34.10 The James Bond Theme Song Bracket

Just after we finished the bracket for the best James Bond film, Luke and I kept on going, using the same bracket and the same faulty feeders to determine the best James Bond theme song. Just like the film bracket, the results here might surprise you. Jack White and Alicia Keyes made cinema history when they collaborated on what White called “the most divisive thing I’ve ever done,” the theme song to Quantum of Solace titled “Another Way to Die.” EON Productions originally tried to sign Amy Winehouse, but her death opened the door to White who saw a shrinking schedule as a way to capitalize on doing something completely original. Keeping to a musical style dating back to Tina Turner’s incredible title song to “Goldeneye,” White brought in Alicia Keyes to add an R and B flavor to his alternative bent. The result, “Another Way to Die” has become a James Bond Theme song you either love or hate. Like it or not, the song remains the only duet in the James Bond catalogue to describe what it must be like for a secret agent to deal with the immense pressures of life undercover. With White’s guitar and Keyes’ piano leading a cacophony of sound, Another Way to Die has become a powerhouse anthem of fear and anxiety – definitely an unusual way of thinking about cinema’s most famous spy.