You Only Live Twice (song)

"You Only Live Twice", performed by Nancy Sinatra, is the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film of the same name. The music was by veteran Bond film composer John Barry, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The song is widely recognized for its striking opening bars, featuring a simple 2-bar theme in the high octaves of the violins and lush harmonies from French horns. It is considered by some to be among the best James Bond theme songs,[1] and has become one of Nancy Sinatra's best known hits. Shortly after Barry's production, Sinatra's producer Lee Hazlewood released a more guitar-based single version.

"You Only Live Twice"
Side A of the US single
Single by Nancy Sinatra
from the album You Only Live Twice
Released1967
Recorded2 May 1967 at the CTS Studios in London
Genre
Length2:48
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Barry

The song has been extensively covered by artists, from Coldplay to Soft Cell, Björk and Little Anthony & The Imperials to Shirley Bassey. Robbie Williams notably re-recorded the opening bars of the song for his hit "Millennium".

Background

Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s

James Bond veteran John Barry returned to the franchise to produce the score. The lyrics were by Leslie Bricusse, who had previously cowritten the lyrics for the theme to Goldfinger.

An initial version of the song was performed by Julie Rogers and recorded with a 50 or 60 piece orchestra at CTS Studios. However, this version was not used since Barry decided to re-write and re-record the song: "It was usually the producers that said 'this isn't working, there's a certain something that it needed'. If that energy wasn't there, if that mysterioso kind of thing wasn't there, then it wasn't going to work for the movie."[2] The Rogers song shares only two lines with the final version, "You only live twice", and "you’ll pay the price". Although there are many similarities in the harmony and orchestration with the final version, it is essentially a different song, with a less lush and more ethnic character.

The film's producer Cubby Broccoli, wanted his friend Frank Sinatra to perform the song. Frank suggested that they use his daughter instead. Barry wanted to use Aretha Franklin, but the producers insisted that he use Nancy instead, who was enjoying great popularity in the wake of her single, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".[3]

The final version (2:46) featured in the film's opening title sequence and on the soundtrack LP is in the key of B and has a single vocal track. The song was recorded with a 60 piece orchestra on 2 May 1967 at the CTS Studios in Bayswater, London.[4] Sinatra later recalled that she was incredibly nervous during the recording, and it took around 30 takes to acquire enough material.[5] Producer John Barry eventually created the final version by incorporating vocals from 25 takes.[6]

In UK the soundtrack had been released but while soundtracks such as Doctor Zhivago and Fiddler on the Roof hit the Top 20, You Only Live Twice was less successful. Nancy Sinatra's single version squeezed into the Top 20 for two weeks only. Barry also released an instrumental version but this failed to chart.

In Japan, the soundtrack was released in a gatefold with images from the film and a plot summary.[7]

Critical reception

Roy Wood described Barry's string introduction to his song "You Only Live Twice" as "absolute perfection". Mark Monahan of The Daily Telegraph described the lyrics as "mysterious, romantically carpe diem ... at once velvety, brittle and quite bewitching".[8] David Ehrlich of Rolling Stone ranked "You Only Live Twice" the third best James Bond theme song, calling it "a classic."[9]

Cover versions

The song is one of the most covered Bond themes.

The song was used in the closing montage of Mad Men's season five finale, "The Phantom".[1] A parody of the song was created for The Simpsons episode "YOLO".

Charts

Chart (1967) Peak
position
AUS10
CAN39
UK11
US44
US AC3

[13]

See also

References

  1. Rosen, Christopher (2012-06-11). "'Mad Men' 'You Only Live Twice': Season 5 Finale Closes With Bond Theme". The Huffington Post.
  2. MI6-HQ Copyright 2011. "You Only Sing Twice - MI6 uncovers the twists and turns that the You Only Live Twice theme song took, from Julie Rogers to Nancy Sinatra :: MI6 :: You Only Live Twice (1967) :: James Bond 007". Mi6-hq.com. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  3. Hastings, Rob (1 February 2011). "Tributes to John Barry, the man with the Midas touch for movie music". The Independent.
  4. Jon Burlingame (November 2012). The Music Of James Bond. Oxford University Press. pp. 197–. ISBN 978-0-19-998676-7. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  5. Jon Burlingame (November 2012). The Music Of James Bond. Oxford University Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-19-998676-7. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  6. Jon Burlingame (November 2012). The Music Of James Bond. Oxford University Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-19-998676-7. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  7. The Definitive Story of You Only Live Twice. Graham Thomas. Kindle.
  8. Monahan, Mark (2006-11-16). "James Bond songs From Bassey and Barry to Bono and Tina". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  9. Ehrlich, David (2015-11-02). "James Bond Movie Theme Songs, Ranked Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  10. Burlingame, Jon The Music of James Bond Oxford University Press, 1 Nov 2012
  11. "YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (On ne vit que deux fois) Alternate Opening by Little Anthony & The Imperials". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  12. "Nancy Sinatra, 'You Only Live Twice' (1967)". Rolling Stone.
  13. Paul Simpson (2002). The Rough Guide to James Bond. Rough Guides. p. 227. ISBN 978-1-84353-142-5. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
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