Matt Monro Biggest Hits

[Elly Garnand]

Justmonths after Tom Jones broke onto the charts with "It's Not Unusual," the producers of Sean Connery's fourth Bond film signed him up. Jones wasn't their first choice: Shirley Bassey, Dionne Warwick and Johnny Cash also submitted songs for Thunderball, but at the last possible minute they opted for the Welsh singer. It became Jones' third Top 40 hit in America, and has been part of his Las Vegas show ever since.

James Bond title songs, as a rule, have the name of the movie in the chorus. That was a bit of a challenge with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, so producers opted to go with an instrumental in the opening sequence. Hal David and Burt Bacharach were brought on board to write another song for the movie, and they brought in Louis Armstrong to sing it. The 68-year-old jazz great was sick at the time, but he nailed the song in just a single take. He died less than two years later.

Duran Duran were one of the biggest bands in the world when they signed on to write "A View To A Kill" in 1985. The Timothy Dalton movie is largely forgotten, but the song has become a 1980s classic. It's the only Bond song to hit Number One on the charts, and it is a regular part of the band's setlist to this day. The song also marked the last time the original five members of Duran Duran worked together for 16 years.

To American audiences, Shirley Bassey is known almost entirely for her James Bond title songs. 1971's Diamonds Are Forever was Sean Connery's final Bond flick (at least until the non-canon entry Never Say Never Again), and for the occasion they brought Bassey back to belt out the title song, just as she had done for 1964's Goldfinger. They brought Bassey back one more time in 1979 to sing the Moonraker theme, but she couldn't quite recapture the magic. Decades later, "Diamonds Are Forever" returned to pop culture when Kanye West sampled the song for "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."

Nancy Sinatra was fresh off her breakthrough hit "These Boots Are Made For Walking" when the producers of You Only Live Twice recruited her to sing the title song. The haunting tune has had a long afterlife, being covered by everyone from Coldplay to Bjork.

Carly Simon's 1977 hit "Nobody Does It Better," written for The Spy Who Loved Me, was the first James Bond title song to be titled something other than the name of the movie. (Songwriters Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager did manage to work "the spy who loved me" into the lyrics, at least.) The song shot to Number Two on the charts and remains one of Simon's signature tunes. Many people don't even realize it's from a James Bond movie.

Shirley Bassey already had a number of U.K. hits under her belt when she sang "Goldfinger," but the Bond theme became her first true international hit. This song and "Diamonds are Forever" became so famous that she had a hard time establishing a separate pop career outside of England. But Bassey remains a popular touring act, and "Goldfinger" brings down the house every night.

The James Bond movies have created huge Greatest Hits over the years - from artists including Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney & Wings and more - but which is the Greatest Bond Hit of all time?

John Barry's original James Bond theme has stood the test of time. Not only did it serve as the first film's theme song, but it's since been used in some form in every single Bond film made by Eon Productions. Monty Norman is credited with writing the iconic piece, originally recorded in June 1962, although there was some dispute over whether John Barry was responsible. It peaked at Number 13 in the UK charts, and is the only Bond film to have more than one musical theme used for the opening credits - as the main Bond theme transitions into 'Kingston Calypso' by Byron Lee And The Dragonaires.

The main motif of the piece is performed on an electric guitar, somewhat ahead of its time in 1962 but the sound would have been unlike most other film soundtracks of the age, that's for sure. After the guitar's big moment, the focus is transferred to the brass section, who completely take over with a relaxed rhythm from the drums. The strings are so important though, and mustn't be overlooked - they hold the whole thing together and give it that edgy yet classy vibe that encompasses Bond as a character.

Listen on YouTube here.

Follow-up film, From Russia With Love, was released just one year later, once again starring Sean Connery in the titular role. John Barry teamed up with Lionel Bart (who wrote the music and lyrics for Oliver! the musical) for the theme tune, sang by The Man with the Golden Voice AKA Matt Monro, best known for lending his vocals to the theme tune for Born Free. It hit Number 20 in the UK charts, and although Matt's version wasn't used for the opening credits sequence, it did appear in the film itself playing out on a radio, and again in the closing credits.

