NO TIME TO DIE (2020) by Billie Eilish - Theme Song Discussion

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  • ResurrectionResurrection Kolkata, India
    Posts: 2,541
    mtm wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    She looks like she's about to sneeze. Get her a tissue!

    Didn't noticed that before :))
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited February 2020 Posts: 5,185
    mtm wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    She looks like she's about to sneeze. Get her a tissue!

    tenor.gif?itemid=10268918
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    "Surrender" was awful. It was like listening to a tribute band attempt an original song. I don't blame EON for outright rejecting it, though Cheryl Crow was not much of an improvement!

    I don't want another "Goldfinger" or "Thunderball". They were great for the 60s, but the 60s is now 60 years ago.

    That is my reasoning for not wating the 60's design gunbarrel being used now. Fine for the 60's through 80's, but it looks out of date now. The 90's gunbarrel was the perfect modernisation of that classic design.
  • Posts: 2,598
    "Surrender" was awful. It was like listening to a tribute band attempt an original song. I don't blame EON for outright rejecting it, though Cheryl Crow was not much of an improvement!

    I don't want another "Goldfinger" or "Thunderball". They were great for the 60s, but the 60s is now 60 years ago.

    That is my reasoning for not wating the 60's design gunbarrel being used now. Fine for the 60's through 80's, but it looks out of date now. The 90's gunbarrel was the perfect modernisation of that classic design.

    I find the 90’s gun barrel to be too CGI looking.
  • Posts: 87
    I've listened to NTTD song maybe 20-30 times so far and I think is really good. The best after SF in the Daniel Craig era IMO. Billie Eilish's vocal is maybe to sad and depressive, sometimes a little too childish - don't know the plot and don't want to know before watching the movie - but I hope James Bond will return alive and in a good condition after opening title sequence :).
    It's a great news that the composer is responsible for arranging the title song. Hope the music will not be too pompous as it often happens with the music of Hans Zimmer. The guitar is great (maybe a bit too subtle) and I expect it to be used in the film music. As well as the trumpet at the end of the above video from the recording session is marvelous and evokes times of John Barry.
  • w2bondw2bond is indeed a very rare breed
    Posts: 2,252
    GadgetMan wrote: »
    I think the essence of a good Bond score is for the Composer to follow Barry's style, coz in essence it isn't just Barry's style, it's also the Bond style....it's something a Composer can't run from, except he's preparing to fail, like the last guy....'Surrender' I think, is a modern take on Barry/Bond style and I like that song a lot. Even Non-Bond fans upon hearing it without knowing where the song's from, says it sounds Bond. I think a Composer like Zimmer knows that Barry is Bond & Bond is Barry....and won't repeat the same mistake like the last Composer. Coz to be honest, it's not easy to stray from the Barry/Bond style in a Bond score & still succeed.

    The trick is to have the "Bond sound" while keeping in line with the artist's style, and that's something the artist has to consciously do while composing. Recent examples: YKMN, Skyfall, both very different songs but when you hear them you instantly think Bond (I don't know Cornell's style but Skyfall is very Adele)
  • QQ7QQ7 Croatia
    Posts: 371
    DC era songs:

    1. YKMN
    2. SF

    3. AWTD

    4. WOTW
    5. NTD
  • edited February 2020 Posts: 5,767
    TripAces wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    What genius looks like...

    cary-fukunaga-james-bond-011.jpg
    Do you mean it´s genius to look as if you´re coked up till the tips of your hair (I´m referring to the pic hidden in the "previous quote"), or that it´s genius to use a horrible performance of a mediocre song for a film merely on the basis that it´s going to top the charts?

  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    boldfinger wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    What genius looks like...

    cary-fukunaga-james-bond-011.jpg
    Do you mean it´s genius to look as if you´re coked up till the tips of your hair (I´m referring to the pic hidden in the "previous quote"), or that it´s genius to use a horrible performance of a mediocre song for a film merely on the basis that it´s going to top the charts?

    Horrible? Let's not get hyperbolic.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    boldfinger wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    What genius looks like...

    cary-fukunaga-james-bond-011.jpg
    Do you mean it´s genius to look as if you´re coked up till the tips of your hair (I´m referring to the pic hidden in the "previous quote"), or that it´s genius to use a horrible performance of a mediocre song for a film merely on the basis that it´s going to top the charts?

