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Writing's on the Wall is the best post-Cold War Bond theme song

M16_CartM16_Cart Craig fanboy?
in SPECTRE Posts: 541
It's precisely hated because it deviated from the mold. It's not what you expected from Sam Smith doing a Bond theme, and that's why I love it.

With a strong opening and a damp song then on out, it doesn't have the soft-verse-loud-chorus structure that the Pixies and Nirvana popularized. It's not a rock anthem song that checks all the boxes like You Know My Name, nor a gratifying anti-hero theme like Skyfall.

In terms of singing voice, Sam Smith delivers arguably the best in modern Bond history since Gladys. Not to bash the other singers, but they simply didn't have the wide vocal range, smoothness and breathing that Smith does. Dark bassy sounds give it a somber mood overall, and the horns lift it up just a bit but not overly so. It evokes a fragile sense of security, in contrast Skyfall's boisterous gospel-like tune.

Perhaps it's greatest offense is that it's not uplifting and not one of those songs people want to play on their ipod to pump themselves up and feel good at the gym or before work. In that sense, it defies most other Bond themes.

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