The Time Madonna Wrote a James Bond Theme Song
Many famous artists such as Adele, Sam Smith, and Paul McCartney made tunes for 007 movies. When Madonna wrote her James Bond theme song, she wanted to bring the Cold War spy into the modern era with a certain genre of music. The tune is a touch on the divisive side. Here’s why it deserves a lot more love than it gets.
Madonna wanted to make James Bond ‘get techno’
Madonna wrote and performed the titular song from the James Bond thriller Die Another Day. During a 2002 interview with CNN, Madonna was asked if she felt that the people behind James Bond expected her to accept their offer to write a 007 theme song. “Well, no, I hemmed and hawed about it for a while because just for that reason though,” the “La Isla Bonita” singer said. “Everybody wants to do the theme song of a James Bond movie, and I never liked to do what everybody else likes to do. It’s just some perverse thing in me, right?”
Madonna had a vision for “Die Another Day.” “So, but then I thought about it and I said, you know what?” she said. “James Bond needs to get — needs to get techno,” the Material Girl said she wanted to make the character hip and modern. It’s arguable if techno was truly hip when the movie came out in 2002.
Some Bond fans really do not like Madonna’s “Die Another Day.” Some are probably too macho to appreciate the Queen of Pop. Others don’t like techno music. Some just object to “Die Another Day” because they don’t feel that it’s a well-composed song.
Why Madonna’s ‘Die Another Day’ is imperfect and also great
Those fans are wrong. The tune definitely has its flaws. “Die Another Day” isn’t the best Bond theme (that honor still goes to “Live and Let Die”), and it’s far from Madonna’s best. The decision to electronically manipulate Madonna’s vocals was questionable at best, and it makes the Queen of Pop sound a bit like Kesha having a bad day in the studio.
However, “Die Another Day” has a great instrumental. It deftly combines techno with the sort of traditional pop that usually soundtracks 007 movies. It might not be as classy as Adele’s James Bond theme song but it’s several times more musically interesting. It’s not a perfect song but it’s definitely the sort of tune that will get audiences pumped up for an action movie.
How ‘Die Another Day’ performed in James Bond’s country
“Die Another Day” reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. The tune appeared on Madonna’s concept album American Life, even though 007 is anything but American. American Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a week, staying on the chart for 14 weeks altogether.
James Bond might be more famous in the United Kingdom, and that may have helped the song’s performance there. The Official Charts Company reports “Die Another Day” peaked at No. 3 in the U.K., staying on the chart for 18 weeks. Meanwhile, American Life peaked at No. 2 and remained on the chart for 18 weeks.
“Die Another Day” might be forgotten but it’s a lot of fun.
