Singers of James Bond Theme Songs Quiz

Answer: Shirley Bassey

The third James Bond movie to release, appearing in theatres in 1964, "Goldfinger" set the standard for songs with Shirley Bassey's opening theme. The song was so iconic that Shirley Bassey returned to sing the theme for "Diamonds Are Forever" eight years later (in 1973) and "Moonraker", once more, in 1979. "Goldfinger" was by far the most popular and, for all it was, a dramatic influence on all Bond themes going forward.

It would be the top-charting track of the series' early days.

Answer: Paul McCartney & Wings

While earlier James Bond films saw the likes of Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, and Nancy Sinatra taking on the role of theme song vocalists, "Live and Let Die" was the first to bring in a dash of rock. The 1973 film was the first to bring in new Bond actor Roger Moore and, with him, a shift in theme and setting.

The track was a hit for Wings and ended up nominated for 'Academy Award for Best Original Song'. It would be the second Bond theme to do so after the song "The Look of Love", which was featured in the Bond parody "Casino Royale" (1967).

Answer: Carly Simon

The first opening theme from a James Bond film (since Bond's debut in "Dr. No") not to be named after the film it was featured in, "Nobody Does It Better" was composed by EGOT-winner Marvin Hamlisch who, coincidentally, wrote the song that beat out "Live and Let Die" for the Oscar (he made "The Way We Were"). "Nobody Does It Better" would also end up nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy, but it would end up losing on both accounts. Carly Simon wouldn't shy away from future soundtrack work either; she would create music for "Working Girl", winning an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for that in 1989.

Answer: Sheena Easton

Bringing James Bond into the 1980s, "For Your Eyes Only" brought Bond back to Earth after his time in space in "Moonraker". For this Roger Moore outing, filmmakers relied on eventual Oscar-winner Bill Conti to create the theme tune, and though he originally wrote it for Donna Summer, it was inevitably given over to Sheena Easton who would also cameo in the same film (during the opening credits).

Sheena Easton would go on to have a massively successful decade in the music industry.

Answer: Duran Duran

The first James Bond theme to hit number one in the United States, "A View to a Kill" was one of the later hits of 1980s rock band Duran Duran's original line-up. The last film in the Roger Moore era of James Bond movies, "A View to a Kill" was released in 1985.

It was one of the lesser-regarded films in the series (at least by critics), but the theme song was, adversely, one of the most successful. Composer John Barry, responsible for this track, would come back for "The Living Daylights", recorded by A-ha in 1987.

Answer: Tina Turner

"Goldeneye" kicked off the Brosnan era of James Bond films and with this popular iteration came the Tina Turner-sung title track. Similar to "Goldfinger" in its bombast and dramatic turn, "Goldeneye" played against a stylized opening sequence featuring imagery depicting the fall of the Soviet Union, an element that had a significant bearing on the plot of the movie.

The track came at a big time in Turner's career, right after the release of her biographical film "What's Love Got to Do with It" (1993).

Interestingly, much like other Bond films, the movie received a number of potential backup songs from other artists of the era; "Goldeneye" could've been a song recorded by Ace of Base!

Answer: Garbage

Performed in an opening sequence flipping between the black and white of crude oil, the almost-psychedelic colours of light running through it, and the movement of oil derricks, the song "The World is Not Enough" was a sweeping track that wasn't easily placed next to Garbage's popular hits in the 1990s though it fit well in the canon of Bond themes. Composer David Arnold, who had a hand in the music of this film and its predecessor, attached singer Shirley Manson to the project because he likened her to a real life Bond girl.

Answer: Chris Cornell

Though many might believe that Chris Cornell's best days were in the grunge scene in the 1990s, "You Know My Name" was the high-stakes, upbeat Bond track that may have proved the opposite. Nominated for a Grammy, the song was the first in decades not to take the same name as the film.

In the film, the song plays after the trademark shot of Bond seen down the barrel of a gun and features a stylized sequence featuring card suits, casino imagery, and bullseyes, all obvious nods to the contents of the film to follow.

Answer: Adele

One of the largest successes of all the Bond themes, "Skyfall" was a highly-anticipated track by one of the most powerful UK singers of the 2010s, Adele, who created the song alongside her regular songwriter Paul Epworth. The pair would go on to win a Grammy and an Oscar for their work on the song, considered quintessential Bond in a way that the series hadn't achieved since "Goldfinger".

The opening sequence for this film, featuring Bond being shot and plunging into a river, features many images of death, the titular Skyfall (a lodge in Scotland), and sweeping images that foreshadow the darker story to unfold.

Answer: Billie Eilish

While "No Time to Die", the twenty-fifth Bond film, was scheduled to be released earlier, more in line with the title track's release, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the film's release to a more reasonable time for theatre viewing. It did, however, give more time for listeners to enjoy the Billie Eilish track at a time when her second album was eagerly anticipated. "No Time to Die" became the third consecutive Oscar-winner for a Bond theme (after "Skyfall" and Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall", written for "Spectre"). With it, Eilish became the first-ever Oscar winner born after the year 2000.