No Time to Die (song)

"No Time to Die" is a song by American singer and songwriter Billie Eilish. It is the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film of the same name, and was released through Darkroom and Interscope Records on February 13, 2020.[1] The song was written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, and recorded in a bedroom studio.[2][3] At age 18, Eilish is the youngest artist to have written and recorded a James Bond theme song.[4][5]

"No Time to Die"
Single by Billie Eilish
from the album No Time to Die
ReleasedFebruary 13, 2020 (2020-02-13)
RecordedOctober 2019
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Billie Eilish singles chronology
"Everything I Wanted"
(2019)
"No Time to Die"
(2020)
"Ilomilo"
(2020)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"Writing's on the Wall"
(2015)
"No Time to Die"
(2020)
Music video
No Time to Die on YouTube

"No Time to Die" debuted at top of the Irish Singles Chart and the UK Singles Chart. It became Eilish's first number-one single in the UK and made her the first artist born in the 21st century to top the chart. Furthermore, the song became the first James Bond theme by a female artist to top the UK chart, as well as only the second Bond theme ever to top that chart.[6] In the United States, "No Time to Die" debuted and peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[7]

The song is nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and release

In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Eilish explained how she was offered to make the next James Bond theme for No Time to Die, with her brother Finneas O'Connell.[8] On December 19, 2019, they flew to London to work with Hans Zimmer and his orchestra.[9] Finneas explained in an interview that he and his sister wrote and recorded the new James Bond theme song in three days while on a tour bus in Texas. While "No Time to Die" was still in production, the siblings met with the producer Barbara Broccoli, after performing a show in Dublin.[10][11] Broccoli had flown to meet Eilish and Finneas.[11] They were given parts of the script and started to create the theme. Finneas had originally tried to write the song on a guitar, but Eilish scrapped the idea.[11] Finneas later found a piano in the green room of a Texas arena and played a riff which would later appear in the song.[11]

Zimmer liked their demo and the trio would eventually meet in person to start recording the song with a 70-person orchestra at George Martin's AIR Studios.[11] She concluded saying, "For, like, a month-ish, like, half a month maybe, we were just kind of going back and forth to their team and us about, like, just getting it right and getting it right and getting it right and it went through a lot of different versions and then we got it, like, we all worked really hard, Hans was incredibly—like, easy to work with. It was a really good, collaborative experience."[9]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "No Time to Die" is a pop, electropop and R&B ballad.[12][13][14][8] The track runs at 74 BPM and is in the key of E minor. It runs at four minutes and two seconds.[15] Eilish's vocals span E3 to D5, which include a belted B4.[16] According to Roisin O'Connor of The Independent, the song "features classic elements of the most memorable Bond themes including a slow build; a dark, shivery theme; and dramatic orchestration".[17] Cassie Da Costa of The Daily Beast said the song "begins with moody, atmospheric piano music before Billie's pop-enunciated alto vibrato creeps in with depressive yet vague observations about love, loss, and violence".[18] The song features orchestral arrangements by Hans Zimmer as well as Johnny Marr on guitar.[19]

According to Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork, the lyrics reflect the "betrayal hinted at in the film's trailer and embody the tension of espionage".[14] In the chorus of the song, Eilish sings about a lover's betrayal "Was I stupid to love you?/ Was I reckless to help?/Was it obvious to everybody else/That I'd fallen for a lie?/You were never on my side/Fool me once, fool me twice/Are you death or paradise?/Now you'll never see me cry/There's just no time to die."[20]

Promotion

Eilish was announced as the performer of the theme song for the 25th film in the James Bond franchise in January 2020, initially via the franchise's official Twitter account.[21] Eilish called the opportunity "a huge honor",[2] and O'Connell said they "feel so so lucky to play a small role in such a legendary franchise".[2] No Time to Die director Cary Joji Fukunaga described himself as a fan of the duo, and the film's producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said the song is "impeccably crafted".[5] At the 92nd Academy Awards, Eilish said the ballad was "written" and "done".[22]

Eilish performed the song live for the first time at the 2020 Brit Awards on February 18, 2020 alongside Finneas, Zimmer and Marr.[18]

