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Kyle analyzes the Music of James Bond (Part 1 of an ongoing series)
Posted by Kyle
This is the first in a series of articles on the music of the James Bond film series, with occasional forays into music inspired by the films, as well as music that clearly should have been included for various obvious reasons.
For the inaugural article on the music of the James Bond films, one would think I would pick out a fairly monumental theme song; one that topped the charts here and in the UK and continues to make its presence felt on the radio, on iTunes, or perhaps just in the minds of burgeoning fans as they pop their Bond DVDs into their home systems and find their minds blown by Bondmania.
But, no. I’m not only choosing one of the arguably more obscure Bond theme songs, I’m choosing the ending titles disco version that probably plays to empty living rooms across the world, as people get up to stretch or run to the bathroom. Heaven forbid they turn off the film right as the credits begin to roll: sacrilege!
Yes, for today’s analysis I’m highlighting “Moonraker (End Title)” by Shirley Bassey, from 1979’s Moonraker starring Roger Moore as James Bond.
In terms of the audience being prepared for the disco-flavored remix of “Moonraker (Main Title)” by the film itself, “Moonraker (End Title)” couldn’t ask for a better, more uproarious set-up. NASA scientists pick up the video feed from inside the Moonraker shuttlecraft to broadcast simultaneously to the White House and Buckingham Palace after Bond and Bond girl Dr. Goodhead (Lois Chiles) have saved the world, only to find Bond and Goodhead in coitus. Which is amusing enough, but Q’s presumably shuttle-trajectory-based observation of the action makes even noted professional critics’ Unofficial List of ‘Greatest Double-Entendres Ever.’
Laughter and charm give way to an utterly disco creation, full of bubbly synth beats and subliminal urging to dance like Ted Stryker in Airplane. The accumulated global knowledge of Wikipedia informs the production process of both versions of the Moonraker theme, noting how Kate Bush, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Mathis were considered to perform the song. When ultimately these candidates fell through, Shirley Bassey was brought in fairly last-minute to record both versions; Bassey’s third Bond theme song performance. Due to the last-minute nature of the recordings, Bassey felt understandably distanced from the songs and neither version received much promotion. And so the Moonraker soundtrack generally remains overlooked, sandwiched as it is between Sheena Easton’s fabulous ‘For Your Eyes Only’ and Carly Simon’s iconic and near-mythic ‘Nobody Does it Better’ (for The Spy Who Loved Me).
And yet, both of Bassey’s performances are up to her usual Bond theme standard of excellence. The ballad version which opens the film is admittedly the stronger of the pair, playing both to the strength of Bassey’s voice and the iconic Bond main title visual sequences. But the disco version maintains its own kind of dignity, capturing both the zeitgeist of the times (Moonraker fusing the sci-fi sensibilities of Star Wars with the blockbuster formula of the Bond series, recalling both the straight-faced indulgences of the 1970’s and foreshadowing the overblown excess of the impending 1980’s) and the inherent poppy fun of the James Bond film. Even better than the ballad version, however, the disco version calls attention to the utter illogic of the nonsensical song lyrics only to urge, through fun and frivolity, any listener to set aside the call for coherence and instead revel in the escapades of every stripe of Our Hero James Bond.
Consider these song lyric, from the soundtrack by John Barry. What exactly is this song about? From whose perspective is this narrative told? Is the “moonraker” the actual Moonraker space shuttle from the film, or is James Bond himself a moonraker? Considering no one actually steps foot on the moon in the film, just what the hell is going on?
Moonraker by Shirley Bassey
Where are you? Why do you hide?
Where is that moonlight trail that leads to your side?
Just like the moonraker goes in search of his dream of gold,
I search for love, for someone to have and hold,
I’ve seen your smile in a thousand dreams
Felt your touch and it always seems
You love me
You love me
Where are you? When will we meet?
Take my unfinished life and make it complete
Just like the moonraker knows
His dream will come true someday
I know that you are only a kiss away
I’ve seen your smile in a thousand dreams
Felt your touch and it always seems
You love me
You love me.
From a poetic perspective, this is both highly metaphorical and obtuse. If this were a film about a gold prospector, or perhaps an astronaut incarnation of Indiana Jones, it would fit quite perfectly. For a cinematic adventure of a British secret agent, the logic is a little more problematic.
However, along with the best of the Bond themes, the performer and the composition make it all pop and come together in just the right way, and so does Moonraker’s dynamic duo of title tracks sparkle in all the right ways. Both versions are unfairly relegated to second-tier status, and I urge you to consider giving both a second listen. While definitely lacking the timeless quality of Duran Duran’s ‘A View to a Kill’ or Simon’s ‘Nobody Does it Better,’ ‘Moonraker (End Title)’ is both defined and unconstrained by its late ‘70s birthing. While those who despise Roger Moore’s era as Bond will never be won over, those capable of considering (and being willing to ignore at leisure) context when regarding a piece of art will find much to be entertained and amused by.
I thought I’d scoffed at all the major crazinessesses in Moonraker, but I had forgotten this song. So I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. Oh, and ignoring context at leisure? That concept always has my support.
While Moonraker may not be my favorite theme, it certainly isn’t my least favorite either (All Time High, gah!). It’s somewhere right in the middle. I always liked the dreamy opening of the song, but, you’re right, it doesn’t actually make any sense.
Good article, look forward to the rest of the series.
Way back around 1966, Frank Sinatra was about to start a film called Von Ryan’s Express (a WWII flick) and he sought out the musical powerhouse behind the success of the James Bond films: John Barry. But, Barry had a full plate and declined. Somewhat of a “no-no” to say no to old Blue Eyes.
When You Only Live Twice came around the following year, John Barry sought to make amends by offering Frank Sinatra the title song. Sinatra wasted no time offering his own daughter, Nancy, in his stead. She had two top ten songs and the right genes, so, Barry accepted her. However, Nancy had a hard time with the range of the song and, after many many takes, a workable version was spliced together to create a serviceable song.
A decade later Barry penned Moonraker expressly with Frank Sinatra in mind. But, Frank was having problems with his voice and bowed out. Tony Bennett was booked solid and could not substitute. Consequently, Shirley Bassey was brought in as the last minute pinch-hitter.
As John Barry tells it, the problem with most of the Bond songs is that they must include a word (such as Thunderball or Goldfinger) in the lyric. His strategy was to always tell the lyricist to emulate Mack the Knife where the villain is the subject. (He always runs while others walk. He acts while other men just talk. He looks at this world and wants it all. So, he strikes…like Thunderball….)
Sir Hugo Drax is the villain in the film and his overwheening ego and temerity are at the center of the storyline. He is the Moonraker–or, rake (old fashioned term for a scoundrel) who aims too high (the moon) and is thwarted by Bond.
John Barry was often faced with significant obstacles in the form of Producer Brocolli and his daughter, Barbara requesting more contemporary popular sounds for his scoring. This was a source of great annoyance and finally led to his refusing to come back and score any more films. But, at the time of Moonraker, nothing was more popular than disco. His relegating the disco beat to the End titles tells it all. The audience should have been out of the theatre by the time the thump thump thump came along…….
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