The song is suitably romantic - the word 'love' is in the title, after all - with Matt's silky vocals gently sweeping over the orchestra, which sounds to have almost an Italian or French influence with the accordions. It's easy to imagine Matt serenading a pair of lovers on a riverboat through Venice or Paris. The whole song seems to stay on one, relaxed level, as there isn't a great deal of change throughout the dynamics - but we get a nice big moment at the end, a beautiful sustained note from Matt over many modulations to reach the final chord.

Listen on YouTube here.

Sean's third outing as Bond brought composer John Barry back to the franchise's roots for the theme song. 'Goldfinger', performed by the inimitable Shirley Bassey, has much more of a big brass band feel than From Russia With Love. It's got more punch to it, thanks to Shirley's phenomenal performance; she was John Barry's first choice to sing on the track after he conducted the orchestra on her 1963 tour. It went to Number 21 in the UK charts.

The song includes the chromatic step motif from the original Bond theme in the brass section throughout, reminding the listener of its roots. Where 'From Russia With Love' was sedate and soothing, 'Goldfinger' has a lot more light and shade in the dynamics, with sudden movements catching us out and keeping us on the edge of our seats. The final note that Shirley holds so well is so dramatic it could make your own breath catch in your throat.

Listen on YouTube here.

It seems as though Tom Jones' voice was made to sing on a James Bond theme. His rich and impressive tones were utilised by John Barry on 'Thunderball' in an apparent last-minute rework, as the original song had been binned since it didn't share its name with the film - a vital factor to producers back then. 'Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang' was so-called after a nickname that the Italian press had bestowed upon the character of Bond, recorded by Shirley Bassey and again by Dionne Warwick, and after some legal to-ing and fro-ing, neither version was released until 1990. Tom's song got to Number 35 in the UK charts.

'Thunderball' was once again a return to form for John Barry, as it too featured motifs from the original theme. It's similar to 'Goldfinger' in that there are quiet moments suddenly pierced by huge sound - especially where the heavy drums emphasise the brass sections. Tom Jones' occasional shouts just underline the contrast between these two sparring halves of the song; does this perhaps reflect Bond's cool, calm and collected surface as well as his softer, tender layers? Apparently, Tom almost fainted from John Barry's now-characteristic, sustained note at the end - telling the Daily Express in 2005, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning."

Listen on YouTube here.

John Barry once again teamed up with lyricist Leslie Bricusse, who had worked on 'Goldfinger', to produce this shimmering, classy song. It's worlds away from its brash, in-your-face predecessors, and Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy was the perfect choice to provide vocals for the song. Producer Albert Broccoli had suggested Frank himself, who suggested Nancy, and producers pushed for her to land the gig despite John Barry eyeing up Aretha Franklin. It reached Number 11 in the UK charts.

Nancy's stunningly serene performance on the song totally fits with the style, and her alto/contralto range is sublime. The use of the harp makes it a much dreamier affair, and it stays on a similar level throughout - much like 'From Russia With Love', and in contrast to 'Goldfinger' and 'Thunderball' which had a staccato feel throughout. Of course, pop music followers will recognise the main motif in 'You Only Live Twice' as being sampled in Robbie Williams' 'Millennium' - and the music video was an homage to the Bond franchise, of which Robbie is a huge fan.

Listen on YouTube here.

John Barry returned to an instrumental theme for the opening credits of the sixth James Bond film - the first without Sean Connery, as George Lazenby replaced him. However, Louis Armstrong also recorded a song for the film, becoming the first James Bond song not to carry the film's title as its own. 'We Have All The Time In The World' was instead named for Bond's final line in the film after the tragic death of his wife, Tracy, played by Dame Diana Rigg. Although the song did not perform astronomically in the UK charts at the time of its release, it peaked at Number 3 in 1994 after the band My Bloody Valentine covered it for a Guinness advert, in turn propelling the original back to popularity.

'We Have All The Time In The World' sinks back into comfortable familiarity, taking its lead from predecessor 'You Only Live Twice' in that its style is softer and easier on the ear. It's also predominantly major, unlike any of the other Bond themes, which is surprising considering it is played shortly after Tracy's death. John Barry once said this was one of his favourite Bond songs, saying it was one of the "finest pieces of music" he had ever written for a Bond film, and adding that he'd thoroughly enjoyed working with Louis.

Listen on YouTube here.

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