Music video

The official music video for "No Time to Die" was released on October 1, 2020.[23] The video was shot in black-and-white clip and was directed by Daniel Kleinman, who has designed every title sequence for the James Bond series since 1995, except Quantum of Solace in 2008.[23][24][25] In the visual, it shows Eilish singing behind an old-fashioned microphone, as she stares into the camera interspersed with scenes from the film showing James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) engaging in a love affair.[23][24][20] Justin Curto, writing for Vulture magazine, mentions the video has "smokey lounge-singer vibes".[26] Rachel McRady of Entertainment Tonight commented that it was clear that "Madeleine betrays 007 in some way as the video continuously shares shots of the agent looking distrustful as he gazes upon his ladylove".[23]

Critical reception

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave an overall positive review, stating that "No Time to Die" is a "confident", and "appealing addition to the Bond theme canon."[27] Chris Willman, writing for Variety, wrote that the track was one of the better James Bond themes to be written in the last 25 to 30 years.[28] Roisin O'Connor of The Independent stated that "'No Time To Die' is one of the best Bond theme songs we've had in some time."[29] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine said, "the lush, darkly cinematic track falls in line with past 007 themes".[30] Cassie Da Costa of The Daily Beast described the song as "not at the level" of Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger" and Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice", and said it was certainly not "Eilish's best, but as of late, the Bond universe has been perfectly satisfied with good enough."[18]

In June 2020, Billboard ranked "No Time to Die" as the 22nd best song of 2020 so far.[31]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal and 007.com.[32][33]

  • Billie Eilish – vocals, songwriting
  • Finneas – production, songwriting, bass, percussion, piano, synthesizer, drum programming, vocal arrangement
  • Stephen Lipson – production, mixing
  • Johnny Marr – guitar
  • Hans Zimmer – orchestral arrangements
  • Matt Dunkley – orchestral arrangements
  • Rob Kinelski – mixing
  • Casey Cuayo – mix engineering
  • Eli Heisler – mix engineering
  • John Greenham – mastering

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[76] Gold 40,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[77] Gold 45,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[78] Gold 30,000
Poland (ZPAV)[79] Platinum 20,000
Portugal (AFP)[80] Gold 5,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[82] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various February 14, 2020
[83][32]
Australia Contemporary hit radio Universal [84]
Italy [85]
United Kingdom February 15, 2020 [86]
Various September 14, 2020 7-inch single
  • Darkroom
  • Interscope
[87]
October 5, 2020 7" picture disc
[88]

