How to write a Bond theme song, according to 007 songwriters

That’s the achievement of John Barry, the York-born composer who coined what we now call the sound of spies from the 1960s until his death in 2011. (Consider how easily it’s parodied.) From the 1962s dr No Thereafter, Barry expanded Norman’s surf guitar theme with percussion, strings, brass and jazz influences, creating a blueprint clear enough for all subsequent Bond composers to follow.

“He went to dictate—establish—a musical tone and language where you go: ‘This is Bond,'” says Hale. “What you really should be saying is, ‘This is John Barry.'” Bond is such a cultural touchstone, it’s anchored individual musicians and even sounds, like the thunderous tam-tam that heralds ‘Goldfinger.’ The blaring trumpet was the trademark of one player, Derek Watkins, who starred in every Bond film dr No to skyfall until his death in 2013.

For performers and songwriters, popular and classical musicians alike, Bond represents a small, respected cohort including some of the finest musicians alive – and the pressure to do them justice. “For the most part, John Barry’s musical voice came through,” says Hale. “I think every songwriter since then has felt the privilege and honor of continuing in this direction. Of course you will have your own style – but it is important to respect this heritage.”

For Hale, charged with fleshing out this sparse piano melody, the question was not just what instruments to use – strings, timpani, tam-tam, bass drum, low brass, French horns, trumpets – but how. Harmony, in particular, is an integral part of the 007 sound, says Hale, as established with the legendary “James Bond chord” — technically known as the EmMaj9. It produces a restless and unsettling sound that “gives you a whole narrative”. (Harding points out that this dissonant chord occurs similarly in Hitchcock’s dizziness.)

Elsewhere, Hale made musical choices to support the lyrics, such as mirroring the reference to “a million pieces of broken glass” with a cascade of high fiddles and flutes. “Basically, it’s all about storytelling… It’s not a pop song or a dance record; it’s a piece of drama,” he says. And while much about Bond has stayed the same over the past 60 years, the stories told about him have changed, says composer David Arnold.

Arnold shot five Bond films Tomorrow never diesand co-wrote “The World is Not Enough” for Garbage and “You Know My Name” by Chris Cornell (from Casino royale) – meaning he made the biggest impression on 007 since Barry. Barry’s themes were “a bit timeless even in their time,” says Arnold, pointing to “Diamonds Are Forever”: “If you think of the contemporary music that was around in 1971, it doesn’t sound like it at all… They form their own musical ecosystems. “

Don Black, the lyricist who co-wrote the Bassey theme and two others, once said that a Bond song should be “provocative, seductive and with hints of boudoir”. Ahead of Daniel Craig’s Bond era, Arnold says, “I think that was pretty appropriate. If you listen to the lyrics of “The Man with the Golden Gun” or “Diamonds Are Forever”: “caress it, touch it, caress it”…”