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Songs mentioned in Bond novels

GerardGerard
edited July 2015 in Literary 007 Posts: 5,994
While Wikiwalking today, I found a mention of the great american singer Rosemary Clooney, and it reminded me of Thunderball, the Ian Fleming novel. Here, at the beginning, Bond is brought to Shrublands by a young taxi driver who tells him that, contrary to what Bond is thinking, the diet at Shrublands make men ready to "cut the mustard", adding "if you know that Rosemary Clooney's song". So I got curious, searched through YouTube, and found out the song, which in fact is a Marlene Dietrich/Rosemary Clooney song, where that phrase is used :



Which got me to post this thread in which we could post our findings about the songs used in Bond novels, wheter the ones by Fleming, or the continuation novels. Feel free to add your own.

(And FYI, although I'm not spring chicken, that's not a problem I have, thank you very much).
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Comments

  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    During Bond and Honey's first meeting in Dr. No, she is singing a calypso named Marion.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Great thread; I have an article that appeared in 'Bondage' magazine that went into this. I'll dig it up and post some of the songs they came up with!
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,994
    Now on to "The Man with the Golden Gun" : During the party with the gangsters, the band sings a song named "Belly Lick". The only version I've found might be this one :



    Apparently, it's a song that, according to Fleming, has a "clean" and a "dirty" version. Here are the lyrics :

    jcs12.jpg
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    Walecs wrote: »
    During Bond and Honey's first meeting in Dr. No, she is singing a calypso named Marion.

    Actually, it was called Mary Ann, but Fleming misspelled it...

    Enjoy:

  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Birdleson wrote: »
    As I read the stories last time, I would download as many songs as I could from iTunes (JUMP UP, MARIA, etc.).

    Yes, it would be fun to compile a playlist for use on iTunes or Spotify.

  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    There is a song playing in the hotel where bond has dinner in the restaurant in the CR novel. He hears it whilst at Tiffanys room in the DAF novel. He turns it off as it has bad memories for him. Very subtle writing by Fleming. It's something like 'Le vien rose'......
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    suavejmf wrote: »
    There is a song playing in the hotel where bond has dinner in the restaurant in the CR novel. He hears it whilst at Tiffanys room in the DAF novel. He turns it off as it has bad memories for him. Very subtle writing by Fleming. It's something like 'Le vien rose'......

    That would be La Vie en Rose, it's also the name of a CR chapter if I remember it correctly:
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    That's the one...haunting tune.
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    Posts: 3,675


    A great tribute from our friend @fromswedenwithlove! La Vie En Rose is such a good song.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,994
    And here's the album mentioned in DAF : George Feyer's "Echoes of Paris" :

    Side one :



    Side two :



    And I repost here the two songs mentioned in Dr. No : "Take Her to Jamaica where the Rum Comes From" :



    And "Don't Touch Me Tomato" :

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited July 2015 Posts: 18,275
    'Les Feuilles Mortes' by Edith Piaf is also mentioned in the DAF novel as the other side of the record that contained 'La Vie en Rose'.
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,918
    The Ink Spots seem to have been one Fleming's favorite groups, since they appear twice in his books. Bond hears their "Java Jive" aboard the sound-system of the US Manta in Thunderball. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Vivienne Michel recalls Derek, her first boyfriend, continually asking her to replay "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" on the gramophone. She recalls the Ink Spots once more, during the loss of her virginity:
    Derek was eager, impatient. He put his coat down for me and at once started, almost feverishly, his hands devouring me. I tried to melt, but my body was still cramped with nerves, and my limbs felt like wood. I wished he would say something, something sweet and loving, but he was intent and purposeful, manhandling me almost brutally, treating me as if I was a big clumsy doll. "A paper doll, for me to call my own"—the Ink Spots again! I could hear the deep bass of Hoppy Jones and the sweet soprano counterpoint of Bill Kenny, so piercingly sweet that it tore at the heartstrings. And underneath, the deep pulse-beat of Charlie Fuqua's guitar. The tears squeezed out of my eyes. Oh, God, what was happening to me? And then the sharp pain and the short scream I quickly stifled, and he was lying on top of me, his chest heaving and his heart beating heavily against my breast. I put my arms round him and felt his shirt wet against my hands.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,994
    Well, here are the two songs :





    And here are the other songs from the DAF scene :





  • GerardGerard
    edited August 2015 Posts: 5,994
    Ooops, I forgot the first song found in that chapter : "J'attendrai".



