James Bond Is John Barry

How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol. III – text copyright © 2015 Brian Morrell Chapter 2 T H E N A M E’ S B O N D – J A M E S B O N D The real James Bond is John Barry Analysing the success of music from the James Bond franchise is an interesting undertaking, not least because Bond films perhaps more than most movies, are dependent on key musical harmonic devices, most of which were sculptured decades ago by John Barry. From the rugged but gentlemanly Sean Connery, the dapper and debonair Roger Moore and the strict, formal and moody Timothy Dalton and slick and smooth- talking Pierce Brosnan, to the gritty realism of Daniel Craig, the real James Bond is the music. More than in most films the music functions as its own character within the narrative. Essentially 007 is as much a creation of John Barry as it is of Ian Flemming or Cubby Broccoli. Bond is the longest running film franchise to date. There have been twenty three films with Skyfall being the latest, released on 26 October 2012. The various theme songs to the films have picked up Academy Award nominations on several occasions. Music analysed: James Bond Theme (John Barry / Monty Norman – from ‘Goldfinger’) Bond Theme (Moby – from ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’) The James Bond Theme (variation - David Arnold – from ‘Casino Royale’) Ride to Atlantis (Marvin Hamlisch – from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’) On the Beach (David Arnold – ‘Die Another Day’) Kiss Me (David Smith) White Night (David Arnold – Tomorrow Never Dies) Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney – from ‘Live and Let Die’) Surrender (KD Lang/David Arnold – from ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’) Tomorrow Never Dies (Sheryl Crow/David Arnold – from ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’) You Only Live Twice (John Barry/Leslie Bricusse – from ‘You Only Live Twice’) Nobody Does it Better (Marvin Hamlisch/Carol Bayer Sager – from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’) Thunderball (John Barry and Leslie Bricusse – from ‘Thunderball’) We have all the time in the world (John Barry/Hal David – from ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’) To a degree orchestral film music is relatively timeless. If we watch Jurassic Park (made in 1994), twenty years later if anything dates it, maybe the CGI does (although at the time it was revolutionary and ground- breaking). The same applies for Close Encounters, ET and countless other films; the music is as effective and relevant now as it was decades ago. I mention this because what dates the ‘Bond’ films musically and lends them an air of immediate nostalgia and specific identity in time are the title songs, which put an indelible aural date-stamp on the movies. Songs are a product of their time; this is one of the things which makes them endearing and revered. When we listen back to Live and Let Die , the production identity, arrangement, style and delivery of Paul McCartney’s brilliant song also is a rough indicator to when the film was made, using what was texturally popular at the time. The same applies to A View to a Kill by the band ‘A-ha’ and most other Bond title songs. What really defines Bond movies and unifies the franchise musically is the strong and consistent instrumental themes and harmonies / textures we associate with the films. These are the timeless musical elements which unite to accord Bond perhaps some of the most distinctive music in the world. The famous James Bond Theme was officially written by Monty Norman and notably arranged by John Barry. The authorship of the music has been a subject of discussion for many years; in 2001 Norman won £30,000 in libel damages from The Sunday Times , which had suggested that John Barry was entirely responsible for the composition. The theme was described by another Bond film composer, David Arnold, as ‘bebop-swing vibe coupled with that vicious, dark, distorted electric guitar, definitely an instrument of rock ‘n’ roll. He went on to say “It represented everything about the character you would want - it was cocky, swaggering, confident, dark, dangerous, suggestive and sexy”. This description alludes to Barry’s arrangement more than it does the composition itself. The piece is the arrangement. What is not in dispute is John Barry’s testimony in the Sunday Times v Monty Norman court case, which is a matter of public record; Barry was given the job of breathing life into an initial piece by Monty Norman. He said “The manuscript was confusing and didn’t convey too much.” How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol. III – text copyright © 2015 Brian Morrell He also stated that Monty Norman, having been told that Barry had