As we reflect on the rich musical history of the James Bond franchise, it’s impossible to overlook Sam Smith’s contribution to the anthology, “Writing’s On The Wall.” This was the theme song to the 2 James Bond adventure, SPECTRE, which was released back in October 2015 in the UK and November 2015 in the United States. This blog post takes us back to the announcement of this news, highlighting the collaboration of multi-platinum selling Sam Smith with Grammy® Award winner Jimmy Napes. Furthermore, it brings attention to the significance of the song being the first Bond theme recorded by a British male solo since 1965. Let’s dive into this unforgettable moment in music history.
Sam Smith and the SPECTRE Theme
The Song’s Release and Impact
The song, released by Capitol Records, debuted and was to purchase and stream from September 25, 2015. Multi-platinum selling artist Sam Smith co-wrote the title song, “Writing’s On The Wall,” with fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes. Smith’s debut In The Lonely Hour had launched at No. 1 in the UK and bowed in at No. 2 in the US and had since earned five No.1 UK singles, four GRAMMY® Awards, three Brit Awards, six MOBO Awards, Q and AMA Awards.
Reception and Praise
Commenting on the announcement in 2015, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of SPECTRE, said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for SPECTRE and with Sam’s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”Smith said, “This is one of the highlights of my career. I honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”
Legacy of Bond Themes
The 23 previous James Bond theme songs make up some of the most memorable movie music of all time. The previous Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” was performed by Adele, and was honored with the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
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