We’re an Anglo-American musical group called SQUARE HALO and we’re keen to get songs from our Lyme disease awareness album ‘The Lyme Years’ featured in independent films. We have original, evocative, catchy, high-quality songs for sync licensing and we’re happy to waive the licence fee too!
Exclusively for Raindance, here are our favourite Bond Themes.
Singer-songwriter Demetrios Loukas of SQUARE HALO: His top James Bond theme song:
My personal top 3 James Bond theme songs are: ‘Licence to Kill‘ by Gladys Knight, ‘For Your Eyes Only‘ by Sheena Easton and ‘A View to a Kill‘ by Duran Duran. If I had to choose just one, it would have to be ‘Licence to Kill‘.
The song ‘Licence to Kill‘ was written by Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff but it was actually adapted from another very famous James Bond theme song called ‘Goldfinger‘ which was written by John Barry, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, and performed by Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey.
Walden: ‘Yes, we took that line and just built around it, yes, the James Bond famous horn line and incorporated it in our song, and we had to pay the writers a handsome share for it.‘
Of Gladys Knight‘s vocal performance and in particular, the opening line of the song ‘I need, I need, I gotta hold onto your love‘, Walden had this to say: ‘that was all her, all that coming together was like wow, something’s about to explode!‘.
For decades, I had no idea Walden and Afanasieff were behind this production but their involvement with two of my all-time favourite artists explains why I like it so much. Walden produced many of Whitney Houston‘s hit songs (including ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)‘, ‘All The Man That I Need‘, ‘So Emotional‘, ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go‘, ‘I’m Every Woman‘ and ‘One Moment in Time‘) and likewise, Afanasieff co-wrote and produced Mariah Carey‘s most famous songs (‘All I Want For Christmas Is You‘, ‘Anytime You Need A Friend’, ‘Can’t Let Go‘ and ‘Hero‘).
Soul diva Gladys Knight, a devout Christian, was uncomfortable with a song called ‘Licence to Kill‘ and was nervous she’d be associated with promoting violence.
Walden explains how he got Gladys to relate to the lyrics:
‘How do you take ‘Licence to Kill‘ and make it warm and fuzzy? And the only way I could think was I will hurt you, if you hurt my man, someone I love, and I think she kinda got behind that.‘
Composer, arranger and producer Treyvonce Ambers-Moore of SQUARE HALO: His top James Bond theme song:
The James Bond theme songs are all produced to such great quality that picking a favourite is honestly very challenging but If i were forced to choose, it would have to be between the three themes: ‘Diamonds are Forever‘, ‘Skyfall‘ and ‘No Time To Die‘ BUT before I go on, I must admit that I embarrassingly have never actually watched any of the previous James Bond Films except for the most recent film ‘No Time To Die‘, so it sounds a bit unfair to say ‘No Time To Die‘ is my favourite being that I haven’t experienced the visual combination with the themes.
But I’m a BIG fan of Billie Eilish‘s airy ghostly tone on the theme. I remember feeling completely encapsulated with warmth and mystery while watching the film.
‘Diamonds are Forever‘ would have to be the runner up because it gives such a classy and luxurious aesthetic all the while bringing a spacious sonic feeling. I must also point out that I heard this song years ago and I had no idea it was even part of a movie. I simply liked the smooth tone of the record. Strangely, though the song was released in 1971, I could very much see this theme being used in many TV shows and movies today.
What has also given this theme even more spotlight and recognition for me personally is Kanye West‘s remix that samples the theme in his song ‘Diamonds From Sierra Leone‘. As funny as it may sound, I was first introduced to the lyrics through Kanye West‘s version. This may be due to the fact that Kanye is just someone I heard a lot while growing up. Regardless, this is just an example of how James Bond theme music transcends generations!
Composer and co-writer Omar Shelesh of SQUARE HALO: His top James Bond theme song:
I’ve always been a fan of the 1970s Roger Moore-era Bond movies, and I’ve come to realize that it’s the theme music that forms a big part of that appeal. My top choices include the theme song Live and Let Die, from the 1973 film of the same name, which is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and memorable opening themes for a Bond movie. Written and performed by Paul and Linda McCartney, with George Martin in charge of production and orchestration, it was the first Bond theme to adopt a true rock and roll vibe.
Creatively, this was a wise move on the part of the producers, who wanted a fresh and exciting sound to accompany Roger Moore’s cinematic debut as 007. And this definitely shows in the music- with its combination of lyrical simplicity, powerful orchestration, seamless transitions between soft, melodic verses, and explosive, hard-hitting choruses, it is definitely written for impact.
Listen out for Martin’s instrumental arrangement of the song being used to great effect to underscore key scenes throughout the movie, such as the climax to the dramatic boat chase sequence through the Louisiana Bayou.
My overall favourite, however, is the theme song Nobody Does It Better, from the 1977 movie The Spy Who Loved Me. When it comes to classic 70s-era Bond theme music, Carly Simon’s smooth but emotively stirring vocal performance, seamlessly coupled with music composed and arranged by Marvin Hamlisch, this song really lives up to its name.
Simon’s articulate and instinctive phrasing brings real life and depth to Carole Bayer Sager’s lyrics, conveying the complex sense of attraction, admiration, and competition between the spies of rival superpowers (slickly portrayed by Roger Moore and Barbara Bach). From an instrumental standpoint, this is one of Hamlisch’s more adventurous works, demonstrating his mastery at fashioning a fusion of 70’s soft rock and traditionally lush orchestration, culminating in a beautifully crafted, emotionally resonant, and enduring piece of music that perfectly captures the essence of the Bond franchise.
As with all Bond theme music, it’s best experienced when accompanied by the seductive visuals of Maurice Binder’s opening title sequence.
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Check out SQUARE HALO’s favourite movie soundtracks here.
‘SQUARE HALO’ are a trio of creatives from across the globe: we have London-based singer-songwriter and Lyme disease lobbyist Demetrios Loukas, Minnesota-based music producer Treyvonce Ambers-Moore and Demetrios’s long-time co-writer Tokyo-based composer Omar Shelesh.
Their story begins with Demetrios, a former primary school teacher who contracted Lyme disease back in 2005 whilst on a school trip to a farm in Oxfordshire. The infection went undiagnosed and untreated for 8 years and during this time his health deteriorated with the infection spreading and his life hanging in the balance. He was however clinically diagnosed in 2013 and since then, his health has improved.
In 2015, Demetrios reached out to Treyvonce online and they started collaborating remotely. Their debut album ‘The Lyme Years’ took the group over 5 years to complete.
Whilst still suffering from the disease, Demetrios managed to turn this experience on its head and was inspired to fight back and thus two projects were born, the first being ‘The FIGHT LYME NOW Campaign’ and the second ‘SQUARE HALO’. We have a mismatch of science and music combining forces with two main objectives – to spread positivity and awareness of Lyme disease through musical collaborations and also lobbying for the recognition of chronic Lyme disease (which is currently dismissed by the international medical establishment) and the need for effective treatment for both acute and chronic Lyme disease including Lyme disease co-infections (which are currently not considered, much less treated).
Contact Demetrios by email here.
