"Nobody Does It Better" is a power ballad and the theme song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, the song was produced by Richard Perry and performed by Carly Simon. It was the first Bond theme song to be titled differently from the name of the film since Dr. No (1962), although the phrase "the spy who loved me" is included in the lyrics. The song was released as a single from the film's soundtrack album, and became a major worldwide hit. Among the most successful Bond themes, the song spent three weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but was kept out of the top spot by Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for seven weeks,[1] becoming the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit of 1977.[2] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA, signifying sales of one million copies in the US.[3] It also reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Silver by the BPI.[4][5] The song received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Original Song in 1978, losing both to "You Light Up My Life" from the 1977 film of the same title. At the 20th Annual Grammy Awards held in 1978, "Nobody Does It Better" received a nomination for Song of the Year, and Simon was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. In 2004, "Nobody Does it Better" was honored by the American Film Institute as the 67th greatest film song as part of their 100 Years Series.[6] In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it the third-greatest James Bond theme song,[7] while Billboard ranked it the second-greatest.[8] In 2021, USA Today crowned "Nobody Does it Better" the greatest James Bond Theme Song.[9] The song has been performed live by Celine Dion[10] and Radiohead;[11] indeed, Radiohead's lead singer, Thom Yorke, called it the "sexiest song ever written".[12][13][14] Background and composition[edit]"Nobody Does It Better" is Simon's longest-charting hit, as well as the most successful hit of hers that she did not write herself. Her earlier hit "You're So Vain" spent three weeks at No. 1; however, its chart run was two months shorter than that of "Nobody Does It Better".[15] The title of the theme was later used for Simon's 1999 greatest hits compilation, The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better. Lyrically, "Nobody Does It Better" is a "lust-drunk anthem" about James Bond's sexual prowess.[16] In a 1977 documentary on the making of The Spy Who Loved Me, Marvin Hamlisch said that the decision to ask Simon to perform the song was made after lyricist Carole Bayer Sager remarked that the lyrics sounded "incredibly vain", in reference to Simon's 1972 song "You're So Vain". Reception[edit]Billboard Magazine described "Nobody Does It Better" as a "typically inventive and bombastic" James Bond theme song, stating that Simon sings it "as if she believed sincerely in the superhuman love powers of 007."[17] Cash Box said that it is "strictly star material in every detail" and that it has "a good enough melody to stand on its own," even if it wasn't a James Bond theme song.[18] Accolades[edit]
Track listing[edit]7" single[23]
Chart performance[edit]
Certifications[edit]See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Did Sheena Easton do a Bond song?"For Your Eyes Only" is the theme to the 12th James Bond movie of the same name, written by Bill Conti and Mick Leeson, and performed by Scottish singer Sheena Easton. The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number eight on the UK Singles Chart.
Where was the opening scene of The Spy Who Loved Me filmed?The spectacular opening ski jump, supposedly at 'Berngarten, Austria', was filmed on the 3,000-feet Asgard Peak, 50 miles from the town of Pangnirtung, in Auyuittuq National Park on the east coast of Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada.
Who did the James Bond songs?Billie Eilish - No Time to Die (2020) ... . Sam Smith - Writing's on the Wall (2015) ... . Adele - Skyfall (2012) ... . Jack White and Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die (2008) ... . Chris Cornell - You Know My Name (2006) ... . Madonna - Die Another Day (2002) ... . Garbage - The World Is Not Enough (1999) ... . Sheryl Crow - Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). What does Bond say at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me?“You're sensitive.” “About some things, yes”—the movie will end with Anya and James popping champagne in a Stromberg escape pod and (as Bond says in the film's final line) “keeping the British end up,” but it won't entirely shake the pathos of this moment.
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Who sang the theme tune to The Spy Who Loved Me?
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