changed the piece completely, had said “go ahead I’m not proud. Just tell him he gets no royalties.” Barry indeed received no royalties - he told the court - just a promise of more work. He would be paid £250 for his work. Monty Norman would receive credit because it was his contractual right. If Barry was unhappy with these terms then they would “find someone else”. According to John Barry, Broccoli and Saltzman (the film’s producers) “knew who had written the James Bond Theme”. Barry told the court that he never intended to claim for royalties and in the early years and never discussed the issue. However, increasingly the press would ask him about the ‘James Bond Theme’. He used to deny that he had anything to do with it but gradually accepted the truth when it was put to him in interviews. John Barry said “if Monty Norman’s music had been so successful, why didn’t he write the rest of the Bond films?” In court John Barry was asked “did Monty Norman write the James Bond Theme?” to which he replied “absolutely not”. A good rendition of the opening bars of the original James Bond theme is in the track entitled ‘Bond back in Action’ from the film Goldfinger. Fig.1 Audio - ‘Bond Back in Action’ (Goldfinger) Some of the most communicative elements of this piece are tied up in the brash, dramatic and swaggering 60s orchestration. The swung quavers which hit the first beat [of bar one] and then anticipate bar two, are effective and exuberant, scored as they are for four trumpets – the top and bottom of which represent the strong 5th of the Em chord, offering specific strength and identity. How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol. III – text copyright © 2015 Brian Morrell What also colours this piece considerably is the 9 th (F#) stated by the Horns (bar one, fig.1). It offers the only real harmonic movement and therefore catches our attention. The offbeat low trombones offer an extra dimension of rhythmic excitement. All these areas are probably subservient to the real harmonic powerhouse of the Bond movies – the specific sequence of chords from bar three onwards (fig.1). They are transcribed separately below (fig.2) Fig.2 Why does this chord progression work so well? If you play these chords on a keyboard instrument (with or without a string sound) it is recognisable instantly. Starting with a simple observation, the top and bottom of each of the chords has an obvious and dramatic upward/downward arc. On top of the harmonic arc (the apex of the phrase) sits a C# note, which represents the maj6th of the minor chord. This is the most communicative and dramatic interval in this manoeuvre. This is one of the ‘Bond’ chords. But the existence of a ‘great chord’ is an illusion; a myth. Chords are ‘great’ only in context. The surroundings have to deliver the chord properly. They have to signal its arrival. The ‘great chord’ is usually simply the destination, the result. The Em6 is a unilaterally interesting and exciting chord but it is of limited value without the two chords before it and the one chord after it. Like the trumpet chords in bar one of fig.1, the first string chord is supported at either end by the 5 th (B). The top and bottom notes (C, C#, C) of the subsequent chords move chromatically. The top and bottom C note of the second chord represents the root of the C chord whereas the top and bottom C# in the third chord represents the 6 th . The colours of these intervals are made more obvious by the strength created by the unison octave. The intervallic movement of the top and bottom notes of each of the string voicings is different to the note movement; the top and bottom note movement (B, C, C#, C) is chromatic but the intervals they represent aren’t which ensures the movement doesn’t sound overly chromatic. Also the middle two notes of each chord (below, fig.3) are identical but have different intervallic meanings as the phrase progresses: Fig.3 th th 5 5 rd rd 3 3 rd rd 3 3 st st 1 1 The electric guitar is effective and communicative; the sound is distinctive, memorable and at the time was modern and progressive. Perhaps dated and unfashionable by today’s standards, for its time the guitar represented everything that was cool and ‘hip’ about popular music. Fig.4 The guitar also functions well because on the second two beats of bar one and three (fig.4) the F# quaver notes function briefly as #4s, which lend the piece a sense of drama and urgency. The slightly dissonant D# and D notes (maj7 and 7) in bar five lend the piece a slightly skewed perspective. How Film & TV Music Communicate – Vol. III – text copyright © 2015 Brian Morrell A newer version of the same theme from the 2006 remake of Casino Royale features subtle orchestration differences.

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