James Bond Theme Songs by Film: Singers and Years

James Bond theme songs are the title songs that play over the opening credits of each film; this list covers 19 of the 25 EON films plus the two unofficial ones, Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again. Each entry names the film, the director, the singer and the composer, and the EON films are in UK premiere order, with the two unofficial films listed last.

Where the UK premiere and the US release differ, both dates are given, and any date marked reported is written as reported rather than confirmed. John Barry is credited as composer on 11 of the 25 EON films, so his sound runs through much of the list, while the first film, Dr. No, credits Monty Norman. For the full film run, see James Bond movies in order, the James Bond movies hub, and the wider James Bond soundtrack page.

Dr. No (1962) has no sung theme; the instrumental James Bond Theme, composed by Monty Norman and played by the John Barry Orchestra, opens the film. The film, directed by Terence Young, also features Jump Up by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. UK premiere reported 7 October 1962; US release reported 8 May 1963.

Matt Monro sang the theme for From Russia with Love (1963), directed by Terence Young, and John Barry composed the score. The film sends Bond to Istanbul and the Orient Express. UK premiere reported 11 October 1963; US release reported 8 April 1964.

Shirley Bassey sang the Goldfinger theme, and John Barry composed the score for the film directed by Guy Hamilton. Goldfinger (1964) is also where Bond gets the gadget loaded Aston Martin. UK premiere reported 20 September 1964; US release confirmed 22 December 1964.

Louis Armstrong performed We Have All the Time in the World for On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), with John Barry as composer. The film was directed by Peter R. Hunt and stars George Lazenby as Bond. UK premiere and US release are both reported as 18 December 1969.

Wings, credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, performed the theme for Live and Let Die (1973), directed by Guy Hamilton, and George Martin composed the score. The film also uses a nightclub version by B. J. Arnau and Just a Closer Walk with Thee by the Olympia Brass Band. UK premiere reported 6 July 1973; US release confirmed 27 June 1973.

Lulu sang the title song of The Man with the Golden Gun, and John Barry scored the film. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), directed by Guy Hamilton, pits Roger Moore against the assassin Scaramanga. UK premiere reported 19 December 1974; US release reported 18 December 1974.

Carly Simon sang Nobody Does It Better, the theme for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Marvin Hamlisch composed the score. Directed by Lewis Gilbert, the film has a theme titled Nobody Does It Better, not The Spy Who Loved Me. UK premiere reported 20 July 1977; US release reported 13 July 1977.

Shirley Bassey sang the Moonraker theme, with John Barry as composer. Moonraker (1979), directed by Lewis Gilbert, follows a hijacked space shuttle. UK premiere reported 27 June 1979; US release reported 29 June 1979.

Sheena Easton sang the For Your Eyes Only title song, and Bill Conti composed the score; the song earned an Oscar nomination. For Your Eyes Only (1981) was John Glen's first film as Bond director. UK premiere reported 24 June 1981; US release confirmed 26 June 1981.

Rita Coolidge sang All Time High, the Octopussy theme, which does not share the film's title. Octopussy (1983), directed by John Glen, was scored by John Barry. UK premiere reported 5 June 1983; US release reported 10 June 1983.

Duran Duran recorded A View to a Kill, with John Barry composing the score, and the film also uses California Girls by Gidea Park with Adrian Baker. A View to a Kill (1985), directed by John Glen, was Roger Moore's last outing as Bond. UK premiere reported 13 June 1985; US release reported 24 May 1985.

The band a-ha performed the title song of The Living Daylights, and The Pretenders contributed If There Was a Man and Where Has Everybody Gone?. The Living Daylights (1987), directed by John Glen, introduced Timothy Dalton and carries John Barry's last Bond score. UK premiere reported 29 June 1987; US release confirmed 31 July 1987.