    The same period, and the same meaning as "We'll Meet Again".
  • GerardGerard
    edited August 2015 Posts: 5,994
    And "Java Jive" :



    Very nice song.

    EDIT : Makes me think, maybe we could try to list diegetic use of music in Bond movies in another thread (by "diegetic", I mean that the characters know that there is music playing, so "California Girls" doesn't count, thank God !).
  • DariusDarius UK
    Posts: 354
    Sandy wrote: »
    suavejmf wrote: »
    There is a song playing in the hotel where bond has dinner in the restaurant in the CR novel. He hears it whilst at Tiffanys room in the DAF novel. He turns it off as it has bad memories for him. Very subtle writing by Fleming. It's something like 'Le vien rose'......

    That would be La Vie en Rose, it's also the name of a CR chapter if I remember it correctly:

    "La Vie en Rose" is also mentioned in Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz.

  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,994
    I was rereading DN during my trip to and from Wales, and found a song that I didn't mention before : "Kitch". But I can't find it on YouTube. Anyone ?
  • SkyfallCraigSkyfallCraig Rome, Italy
    edited October 2015 Posts: 630
    We are back online at jborbisnonsufficit.com
    Follow US Also on FB Orbis non Sufficit-007
  • RossiRossi
    Posts: 157
    Does someone have a compreehensive, definitive list of such songs?
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,918
    Another song sighting, this time from Diamonds Are Forever, when Bond is in Spectreville:
    There was the sweet nasal twang of a honkey-tonk piano playing "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now," slightly flat. The music reminded Bond of sawdust floors, nursed drinks and girls' legs in the widest mesh stockings. The whole scene was like something out of an exceptionally well-mounted 'Western'.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Rossi wrote: »
    Does someone have a compreehensive, definitive list of such songs?

    This is a job for @RichardTheBruce .
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,803
    Thunderfinger wrote: »
    Rossi wrote: »
    Does someone have a compreehensive, definitive list of such songs?
    This is a job for @RichardTheBruce .
    (Connery voce) You're joking.

    I will take a look, though.
  • RossiRossi
    Posts: 157
    Thank you, guys!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,275
    Rossi wrote: »
    Does someone have a compreehensive, definitive list of such songs?

    I think there was an article on AJB years ago by a member called The Cat. I'll check my files.
  • RossiRossi
    Posts: 157
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    Rossi wrote: »
    Does someone have a compreehensive, definitive list of such songs?

    I think there was an article on AJB years ago by a member called The Cat. I'll check my files.

    Much appreciated.
  • japanauthorjapanauthor Japan
    Posts: 9
    A belated addition to this thread but as suggested above there is now a Spotify Playlist called Ian Fleming's Favourite Music with 32 tracks including much of the music mentioned in the novels. [Apologies for the nature of link below but I couldn't get the link to work in the comment box.] https://open.spotify.com/user/thegrahamthomas/playlist/5e2yqNTwJIG8hYWQ7tmu7Y?si=fsxMPLaRSbqZrq71H9LIMw
  • japanauthorjapanauthor Japan
    Posts: 9
    There is also a blog page with some explanation about Fleming's favourite music https://midcenturybond.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/ian-flemings-favourite-music/
  • vzokvzok
    Posts: 4,044
    Very interesting, some good tunes listed. Is Linstead Market featured in CR (movie)?
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,918
    japanauthor wrote: »
    There is also a blog page with some explanation about Fleming's favourite music https://midcenturybond.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/ian-flemings-favourite-music/

    Superb blog by the way! I wish there were more sites like this on the net.
  • japanauthorjapanauthor Japan
    Posts: 9
    Linstead Market is mentioned by Fleming in a piece he wrote for Horizon magazine about Jamaica. It was literally a Dear John letter where he wrote about all the things he loved about the country. https://midcenturybond.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/ian-flemings-favourite-music/
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