"GoldenEye" is a song written by Irish musicians
Bono and
the Edge and performed by American singer
Tina Turner. It served as the theme for the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. Produced by
Nellee Hooper and released as a single on November 6, 1995 by
Virgin (US) and
Parlophone (UK), the track was a chart hit in Europe. It topped the
Hungarian Singles Chart and reached the top five in Austria, Finland, France, Italy and Switzerland, as well as number 10 on the
UK Singles Chart. "GoldenEye" was less successful outside Europe, reaching number 43 in Canada, number 63 in Australia, and number two on the US
BillboardBubbling Under Hot 100. The music video for the song was directed by
Jake Scott.
A 28-second sample of "GoldenEye". The song has been compared to previous James Bond themes, with Turner's voice specifically compared to that of
Shirley Bassey
Depeche Mode was initially approached in 1994 to sing the main theme song for GoldenEye, but were coming to the end of their
Devotional Tour and could not meet the schedule. Instead, the producers got
Tina Turner to agree to do the song. After being informed of Turner's involvement,
Bono and
the Edge of Irish rock band
U2 were next to join, and agreed to write the song. The track was produced and mixed by British producer/remixer/composer
Nellee Hooper, best known for his work with
Massive Attack,
Madonna, U2, and
Björk. The track reached number ten on the
UK Singles Chart and became a top-five hit in several European countries.[3][4]
Larry Flick from Billboard described "GoldenEye" as a "gloriously over-the-top James Bond theme"[6] and a "tingly, feline performance" by Turner. He found that producer Nellee Hooper "captures the essence of the movie, wrapping the track in sweeping strings and horns that are fondly reminiscent" of the 1964 movie Goldfinger, and added that U2's Bono and the Edge "get in on the fun, writing a tune that's fraught with cryptic lyrical twists and romantic intrigue."[7]James Masterton for Dotmusic said that "like most Bond themes it tends towards the sweeping style of the early
John Barry efforts yet still manages to retain its own identity."[8]Nisid Hajari from Entertainment Weekly stated that the
James Bond myth "certainly allows for the trinity of Sex, Danger, and Elegance to verge on melodrama." He noted the song's "self-conscious vocals and maudlin horns and strings", that "blithely crosses the line".[9]
A reviewer from Liverpool Echo felt that Turner "manages to sound like
Shirley Bassey".[10] David Cook from The Michigan Daily wrote that "it's amazing how similar this song sounds to other opening songs from previous James Bond movies — there must be some magic formula to making all of the sound so Bondlike."[11] Pan-European magazine Music & Media deemed it a "perfect candidate" for the soundtrack of 007's "latest adventure", stating that Turner "and her raw
R&B power easily fit in the Shirley Bassey tradition." They also noted that the composers "stayed close to the traditional James Bond sound".[12]Music Week gave the song top score with five out of five, writing that the singer's voice "soars above a swirling orchestra in this powerful single with a classic Bond feel."[13] Jeff Farance from The News-Journal, while reviewing the movie, felt that the title sequence is "pure Bond, with Tina Turner belting out the title song in the grand tradition of magnificent music for 007."[14] Mark Sutherland from NME said that "Tina Turner turns in the traditional Shirley Bassey-esque theme with a performance so dramatic that there's no way anything on screen will ever be able to match it."[15]
Music video
The accompanying music video for "GoldenEye" was directed by English film director
Jake Scott[16] and edited by David D. Williams.[17] It was produced by Caroline True and Ellen Jacobson-Clarke,[17] and made its debut at the end of October 1995.[18][19] The video features Turner, wearing a long white strapless dress, either sitting on a chair or walking on a catwalk in front of a large golden eye.[17] In between there are several scenes from the movie. The video also features Sudanese model
Alek Wek.[20]
Like many Bond themes before it, Tina Turner's version was not the only recorded song for the film. Swedish pop band
Ace of Base also recorded a song that was optioned to the studio. Ace of Base's "The GoldenEye" was later reworked into "
The Juvenile" which appeared on their Da Capo album in 2002.[67]
Samples and covers
In 1999, French rapper
Kohndo has sampled parts of the instrumentals in his song "Survivre".
In 2008, Lil Mass, another French rapper, sampled it in the song "Beatdown".
The song appeared in an episode of
MTV series Human Giant and again in the 2010 film Beatdown.
American singer
Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of pop group
Pussycat Dolls, covered the single for the 2010 remake of the video game GoldenEye 007. The song plays during the game's introduction.
Finnish alternative rock band
End of You covered the song for their 2008 album Mimesis.
^Slant Staff (October 4, 2021).
"Every James Bond Theme Song Ranked". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2024. ...Nellee Hopper creates a musical tapestry fit for the electronica-saturated '90s without overindulging in technological gimmickry.