Month: August 2021

SUMMARY:                           RUNNING TIME: 2:57 Min.

As a trio, in solo turns, and with back-up help, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, & Pierce Brosnan cover this ABBA tune for 2008’s Mamma Mia! soundtrack.  Amanda Seyfried makes a late contribution (including on the chorus), and evidently Meryl Streep does, too, on chorus.

REVIEW:

The amateurism of Stellan Skarsgard and Pierce Brosnan fits the song’s corny lyrics – keeping in mind that their characters waxing middle-age nostalgia aren’t supposed to be polished vocalists.  Colin Firth’s presence stands out more, as he imbues this tune’s storytelling with some welcome poignancy.  Even better is how Skarsgard, Brosnan, and Firth surprisingly mesh as a trio – the end result is good as it could have been hoped for. 

As for Amanda Seyfried’s contribution, her assigned lyrics are slightly silly, but she adds welcome energy late in the song.  “Our Last Summer” is among the soundtrack’s weakest efforts, but the tune is still likable enough.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                           6 Stars

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SUMMARY:                              RUNNING TIME: 4:46 Min.

Released as a single separate from the Skyfall soundtrack album, Adele performs the title tune for Daniel Craig’s 2012 James Bond film.  The song subsequently scored multiple accolades in the U.S. and the U.K., including the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, and a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media.   

Adele co-wrote this song with Paul Epworth, with orchestration from J.A.C. Redford.

REVIEW:

Judging by its slew of top awards, “Skyfall” is presumably the best-ever James Bond theme song.  Including her songwriting talents, the classiness Adele exudes on this track can’t be overstated.  Her sultry vocals rival that of Shirley Bassey, who holds the record of generating three Bond title songs.  Yet, short of John Barry’s original Bond instrumental, is Adele’s song now the definitive Bond song?  Or is it overrated among other Bond themes?

During its initial release, this song wisely didn’t overstay its welcome unlike Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic (i.e. hearing Dion’s pop ballad on the radio seemingly every five minutes for months on end).  Still, Adele’s “Skyfall” is borderline overrated.  This reality is mostly attributable to Adele’s vast star power.  Had any lesser performer rendered the song’s moody lyrics, this track wouldn’t likely have attracted nearly as much attention.  Suffice to say, Adele makes the song sound better than it really ought to — for instance, by deftly incorporating the movie’s title.

In terms of the last forty years, the short answer is that, yes, Adele’s “Skyfall” is indeed the best Bond tune.  The Bond movie franchise has enjoyed numerous big-name theme songs, but so few become a radio phenomenon, let alone claim awards. Going as far back as Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only” and Duran Duran’s “View to a Kill,” their 80’s airplay was considerable, but neither one resonates like Adele’s tune does. 

However, one could make persuasive claims for Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” and/or Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better” besting Adele’s song in long-term staying power.  As dynamite of a download as “Skyfall” is, it isn’t yet necessarily the best-of-the-best among Bond themes.         

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8½ Stars

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