The Only James Bond Theme Songs To Win At The Oscars

Adele is one of the most accomplished singers of her generation. In addition to being one of the world's best-selling musicians, she's won 16 Grammys, 18 Billboard Music Awards, 12 Brit Awards, five American Music Awards, and  among her other accolades, her "Skyfall" theme got James Bond an Oscar. 

James Bond movies have followed a winning formula that's kept 007 on movie screens for 60+ plus years, and that formula follows a few trademarks: Beautiful women, super-villain lairs with death traps, lots of guns, terrible puns, etc. Before the adventure truly kicks off, though, Bond films must have a lavish title sequence with a custom-composed song.

The first two Bond films, "Dr. No" and "From Russia With Love," actually used instrumental openings. Then for the third (and some say best) Bond film, "Goldfinger," the theme song had lyrics — written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, and sung by Shirley Bassey. "Goldfinger" the song is a lot like "Goldfinger" the movie: It may not be high art, but it sure is catchy. ("Goldfinger ... Beckons you to enter his web of sin ... But don't go in!")

"Goldfinger" then kickstarted the tradition of lyrical James Bond theme songs, which then snowballed into each new film getting a celebrity musician to write the theme song. Bond songwriters/singers have included huge names like Paul McCartney ("Live and Let Die"), Tina Turner ("GoldenEye"), and Madonna ("Die Another Day").

Even before Adele, Daniel Craig's Bond run recruited some especially impressive musicians: Chris Cornell ("Casino Royale"), and then Jack White and Alicia Keys ("Quantum of Solace"). For "Skyfall," Sony Pictures Music's Lia Vollack wanted a classical Bond theme like the ones Bassey had sung. She concluded Adele was the woman for the job: "Adele has this soulful, haunting, evocative quality, and she's a great writer. Stylistically, it just felt right to bring back that classic Shirley Bassey feel that you associate with those early Bond films."

Mixed with the film's stylish aquatic title sequence, Adele's "Skyfall" became a widely-acclaimed hit. The only other movie-original song I can remember making a similar impact in the modern era is "Shallow" from 2018's "A Star Is Born." So, no surprise, "Skyfall" (the song) netted Best Original Song at the 85th Academy Awards, winning alongside "Skyfall" (the film) composer Thomas Newman for Best Original Score. But did the good will from "Skyfall" carry the following Bond themes?

"Skyfall" was not the first Bond theme to be nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. Before that, there were three other Bond song nominees.

First, there was Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "The Look of Love" from the unofficial 1968 Bond film "Casino Royale" (not to be confused with the 2006 Daniel Craig-led "Casino Royale"). Then came Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager's "Nobody Does It Better" from 1978's "The Spy Who Loved Me." Finally, Bill Conti and Mick Leeson's "For Your Eyes Only," from the 1982 Bond film of the same title also earned a nomination. 

After "For Your Eyes Only," it would be 30 years before another Bond song was nominated — and finally won. The two Bond films since "Skyfall" have also taken home the Oscar for Best Original Song. Those would be 2015's "Spectre," featuring "Writing's On The Wall" from Sam Smith, and 2021's "No Time To Die," featuring the gothic track of the same name sung by Billie Eilish and co-written with her brother Finneas O'Connell. (After her win for "Barbie," Eilish is now a two-time Oscar winner.)

After the acclaim of "Skyfall," are any future Bond themes now just automatic Best Original Song shoe-ins? "Writing's On The Wall" underwhelmed on its debut and to this day is not remembered as a favorite Bond anthem; Smith's high-note vocals don't help carry the song's melodrama. Some have even said "Spectre" should've used Radiohead's rejected theme instead. 

Looking at the competition that year, "Writing's On The Wall" winning over Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens to You" (from campus rape documentary "The Hunting Ground") is downright galling. (Both songs were performed live at the 88th Oscars ceremony.) Then again, I think I know why the Academy didn't honor a song and film about institutional sexual abuse. (Harvey Weinstein was still a Hollywood power player, and it wasn't until 2018 when the Academy expelled Roman Polanski from membership.)

"No Time To Die," though? Now that's a good song, one that's as melancholic as the film it's made for. It didn't quite get "Skyfall"-level buzz, but "No Time To Die" is a worthy Best Original Song winner. So James Bond has gotten three Best Original Song wins, and two of those three deserved it. That's not a bad track record!