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In about two days, so will everybody.
"Pivotal date no#1" is behind us now. Now let's move on to "Pivotal date no#2" :-D! The release of Thomas Newman's score, Friday October 23rd!
But it doesn't get well to international ears IMO, his English is far harder to understand to me than Adele's for instance. Not sure I would have been able to make 100% of the lyrics after a few listens (now that I've read the lyrics I can't play this game), while for Adele it was ok from Day 1.
So most of the international audience will judge this song without the lyrics IMO.
Hey - that it actually a very good thing. The less the international audience can make out those lyrics, the better. Now if we could just do something to hide the falsetto. Maybe Newman can drown it out with 100 more violins.
I immediately thought that song would have been great for this film, from what I've heard about it. Something like that could have come from Swann's perspective, rather than Bond's.
Perhaps they should have got her back to redeem herself with something similar. That would have definitely gotten the internet squawking.. All press is good press.
All the Time in the World, Nobody Does it Better, If There Was a Man, Moonraker.....these all sound like Bondian tracks in both the lyrics and the music. Literally the only thing in this track that feels even slightly, remotely Bondian to me is the orchestration. The lyrics are just too needy and desperate which I've noticed seems to be a trend in Sam Smith tunes from streaming his catalogue.
Granted, I'll reserve final judgment until I've seen the finished product and how it fits together with the main titles but I'm just still not sold after, according to iTunes, my 20'th listen. Sam Smith wrote a song for Sam Smith in my opinion, not a James Bond film. This is up there with a lot of the other rejects we've heard in recent memory. Perhaps what could've sold me on this track is if they'd brought in the composer to help or a Bond veteran like Don Black. It also probably doesn't help he wrote this in 20 minutes flat because knowing that, it sounds like a demo to me, something unpolished and unfinished. Frankly, it sounds rushed and lazy. Yes, the melody and chord progression is good but I mean, come on, the flat ending, the uninspired falsetto bits.... As much as I don't like this song, I still think he could've given us something outstanding and that's the most frustrating bit.
What about Matt Munro and a-ha? Vulnerable male singers.
Let's be honest, a lot of the Bond love songs make no sense because how often has Bond fallen in love? I suppose it could happen again...
I just can't seem to imagine how the titles will match the song and the film.
Am I being brainwashed?
Btw @bondjames spot on with Madonna's Frozen ...my new unofficial Madeleine theme.
Can't believe I listened all the way thru. If I'd randomly caught this on car radio, would have changed station in 10-20s.
Not even curious to listen again. Next time I hear it will be in cinema.Arghhh.
#worstBondsongever
Drunk is the right word :D
With a couple extra minutes, he could have completed the score.
Your comments are always welcome, @MrEon. But what you say here is that the song works mostly in retrospect to how the film concludes rather than what proceeds it. Therefore, wouldn't it have been a better artistic decision to place the love song at the end of the movie and have a more upbeat tempo version at the start, such as FRWL? Adele got away with it because her song wasn't a love ballad but more a foreshadowing coral of the collateral to come, plus it was a cracking good tune to boot.
For me, the same could be said of "See You Again" - Wiz Khalifa (feat. Charlie Puth) at the close of Fast and Furious 7 - it just wouldn't have had the same emotional impact that it did if they had placed the song at the start of the movie. The problem I see is that we're meant to understand Bond's heartfelt misgivings after an explosive start to the movie and before we've even arrived at this emotional juncture in the story, especially as you point out that this song doesn't refer to Vesper or any of his previous loves, and nor should it for that matter IMHO.
Of course I haven't seen, if and how, TWOTW works after the PTS or as a bridge to the first Act. I'm sure DK will produce another great title sequence, not that that was ever in doubt. I'm just curious to see whether after all this negativity how people will judge it in context to the opening first 10 minutes. Maybe what you're alluding to is that Sam's song is meant to be Bond's swan song and it'll all make perfect sense once the movie is over, even though DC is contracted for one more Bond? Personally, I still think the FRWL approach is the best way to go when having a love ballad for its main song.
Also, as I know that you work with composer Mr Newman, I was hoping you could either confirm whether or not if Sam Smith's musical themes have been included more prominently in SP more than Adele's wonderful song was in the SF score? Maybe that's too much of a big ask?
Yep!
Surely we'll have a fantastic opening sequence (I do have high hopes for this film) and the song will sound ever so much better in the theater. And then we hop into the story and go for this ride.
Sam was hired because of his current popularity, and in itself that is not necessarily bad or good. He can sing. I simply find the song itself very disappointing and underwhelming, as well as the vocals being sung so high a mistake. This is simply my point of view. I still respect Sam as a singer and I accept that EON likes to choose the current popular singer (not always, but sure they do at times) because that can be a draw for people who are nonBond fans. Having a great, exciting Bond title song adds buzz, hopefully that means more tickets for the film bought. I understand that.
I've listened to it plenty. It is not horrible, not the worst Bond title song. But it will remain in the lower half for me, yes. Disappointing and just not memorable. Needs a better melody, aside from being sung in a lower key (which would, for sure, help a good deal). I wish it were a song I wanted to keep in my head, to revisit, to savor. It is not memorable at all for me.
I don't hate Sam or the song. And overall, the song won't have a big negative impact on the film itself. So I'm not really concerned. Just wanted one that was top notch, and it does not feel like that at all to me. Still hoping richer orchestration can be added for the final version that will be in the film itself. One can hope. :)
http://metro.co.uk/2015/09/28/a-thin-line-between-genius-and-insanity-the-real-best-and-worst-james-bond-theme-songs-of-all-time-5409559/#mv-a
Fully agree with both of you.