' tune held the record for the most weeks at number one ever, which it would hold until 1991. (Well, the Debby Boone version did and not the one from the movie, sung by Kasey Cisyk.) This song was a juggernaut. It's also boring as f*** and, save for "He/She Danced with Me" from "The Slipper and the Rose," is my least favorite of the category. "Someone's Waiting for You" from "The Rescuers" is a worthy nominee, and "Candle on the Water" from "Pete's Dragon" is a solid second place. But, once again, the Bond film should've won.
'For Your Eyes Only'
The Roger Moore era proved fruitful for these Best Original Song nominations. While I commended the Academy's first two recognitions of this era's theme songs, I do not feel as strongly about this one. "For Your Eyes Only" is a fairly middling tune written by Bill Conti and Mick Leeson and performed by Sheena Easton, which makes it pretty appropriate for this middling film. It's honestly rather remarkable how strong the correlation between the quality of the song and the film is for the Bond series. The ballad is a barrage of early '80s pop in a way that is abrasive and annoying rather than charmingly nostalgic. It not winning is no great tragedy.
The winner was Christopher Cross' "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from "Arthur," another song I feel has many issues like "For Your Eyes Only," but I'll give it an edge in melodic memorability. The song I'm shocked didn't win this year was the titular track from "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, which was another hit that stayed at number one for nine weeks. To be fair, "Arthur's Theme" was the song that bumped "Endless Love" off that number one spot, but it only stayed there for three weeks.
But only one of the nominees features Miss Piggy tap dancing, and that is "The First Time It Happens" from "The Great Muppet Caper." Not only does this song work as a lovely duet ballad between Kermit and Miss Piggy, but it then expands into a gigantic production number that is as catchy as it is dazzling. The Academy blew it a couple of years earlier not giving this award to "Rainbow Connection," meaning that this should've been the Muppets' second Best Original Song win.
The Connery era misses
That would do it for Best Original Song nominations for the James Bond series until "Skyfall," creating a 31-year drought after "For Your Eyes Only." Before digging into that interim, I want to look backwards at the Sean Connery era of the series, which earned zero nominations for music. In fact, his entire run as Bond only earned three nominations total. "Skyfall" had more by itself.
That means "Goldfinger," written by John Barry, Anthony Newley, and Leslie Bricusse and performed by Shirley Bassey, was snubbed. That's the platonic ideal of a James Bond theme. And with good reason. Those brash horns act counteracting against the sultry strings makes you feel the song in every part of your body, not to mention Bassey's voice attacking every syllable as if it's the most exciting thing every heard.
The winner of Best Original Song that year was "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from "Mary Poppins." That is one of the best songs in one of the best movies ever made, so "Goldfinger" wouldn't be my winner. I'd at least give it a nomination over things like the title tracks from "Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" or "Where Love Has Gone," which are more sleepy ballads the Academy just can't help but nominate.
The Tom Jones-sung "Thunderball" was eligible the following year, but the Academy wisely nominated his other tune instead with "What's New Pussycat?" The bigger snub that year was "I Have Confidence" from "The Sound of Music." The Bassey-sung "Diamonds Are Forever" was also rudely dismissed, but again, that wouldn't be my winner, as it would've gone up against Isaac Hayes' transcendent "Theme from Shaft." So, the Connery era may not have earned more wins, but it deserved nominations for "Goldfinger," the aforementioned "You Only Live Twice," and "Diamonds Are Forever."
The Dalton era misses
Now, let's get into that 31-year nomination drought for James Bond. The Roger Moore era didn't end with its best foot forward. "All Time High" from "Octopussy" is very few people's idea of a banger Bond theme. I know Duran Duran's title song from "A View to a Kill" has its fans, but the film itself was so roundly dismissed that it not being nominated was no surprise (I'm also not a big fan of the tune either).
Then we get to Timothy Dalton's diptych as 007. These movies — and Dalton's performance as Bond — have always been mixed. I, too, am mixed on the films themselves, but I am not mixed on the theme songs. I think both of them are pretty great. You have A-Ha with "The Living Daylights" and Gladys Knight with "Licence to Kill," and each one takes a different path that both suit the series, with A-Ha going contemporary in an effective way and Knight harkening back to the Shirley Bassey classics. I'd have nominated both, but neither would be winners due to some stiff competition.
