The James Bond series of movies is one of the most successful and best loved film franchises ever. As a result this mainstay of the big screen has not only shaken, stirred, and thrilled film fans over the years; its music is tightly intertwined with its popularity and cult-classic status. As an often dramatic and gripping spectacle the James Bond film series features several famous pieces of music that have come to be inextricably linked with the 007 films.
From the iconic and ubiquitous James Bond Theme through to Shirley Bassey's soaring vocals in Goldfinger, and more recently, Skyfall and Spectre, the music of bond films has always been a trendsetting experience.
How Music in Bond Films has evolved since the 60'sThe music of James Bond films has a long and decorated past. One of the first popular pieces of music to be identified
from the films was the "007 Theme" which is different to the "James Bond Theme" - another famous composition from the series. The 007 theme was composed by John Barry in 1963 and featured in the classic Bond film From Russia with Love. The song became one of the first James Bond songs to achieve success in pop charts as a cover version.
Subsequently, the theme song was adopted as a mainstay of the Bond series and featured in several of the franchises' films. It's most notable appearances are usually in fast-paced action scenes in 007 films such as the following:
" From Russia with Love's famous Gipsy Camp Gunfight
" Underwater fight in Thunderball
" Helicopter battle scene in You only Live Twice
" Bonds destruction of Blofeld's Headquarters in Diamonds are Forever
" Amazon River chase in MoonrakerBond's Influence on Mainstream Music and MediaFollowing the success of the 007 Theme and subsequent Bond music, the task of creating a soundtrack for the iconic heros franchise is now watched with as much interest as the
next Bond girl. Many contemporary and classical musicians have been selected for the role and gone on to dominate mainstream pop charts as a result.
To underscore the impact that Bond films have had on music, many of the series' songs have gone on to be nominated and win awards such as Grammys and Academy Awards for best song. From the aforementioned Mrs Bassey, to David Arnold and
Adele the list of songs to become instant classics due their association with Bond films is long.
There is no other artiste who has created music for the Bond Series as John Barry however, and the musician is the single most prominent over the years. Barry is credited with creating the 007 Theme as well as the much loved theme in orchestra from On Her Majesty's Secret Service. In total, Barry contributed 11 Bond soundtracks. More recently, musician David Arnold has risen to become the series' main composer, working on films such as Quantum of Solace and Tomorrow Never Dies.
In conclusion, David Barry created the iconic Bond sound while David Arnold brought his own musical identity to give films from the era of Pierce Brosnan their electronic rhythm and classical elements. And altogether the music has helped to make James Bond the memorable and iconic pieces of film they are.