“James Bond,” like the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” series, is a franchise that lives or dies by its score and soundtrack. Few others have as iconic a sound as Bond, and with every film, the reveal of the latest song is about as exciting as the release of the film itself. Adele absolutely killed it for Bond’s previous outing, “Skyfall,” but Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” was a decidedly mixed release.

There was nothing wrong with it, per se. The music is beautifully crafted (and very in-keeping with the Bond sound), and no one can argue that Smith’s voice has something to it, but at the end of the day, there’s nothing…catchy about it–at least not to this humble writer’s ear. 

All the same, fans are still likely interested in the ideas and process that went into make the latest song in the franchise, and the official vlog is more than happy to oblige.

Check out the official vlog below, where director Sam Mendes, producer Barbara Broccoli, and musical artist Sam Smith discuss the logic behind the song, and what it means to the film.

Despite my own personal feelings about the song, there’s little denying that the filmmakers got exactly what they wanted with this song.

“We just want to write the greatest love song,” Smith stated in the vlog.

Love isn’t exactly a theme that’s completely in-keeping with the traditional Bond–let’s face it, up until recently, Bond’s been a total womanizer. But given the real humanity that’s been brought to the character in the past three films with Daniel Craig’s interpretation, it does seem like a natural progression for the franchise. While the Bond films have been getting progressively bigger, they’ve also been getting a great deal more intimate–with “Skyfall” perhaps being the most personal Bond film to date. 

“It’s really important that you have a song that matches the feeling and the tone of the film,” Broccoli said. If we’re taking that quote to heart, then “SPECTRE” may very well be the most intimate Bond flick to date.

The official synopsis for the film is as follows:

“A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal.  Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
 
Meanwhile backin London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
 
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.”

What are your thoughts on the song? Of course it’s always hard to judge a Bond song before seeing it incorporated in the opening credits, but are your opinions different after having seen the vlog? Let us know your thoughts down below!

SOURCE:  Sony Pictures