See also

References

  1. "Billie Eilish's James Bond Theme, 'No Time to Die,' Gets a Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. Strauss, Matthew (January 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish Pens Theme Song for New James Bond Movie No Time to Die". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. Newstead, Al (January 15, 2020). "Billie Eilish to sing new James Bond theme song 'No Time To Die'". ABC Online. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  4. Goodman, Jessica (February 6, 2020). "Oscars 2020: Billie Eilish to have "special performance" at the Academy Awards". KNXV-TV. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  5. Snapes, Laura (January 14, 2020). "James Bond: Billie Eilish to provide No Time to Die theme". The Guardian. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  6. Copsey, Rob (February 21, 2020). "Billie Eilish's No Time To Die scores biggest opening week of all time for a James Bond theme". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  7. Roddy Ricch's 'The Box' Tops Hot 100 For Seventh Week, Dua Lipa Hits Top 5
  8. Alter, Rebecca (February 13, 2020). "Listen to Billie Eilish's Spooky James Bond Song, Place Your 2021 Oscar Bets Accordingly". Vulture. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  9. Bailey, Alyssa (February 14, 2020). "The Lyrics To Billie Eilish's James Bond Theme Song 'No Time To Die' Are Here". Elle. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  10. Ahlgrim, Callie (February 18, 2020). "Billie Eilish wrote and recorded her James Bond theme song in 3 days on a tour bus in Texas". Insider. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  11. Barshad, Amos (March 16, 2020). "The Girl With the Midas Touch How Billie Eilish, Finneas, and Hans Zimmer rethought the James Bond theme for a new generation". Vulture. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  12. James Young, David (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish's James Bond theme 'No Time To Die' is here". NME. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  13. Lavin, Will (February 28, 2020). "Listen to Our Last Night turn Billie Eilish's Bond theme 'No Time To Die' into a raging rock anthem". NME. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  14. Pearce, Sheldon (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish 'No Time to Die'". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  15. "Key and BPM of No Time To Die by Billie Eilish | Musicstax". musicstax.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  16. https://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0207489
  17. O'Connor, Roisin (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish releases 007 theme 'No Time to Die'". The Independent. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  18. Costa, Cassie da (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish's Bond Theme Is Sleek, Sorta Sexy, and a Bit of a Bore". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  19. Moye, David (February 13, 2020). "Billie Eilish Just Dropped Her New James Bond Theme 'No Time To Die'". HuffPost. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  20. Rowley, Glenn (October 1, 2020). "Billie Eilish Unveils Long-Awaited Music Video For 'Bond' Theme 'No Time to Die'". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  21. Vanderhoof, Erin (February 10, 2020). "Billie Eilish's Oscars 2020 Performance Proved Why She's Quickly Becoming One of Hollywood's Faves". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  22. Jones, Damian (February 11, 2020). "Billie Eilish says her James Bond theme song is a ballad". NME. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  23. McRady, Rachel (October 1, 2020). "Billie Eilish's New 'No Time to Die' Music Video Tells the Story of James Bond's Betrayal: Watch". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  24. Torres, Eric (October 1, 2020). "Billie Eilish Shares New Video for 'No Time to Die': Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  25. Kreps, Daniel (October 1, 2020). "Watch Billie Eilish's Video for James Bond Theme 'No Time to Die'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  26. Curto, Justin (October 1, 2020). "Billie Eilish Resurrects 'No Time to Die' With a Music Video". Vulture. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  27. Petridis, Alexis (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish: No Time to Die review – a Bond theme befitting the Craig era". The Guardian. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  28. Willman, Chris (February 14, 2020). "Billie Eilish's James Bond Theme: Nobody's Done It Better in Years (Column)". Variety. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  29. "Billie Eilish's 007 theme 'No Time to Die' is one of the best we've had in some time". The Independent. February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  30. Camp, Alexa. "Billie Eilish Drops Lush James Bond Theme Song "No Time to Die"". Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  31. "The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks". Billboard. June 10, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  32. "Credits – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  33. "No Time to Die theme released". 007.com. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  34. "Australian-charts.com – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  35. "Austriancharts.at – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  36. "Ultratop.be – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  37. "Ultratop.be – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  38. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  39. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 202020 into search. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  40. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202008 into search. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  41. "Track Top-40 Uge 7, 2020". Hitlisten. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  42. "EESTI TIPP-40 MUUSIKAS: Eesti Laulu lood tungivad edetabelisse – kes kõige kõrgemale?". Eesti Ekspress (in Estonian). Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  43. "Euro Digital Song Sales – February 29, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  44. "Billie Eilish: No Time to Die" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  45. "Top Singles (Week 8, 2020)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  46. "Offiziellecharts.de – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  47. "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 7/2020". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  48. "Metro Radio Chart (International) - Week: 9". Metro Broadcast Corporation. Archived from the original on March 6, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  49. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  50. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  51. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  52. "{{{artist}}}{{{song}}} Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  53. "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 8" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  54. "Billboard Japan Hot 100: 2020/03/02 付け". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  55. "Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles In Malaysia". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  56. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 10, 2020" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  57. "Dutchcharts.nl – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  58. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  59. "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 8, 2020". VG-lista. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  60. "Portuguesecharts.com – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  61. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  62. "RIAS International Top Charts Week 8". Recording Industry Association (Singapore). Archived from the original on March 1, 2020.
  63. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202008 into search. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  64. "Top 100 Canciones: Semana 8". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  65. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 8". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  66. "Swisscharts.com – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  67. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  68. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  69. "Billie Eilish Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  70. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  71. "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  72. "Single Top 100 - eladási darabszám alapján - 2020". Mahasz. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  73. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2020". hitparade.ch. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  74. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  75. "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  76. "Canadian single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". Music Canada. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  77. "Danish single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time To Die". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  78. "Norwegian single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  79. "Polish single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  80. "Portuguese single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  81. "British single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". British Phonographic Industry. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type No Time to Die in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  82. "American single certifications – Billie Eilish – No Time to Die". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 12, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  83. "No Time to Die by Billie Eilish". Amazon. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  84. "Singles To Radio". The Music Network. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  85. "BILLIE EILISH "No Time To Die" | (Radio Date: 14/02/2020)". radiodate.it. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  86. "BBC - Radio 1 Playlist". BBC. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  87. "No Time To Die [Ice 7" Single - Amazon Exclusive]". Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  88. "Billie Eilish Official Shop: No Time To Die 7" Vinyl Picture Disc". Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.