Elton John Once Admitted He Thought Madonna’s ‘Die Another Day’ Was the Worst James Bond Song Ever
Elton John and Madonna have been engaged in an on-again-off-again rivalry for a long time. The Rocket Man artist usually said what was on his mind about the queen of pop on a given day with little filter. This has sometimes led to a back and forth between the two despite the pair being good friends.
But there was a time after Madonna’s hit James Bond song, Die Another Day, came out where John couldn’t hide his distaste for the theme. And it’s an opinion that others shared about the song as well.
Elton John and Madonna have been feuding for years
Criticizing Madonna is nothing new for rock legend Elton John. The two have traded words with each other for years, with John never holding back his punches. The Hollywood Reporter claimed John started the feud as far back as 2004 while accepting the classic songwriter award at the Q awards.
“Madonna, best live act? F- off,” John said. “Since when has lip-syncing been live? Sorry about that, but I think everyone who lip-syncs on stage in public when you pay like 75 quid to see them should be shot. Thank you very much.”
In 2012, Elton John once also disparaged Madonna’s chances at winning a Golden Globe for best original song. Only to witness Madonna win the Golden Globe award later that night.
“I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years,” Madonna said. “He’s known to get mad at me…He’ll win another award. I don’t feel bad.”
Elton John hated Madonna’s ‘Die Another Day’ song
Although Pierce Brosnan’s 2002 film Die Another Day was a modest hit in terms of box office, it was heavily criticized by some fans. There were some aspects of the film that a segment of the audience couldn’t get behind, one of which was Madonna’s hit song of the same name. Many fans felt that it simply wasn’t a good song for Brosnan’s last performance as 007.
Elton John, however, didn’t just dislike the song, but CBS News quoted him as calling it “the worst Bond tune ever.”
“It hasn’t got a tune,” John later added. “James Bond themes are usually very camp and this one’s different…They should have gone for somebody like Lulu and Shirley Bassey, or maybe I’m in that league?”
Ironically, however, legendary singer Lulu also credits her theme for the Bond movie the Man With the Golden Gun as being pretty bad.
“I think mine was probably the worst one ever,” Lulu once admitted according to Huffpost. “Mine was not a great song.”
Soon afterward Lulu was reminded of Madonna’s Die Another Day, and conceded that might have been the only Bond song as bad as hers.
“Oh, yes, hers was pretty bad,” Lulu said. “Probably Madonna and I [had the worst]…And that’s the only time Madonna and I could be grouped together.”
Are Madonna and Elton John still feuding?
Elton John and Madonna have since made up after the former personally apologized to the pop singer.
“We were in a restaurant in France in the summertime,” John told Extra (via Fuse.) “She came in, and I sent over a note. She was very gracious I apologized profusely because what I said should never have appeared in public.”
He later noted that Madonna accepted his apology.
“That’s over and done with,” he said of their drama. “She was fantastic. She was just like, ‘Okay, let’s get a move on.’”