Gladys Knight sang the Licence to Kill title song, and Patti LaBelle added If You Asked Me To. Licence to Kill (1989), directed by John Glen, was scored by Michael Kamen, who took over from John Barry. UK premiere reported 13 June 1989; US release confirmed 14 July 1989.

Sheryl Crow sang the Tomorrow Never Dies title song, while k.d. lang contributed Surrender, and David Arnold composed the score. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. UK premiere reported 11 December 1997; US release confirmed 19 December 1997.

Garbage performed The World Is Not Enough title song, and Scott Walker's Only Myself to Blame also features; David Arnold scored the film. The World Is Not Enough (1999) was directed by Michael Apted. UK premiere reported 26 November 1999; US release reported 19 November 1999.

Madonna sang the title song of Die Another Day, and David Arnold composed the score. Die Another Day (2002) was directed by Lee Tamahori. UK premiere reported 17 November 2002; US release reported 22 November 2002.

Adele sang Skyfall, and it became the first Bond theme to win the Oscar for Best Original Song, on 24 February 2013. Skyfall (2012), directed by Sam Mendes, was scored by Thomas Newman. UK premiere 23 October 2012 (general release 26 October 2012, confirmed); US release reported 9 November 2012.

Sam Smith sang Writing's on the Wall, the Spectre theme, and Thomas Newman composed the score. Spectre (2015), directed by Sam Mendes, opens in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead. UK premiere reported 26 October 2015; US release reported 6 November 2015.

Billie Eilish sang the title song of No Time to Die (2021), and Hans Zimmer composed the score. The film was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. UK premiere 28 September 2021 (general release 30 September 2021, confirmed); US release confirmed 8 October 2021.

Dusty Springfield sang The Look of Love, the song of Casino Royale (1967), with a score by Burt Bacharach. The film sits outside the EON series: producer Charles K. Feldman owned the rights to Ian Fleming's novel and turned it into a spoof starring Peter Sellers and David Niven. Five directors share the credit: Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joseph McGrath and Robert Parrish. UK premiere reported 23 April 1967; US release confirmed 28 April 1967.

Lani Hall sang the Never Say Never Again title song, with Michel Legrand as composer. Never Say Never Again (1983), directed by Irvin Kershner, is an unofficial, non EON retelling of the Thunderball story. UK premiere reported 15 December 1983; US release confirmed 7 October 1983.

Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey is the best James Bond theme song in this ranking, which scores each song on how well it fits its film. The order is my own opinion, and the ten below are drawn from 19 of the 25 EON films.

1. Goldfinger (Goldfinger): Shirley Bassey's song arrives in the same film as the Aston Martin and the golf match, and no other theme sets the tone for a whole film so cleanly.
2. Skyfall (Skyfall): Adele's song became the first Bond theme to win the Oscar, and it suits a film about M and Bond's past.
3. Live and Let Die (Live and Let Die): Wings and George Martin gave the series a rock sound that fits the Louisiana boat chase.
4. Nobody Does It Better (The Spy Who Loved Me): Carly Simon's song is the most romantic of the lot, and its title differs from the film's.
5. A View to a Kill (A View to a Kill): Duran Duran with John Barry fits the Golden Gate Bridge finale.
6. For Your Eyes Only (For Your Eyes Only): Sheena Easton and Bill Conti earned an Oscar nomination, and the song is a calm counterpoint to John Glen's ski and cliff work.
7. We Have All the Time in the World (On Her Majesty's Secret Service): Louis Armstrong's song suits the Swiss Alps ski chases in George Lazenby's only Bond film.
8. No Time to Die (No Time to Die): Billie Eilish, with Hans Zimmer scoring, gave a quiet, modern take that suits Daniel Craig's final Bond film.
9. The Living Daylights (The Living Daylights): a-ha and John Barry made a synth driven opening for Timothy Dalton's debut.
10. Licence to Kill (Licence to Kill): Gladys Knight's brass heavy song matches the harder tone of Dalton's second film.