If Pierce Brosnan was still sipping martinis and ogling ladies in skintight evening dresses while trying to do Her Majesty a solid, you could expect a lady from ye old pop charts to be singing his intro music. When Brosnan sported the go-go-gadget-laced tux, we got to hear the likes of Madonna, Sheryl Crowe, and Shirley Manson use their voices to navigate the goofy title seq-winces. Even Tina Turner managed to thunder(dome/ball) her way into the mix. Now that Bond has been given a Bourne makeover, replacing the groomed Brosnan with the groomed yet craggy Daniel Craig, the producers are looking for singers to match the series’ rougher bent.
Last time out, they tapped ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell to pen the Casino Royale single. He wrote a song called You Know My Name, which really wasn’t bad. Though…listening to it right now c/o YouTube, it sounds a little ephemeral. But Bond ditties do tend to come with a This Song will Self-destruct in T-minus One Listen message attached. I mean, God bless you if that song is in your current MP3 rotation. For the upcoming Bond flick Quantum of Solace, Amy Winehouse apparently had a tune ready and willing. The troubled, beehive-haired singer, however, was passed over in favor of a combo that at first blush seems just as bizarre as the new movie’s moniker.
Jack White, lead singer of The White Stripes, has teamed up with musician and sometimes-actor Alicia Keys for the new spy theme. White wrote the tune, titled Another Way to Die, and plans to duet (he wishes!) with the disarmingly charming Keys. Since both of those kids tend to sing the Blues, their voices are probably going to get a long just swell. Still, it’s going to be weird hearing White’s Robert Plant-like warble screech us into a new Bond mission. Perhaps with Keys along he’ll tone things down. Like he did on Hotel Yorba!
White Stripes fans, don’t get your hopes up sky-high. Jack is playing drums on the single, which means no Meg behind the beatkit. Daniel Craig had this to say about the development: “I always found the hardest button to button to be the one located directly under the bow tie. I mean, you saw the Casino Royale poster, right?“