The Living Daylights (song)

"The Living Daylights" is a song performed by Norwegian pop group A-ha for the 1987 James Bond film of the same name. It was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. After first appearing in the context of the film, a revised version was included in the band's Stay on These Roads studio album, which came out in 1988.

"The Living Daylights"
One of standard European artworks
Single by A-ha
from the album The Living Daylights (soundtrack) and Stay on These Roads
B-side"The Living Daylights" (instrumental)
Released22 June 1987 (1987-06-22)
Recorded1987
Genre
Length
  • 4:14 (movie version)
  • 4:46 (album version)
  • 6:48 (extended mix)
  • 4:40 (instrumental version)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
A-ha singles chronology
"Manhattan Skyline"
(1987)		 "The Living Daylights"
(1987)		 "Stay on These Roads"
(1988)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"A View to a Kill"
(1985)		 "The Living Daylights"
(1987)		 "Licence to Kill"
(1989)

Origin and recording

John Barry was listed on the credits as co-writer and producer, and the initial release of the song was his version. A second version of the song, re-worked by A-ha in 1988, later appeared on their third album, Stay on These Roads.

When interviewed on a late-night show in 1987, Barry said that he found working with the band exhausting secondary to the band's insistence on using their own version of the song for release.[1] In an interview with Hot Rod Magazine, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen said that "[the band's] fight with Barry left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Apparently, he compared us to Hitlerjugend in a newspaper interview."[2] Waaktaar stated that although Barry produced the track, he never contributed to the songwriting process and should not have been credited as such.[1] (The band Duran Duran made similar claims after they worked briefly with Barry on the theme to the previous Bond film, "A View to a Kill", in 1985.) However, Waaktaar has also said: "I loved the stuff he [John Barry] added to the track. I mean, it gave it this sort of really cool string arrangement. That's when it, for me, started to sound like a Bond thing."[3]

Release and reception

"The Living Daylights" was released in the summer of 1987. The song peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number one in Norway.

The song remains one of A-ha's most played songs in live concerts and has often been extended into a "sing-along" with the audience, as featured on the live album How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head. In live performances, Paul Waaktaar often included the main James Bond Theme in his guitar solo.

Evan Cater of Allmusic said the song was "a strong sample of Seven and the Ragged Tiger-influenced Europop, enhanced by Morten Harket's powerhouse falsetto vocals."[4]

South African heavy metal band The Narrow released a cover version in 2005.[5]

Music video

The music video, which was directed by Steve Barron, was shot at the 007 Stage in London, which was built specifically for the Bond franchise.[1] It features various scenes from the film projected on to the band as they perform in the empty 007 Stage. Separate footage from the movie itself is shown, along with footage from the film traced out and inserted to the footage of the band performing, which was a groundbreaking, yet expensive innovation at that time.

Formats and track listings

7": Warner Bros. / W 8305 United Kingdom
  1. "The Living Daylights" - 4:04
  2. "The Living Daylights" (Instrumental) - 4:36

12": Warner Bros. / W 8305T United Kingdom
  1. "The Living Daylights" (Extended Mix) - 6:48
  2. "The Living Daylights" (7 Inch Version) - 4:04
  3. "The Living Daylights" (Instrumental) - 4:36
  • Track 1 is also known as "Extended Version".
  • Also released as a 12" picture disc (W 8305TP)

Charts

Alternate rejected theme song

Like other Bond themes before it, A-ha's release was not the only recorded song for the film. Synthpop band Pet Shop Boys also recorded a song for the film that was optioned to the studio. The duo later reworked the song they submitted into "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave", which was released on their Behaviour album in 1990.

See also

References
  1. "The Official Community of A-ha". A-ha.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  2. "Interview for Hotrod Magazine with Magne Furuholmen" (PDF). magnef.org. February 2003. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
  3. "a-ha v John Barry Good Friends REALLY". Youtube.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  4. "Allmusic review of The Living Daylights soundtrack album". Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  5. http://www.asongz.com/mp3/the-narrow-the-living-daylights.html Retrieved 11 March 2014
  6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 13. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. "Austriancharts.at – a-ha – The Living Daylights" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  8. "Ultratop.be – a-ha – The Living Daylights" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0875." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  10. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 33. 22 August 1987. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  11. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 34. 29 August 1987. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  12. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. "Lescharts.com – a-ha – The Living Daylights" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Living Daylights". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  15. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 34. 29 August 1987. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – a-ha" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – a-ha – The Living Daylights" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  18. "Charts.nz – a-ha – The Living Daylights". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  19. "Norwegiancharts.com – a-ha – The Living Daylights". VG-lista. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  20. "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts A". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  21. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – a-ha – The Living Daylights". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – a-ha – The Living Daylights". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  24. "a-ha: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  25. "Offiziellecharts.de – a-ha – The Living Daylights". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  26. "Jaaroverzichten 1987 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  27. "European Charts of the Year 1987 – Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4 no. 51/52. 26 December 1987. p. 34. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  29. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1987" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
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