    So, you're saying that you definitely didn't like it then? ;)
  • Posts: 5,767
    boldfinger wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    What genius looks like...

    cary-fukunaga-james-bond-011.jpg
    Do you mean it´s genius to look as if you´re coked up till the tips of your hair (I´m referring to the pic hidden in the "previous quote"), or that it´s genius to use a horrible performance of a mediocre song for a film merely on the basis that it´s going to top the charts?

    Horrible? Let's not get hyperbolic.
    What on earth is that supposed to mean? What is supposed to be hyperbolic about what I wrote?



    boldfinger wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Billie Eilish set for first UK Number 1 single with Bond theme No Time To Die
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/billie-eilish-set-for-first-uk-number-1-single-with-bond-theme-no-time-to-die__28690/
    billie-eilish-2020-tour-press-1100.jpg?width=796&mode=stretch


    Looks like Billie is on track to get the second ever No.1 selling Bond song.....big win for NTTD.

    What genius looks like...

    cary-fukunaga-james-bond-011.jpg
    Do you mean it´s genius to look as if you´re coked up till the tips of your hair (I´m referring to the pic hidden in the "previous quote"), or that it´s genius to use a horrible performance of a mediocre song for a film merely on the basis that it´s going to top the charts?

    So, you're saying that you definitely didn't like it then? ;)
    I already wrote before that there is a not horrible song hidden beneath a horrible performance. Anything wrong with that? Why should I appreciate for the title song of a James Bond film a vocalist who uses her voice as if she´s mumbling to herself and on top of that sounds like a teenager? I have no problem with such stuff topping the charts and making a sh**load of money, but I find it utterly inappropriate for a Bond film.
    Will I be shot now, or what?

  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    Let's not pretend this song only succeeded at topping the charts. It's also been critically well received.
  • Posts: 379
    Let's not pretend this song only succeeded at topping the charts. It's also been critically well received.

    Exactly. Personal taste is one thing but the vitriol is over the top.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theweek.co.uk/105706/james-bond-theme-critics-rate-billie-eilish-s-title-track-for-no-time-to-die?amp

  • Billie is a teenager as well. Pretty impressive for the start of her career.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    edited February 2020 Posts: 8,178
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Horrible? Let's not get hyperbolic.
    What on earth is that supposed to mean? What is supposed to be hyperbolic about what I wrote?

    It may not be the kind of style of vocals you're a fan of, but just flat out calling it horrible? That's a bit over the top. I'm not into death metal, but I'm not going to brand all vocalists for those bands as "horrible" just because it's not my thing.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,205
    boldfinger wrote: »
    I already wrote before that there is a not horrible song hidden beneath a horrible performance. Anything wrong with that? Why should I appreciate for the title song of a James Bond film a vocalist who uses her voice as if she´s mumbling to herself and on top of that sounds like a teenager? I have no problem with such stuff topping the charts and making a sh**load of money, but I find it utterly inappropriate for a Bond film.
    Will I be shot now, or what?

    Not by me, @boldfinger, unless it's friendly fire.
  • Posts: 5,767
    Let's not pretend this song only succeeded at topping the charts. It's also been critically well received.
    Which doesn´t say much about its quality.



    Burgess wrote: »
    Let's not pretend this song only succeeded at topping the charts. It's also been critically well received.

    Exactly. Personal taste is one thing but the vitriol is over the top.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theweek.co.uk/105706/james-bond-theme-critics-rate-billie-eilish-s-title-track-for-no-time-to-die?amp
    If you call my words vitriol, you also have to call at least 60% of other people´s post delusional.

  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    boldfinger wrote: »
    Let's not pretend this song only succeeded at topping the charts. It's also been critically well received.
    Which doesn´t say much about its quality.

    True, the box office and critical acclaim didn't stop posters from definitively branding CR as "horrible". As The Dude said, that's like their opinion, man.
  • Posts: 5,767
    Billie is a teenager as well. Pretty impressive for the start of her career.
    It´s perfectly fine that she´s a teenager. I just find a voice that sounds like a teenager totally inappropriate for a Bond title song.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    As a defender of Madonna's "Die Another Day", I'm always down to break tradition or what's supposedly "appropriate" for a Bond title song. Besides, traditions are meant to be broken.

