› ›

Johnny Cash "Thunderball"

brinkeguthriebrinkeguthrie Piz Gloria
edited October 2012 in Music Posts: 1,400
well this is a first.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bootleg-vol.-2-from-memphis/id417738818

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/licence-to-sing-the-james-bond-themes-that-never-were-20121004

"Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "Thunderball" -- Shirley Bassey, Dionne Warwick, Johnny Cash ("Thunderball")
The fourth Bond movie, "Thunderball" (and the one that would ultimately cause a lot of headaches for the franchise, with writer Kevin McCrory winning the rights for a separate parallel Bond franchise, so long as he kept remaking this movie) was the first time that there was a degree of unrest about the theme tune. Johnny Cash submitted his own version, which is pretty decent (although leans a little close to the plot), but was rejected by producers in favor of another composition by "Goldfinger" composers Lesley Bricusse and John Barry. The song, entitled "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," (a title borrowed from an Italian journalist), intially reunited Barry and Bricusse (who wrote the lyrics) with Shirley Bassey, but was later re-recorded by Dionne Warwick. Even then, however, the studio asked that they replace it with one that shared the film's title, and so Barry wrote the booming "Thunderball" with lyricist Don Black, with Tom Jones performing it. Elements of "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" can still be heard in Barry's score for the film, however.

Comments

  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    Thunderball is a great Cash song (as any other) but not a good Bond song. Although it's great to have a theme of my favorite franchise sang by my favorite artist!
  • LotusEspritLotusEsprit
    Posts: 160
    I agree that Cash's Thunderball wasn't right for Bond.

    The real missed opportunity imo is Alice Cooper's TMWTGG ...not near his best songs mind you, but better than the Lulu theme imo...
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    LotusEsprit wrote:
    I agree that Cash's Thunderball wasn't right for Bond.

    The real missed opportunity imo is Alice Cooper's TMWTGG ...not near his best songs mind you, but better than the Lulu theme imo...

    a squirrel farting into a tin can for 3 minutes would sound better than LuLu's TMWTGG

  • LotusEspritLotusEsprit
    Posts: 160
    HASEROT wrote:
    LotusEsprit wrote:
    I agree that Cash's Thunderball wasn't right for Bond.

    The real missed opportunity imo is Alice Cooper's TMWTGG ...not near his best songs mind you, but better than the Lulu theme imo...

    a squirrel farting into a tin can for 3 minutes would sound better than LuLu's TMWTGG

    Haha see, now imagine the improvement with Alice Cooper! ;-)

  • bondsumbondsum
    Posts: 3,333
    So glad the Alice Cooper version was rejected... because it was awful. I much prefer Lulu's version. John Barry on an off day is far better than most of the modern stuff on a supposedly good day.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    They need to make up for TMWTGG by getting Cooper to do a Bond theme.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    bondsum wrote:
    So glad the Alice Cooper version was rejected... because it was awful. I much prefer Lulu's version. John Barry on an off day is far better than most of the modern stuff on a supposedly good day.

    I also like TMWTGG theme, specially in its instrumental version of Let's go get 'em (boy!)
  • 00130013
    edited October 2012 Posts: 1,817
    By the way, I don't know how much this discussion is extended. As a Cash fan I don't know much about his Thunderball other that he propose it in a time when he recorded many soundtracks like The Rebel Johnny Yuma and also recorded the Bonanza theme with lyrics.
  • petergreenhill5petergreenhill5
    Posts: 824
    Cash or Alice Cooper doing Bond songs is a poor idea.

  • craigrulescraigrules
    Posts: 284
    only just heard the Cash song for the first time,strange a Bond tale to a western vibe.
  • myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
    Posts: 1,143
    Cash was a great artist but his song was wrong for Bond.
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    Cash was one of the greastest storytellers in music (if you don't believe me, listen to 'A Boy Named Sue'). So it would been great if he've recorded several songs like Thunderball that, in his style, he tell the adventures of Bond, won't you think?
Sign In or Register to comment.