For the former, it would lose to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from "Dirty Dancing," which is so crucial to nailing the pitch-perfect climax of that terrific movie (even if its existence makes absolutely no sense because it's a period piece). Unfortunately for the latter, it came out the same year as "The Little Mermaid," a film whose soundtrack fundamentally changed how we think about Disney animated films. "Under the Sea" won the award, but my winner would've been "Part of Your World," which I consider to be the best song in the Disney Animation canon and was bafflingly not nominated. So, like the Connery era, there should be nominations but not winners.
The Brosnan era misses
Like the Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton eras, the Pierce Brosnan era of James Bond was also completely shut out of the Academy Awards when it comes to Best Original Song nominations. Brosnan's "GoldenEye" breathed new life into the series that had been waning over the last decade plus. You might think its new cultural popularity might help its title song, written by U2's Bono and the Edge and sung by Tina Turner, but you'd be wrong.
That year was a pretty hot one. "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas" beat out my winner in "You've Got a Friend in Me" from "Toy Story," the underrated title song from "Dead Man Walking" by Bruce Springsteen, and Bryan Adams' "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," which was a number one song for five weeks. I'd welcome "GoldenEye" in that fifth slot over "Moonlight" from "Sabrina," but I'd prefer another song from "Pocahontas" or "Toy Story" more.
Sheryl Crow's theme from "Tomorrow Never Dies" works better than you'd expect, but it's not top-tier. That's also a tough year, and it had no shot of winning had it been nominated against the "My Heart Will Go On" buzzsaw from "Titanic." Garbage's theme from "The World Is Not Enough" two years later rocks and should've made the nomination list, bumping out the likes of Gloria Estefan and NSYNC's title song from "Music of the Heart." Once again, though, it's not a winner, as "Save Me" from "Magnolia" or "Blame Canada" from "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" would be my victor over Phil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" from "Tarzan." Then there's Madonna's "Die Another Day," and the less said about that the better.
So, like the Connery era, Brosnan's films deserved some nominations but no wins.
The Craig era misses
No James Bond era has had a better success rate than the Daniel Craig era. After all, this is where the series actually starts finally winning the Best Original Song Oscar after all this time. But that doesn't mean it has a 100% hit rate with the Academy. "Casino Royale," which I consider to be the best of the Craig-starring films and the second best Bond film overall (behind "From Russia with Love"), was completely blanked from the Academy Awards. That included its rocking theme song "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell.
For a lot of the snubs I have written about here, most of them had some surprisingly strong competition, and if one could go, it usually was truly one or two nominations that stunk. The year of "Casino Royale," this is a dog of a category. The winner was Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth," and while its message is as important and relevant as ever, the song itself is kind of a snooze. Then there's the Randy Newman-penned and James Taylor-performed "Our Town" from "Cars," which I don't even remember being in the movie. The rest of the category is comprised of three — yes, three — new songs for the film adaptation of "Dreamgirls," none of which hold a candle to that show's original score. You couldn't find one spot in that lineup for "You Know My Name?" Not only that, it would've easily been my winner.
Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" from "Quantum of Solace," meanwhile, was fine missing out on the nomination, as it's one of the worst songs in the canon. That year only had three nominees, and I still think the Academy made the right choice in snubbing it.
So many songs, so few wins
As it stands, the James Bond film series has won the Academy Award for Best Original Song three times over the course of its 61 year history on the big screen, comprising of 25 films (plus two more unofficial entries with 1967's "Casino Royale" and 1983's "Never Say Never Again"). Going through all the years and crunching all the numbers, my belief for how many wins it should have in that category isn't much more with five. This would add wins for "Live and Let Die," "Nobody Does It Better," and "You Know My Name," and it takes away the win for "The Writing's on the Wall" from "Spectre," which had no business winning. Had the Academy voted again after watching the live performances at the ceremony, it surely would have gone to Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens to You" from "The Hunting Ground."
This is a perfect example of how your initial reaction to how something performed at the Oscars may seem like the obvious conclusion, but the context of what was really happening that year will nearly always make you throw that assumption out the window. I thought that I would be retroactively giving this prize to "Goldfinger" without question, and yet, its "Mary Poppins" competition stopped that in its tracks. The same thing goes for "Diamonds Are Forever." It goes to show you that the "should" that exists inside your head isn't always as definitive as you thought. Luckily for the James Bond series, it's the one franchise that will never go away, and each new entry gives it another opportunity to potentially win it another Best Original Song Oscar. And now that it's started winning, maybe it'll go on to flip the script and win more than it actually deserves.