    The only thing we have left to judge as far as the song is concerned is how well it plays to Kleinman's titles, which I'm more excited for than the build up to the song's release.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,329
    As a defender of Madonna's "Die Another Day", I'm always down to break tradition or what's supposedly "appropriate" for a Bond title song. Besides, traditions are meant to be broken.

    Yeah, even though I'm much more likely to hum (and probably enjoy!) Surrender, I much prefer DAD in as far as what it is: of its time and trying something new. It works as a title song.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    edited February 2020 Posts: 4,247
    I've always thought the first few seconds of Madonna's Die Another Day sounds Bond...before it descends into Electronic/Dance territory....it's a nice song, but not just a complete Bond theme.The funny part is that Non-Bond fans even dance to it, coz it's sheer dance music....but as a Bond theme, I don't know. I don't hate the song, but I don't think it fits Bond completely.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    I look forward to fan reactions over EON hiring a hip-hop artist for their title song.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    I look forward to fan reactions over EON hiring a hip-hop artist for their title song.
    There are actually several who would probably do a stellar job.
  • edited February 2020 Posts: 5,767
    Burgess wrote: »
    This reads like an April fool´s joke.



    As a defender of Madonna's "Die Another Day", I'm always down to break tradition or what's supposedly "appropriate" for a Bond title song. Besides, traditions are meant to be broken.
    First of all, traditions many times are traditions not because someone forced them onto the public, but because the formula in a natural way fits well. Thus they aren´t necessarily meant to be broken. They can be broken, sure, and very good things can come out of it, but breaking a tradition isn´t better than not breaking it. If you ask me what´s the frame of the tradition of a Bond song, I´m not sure I could define it clearly. I´m not one of the folks demanding a voice like Shirley Bassey. I do however demand a voice that sings, instead of whispering the whole song.
    Secondly, I´m not at all talking about tradition when I say a teenager voice isn´t appropriate for a Bond title song. Not so much because it´s Bond, but because the protagonist is a middle-aged man most famous/notorious for his womanising. So unless the teenage voice is his daughter, I find it creepy if not borderline pedophile if a teenage voice whispers something melancholy about her or his heart during a Bond title sequence.

  • While it's way to early to rank this theme without the context of the title sequence and overall fit, merely as a song with re-listening value, I'd place it somewhere in the mid-tier:

    The diamond tier: YOLT, WHATTITW, DAF, LALD and AVTAK
    The gold tier: FRWL, GF, NDIB, TLD, GE, YKMN and SF
    The silver tier: TB, MR, LTK, Surrender, TWINE and NTTD
    The bronze tier: FYEO, ATH and TND
    The rest: TMWTGG, DAD, AWTD and TWOTW
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2020 Posts: 16,329
    Gosh, aren't abbreviations easy to read? :D WHATTITW indeed ;)
    jake24 wrote: »
    I look forward to fan reactions over EON hiring a hip-hop artist for their title song.
    There are actually several who would probably do a stellar job.

    Yeah I think it could happen at some point: I can see it working.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    boldfinger wrote: »

    Art is a very subjective thing. You may not be fond of her style of vocalization, but it's clear that it's being embraced by a great many, and it's not just her own fans. I think this is where you have to tell yourself that this song is not for you and call it a day. But if you want to insist everyone that it's factually a terrible song, I can't stop you.
  • Posts: 5,767
    boldfinger wrote: »

    Art is a very subjective thing. You may not be fond of her style of vocalization, but it's clear that it's being embraced by a great many, and it's not just her own fans. I think this is where you have to tell yourself that this song is not for you and call it a day. But if you want to insist everyone that it's factually a terrible song, I can't stop you.
    My opinion describes a much or as little a fact as do all other opinions, you needn´t worry. I´m not arguing to the contrary everytime someone posts what a great song this is, but it shouldn´t be the end of the world for anybody if from time to time someone who feels offended by the song lets off steam. If you read a few of my posts in other threads you know I´m not naturally a negative person.

    Perhaps I should have explained myself better regarding that link with comments by critics. I didn´t speak of an April fool´s joke because most of them write good things about the song. I said it reads like an April fool´s joke because it reads like calculated consensus, not like personal impressions.

  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,178
    I get not connecting with a song emotionally when everyone else does. It can be frustrating.
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