The rejected James Bond theme songs

Sam Smith was pissy about Radiohead releasing their discarded "Spectre" theme. It was better than his offering, but not by much for a Bond theme.

This was for a video game but spot-on.

kd lang's Surrender was much better than Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies but Crow was a bigger star at the time so they went with her. But it was too good to waste so they put it on the end credits.

This was fascinating! I had no idea there were so many rejected Bond themes from such notable artists. I think, in most (not all) cases, producers made the right call. And, let's be real, they often just went the bigger name at the time.

Though, yeah, the Radiohead song is much better than the Sam Smith song (especially Jonny Greenwood's arrangement -- he REALLY knows how to deliver a dramatic string section!)

Thanks for sharing, OP.

Blondie's "For Your Eyes Only" was good. The smack-addled band misunderstood the assignment: The producers wanted Debbie Harry to sing the pre-written song Sheena Easton ended up recording, not for the band to provide an original composition. They did it anyway.

This is my all time favorite rejected Bond theme, and the one that got closest to adoption:

R5 Holy SHIT. That's actually good. Easton was the better choice tho.

There hasn’t t been a good bond theme since view to a kill. Goldeneye and skyfall were ok. But second tier compared to the Shirley Bassey songs, live and let die, nobody does it better etc.

This is a “cassette quality demo” by Saint Etienne for Tomorrow Never Dies. I get why they weren’t chosen — the filmmakers didn’t want something winsome and retro, they wanted what was “in.” But this is just adorable.

R9 Nah, that's VERY Saint Etienne--and good-- but not a Bond theme.

[quote] Holy SHIT. That's actually good. Easton was the better choice tho.

Donna Summer would have been the best choice had it not been for the studio heads.

The Blondie For Your Eyes Only is a riot, but it would’ve been ludicrous as a Bond theme.

Debbie Harry’s opening line Sprachgesang delivery of “Don’t! Look over my shoulda / I’m tryin’ da read!” in her best New Jersey accent, however delightful it may be, suggests parody rather than the real thing.

Still love it, though.