The crucial advice Prince gave to Jack White regarding his ‘James Bond’ theme
For most musicians, there’s no greater honour than being graced with the opportunity to record a theme tune for the James Bond franchise. Jack White is one of the select few who has seen this privilege land on his lap. In 2008, he teamed up with Alicia Keys on ‘Another Way To Die’ and received praise from Prince for the effort.
Earlier this year, White’s Third Man Records reportedly purchased a test pressing of Prince’s lost-album Camille for $50,000. In their ‘Wired’ column, the Daily Star claimed that the former White Stripes man was hoping to “re-edit” the release. However, White later cleared the story up and said he didn’t intend to mess with the late musician’s creation.
In an Instagram post, White clarified why he purchased the album and his plans for Camille. He wrote: “I was referring to simply putting the songs in the original order that the album ‘Camille’ was in, as those songs have been put out in multiple releases since ‘Camille’ was first taken off the presses.”
White continued: “I would never mess with Prince’s music. Hopefully, that clears up any misunderstanding, and this album can see the light of day in its original form. Thank you. -Jack White III.”
Earlier this year, White spoke about his meeting with Prince backstage at a concert by The Citizens band, a group which featured his ex-wife Karen Elson and Zoë Kravitz. Following the show, the Detroit native was fortunate enough to converse with his guitar hero, who heaped praise upon him and gave a piece of invaluable advice.
White recalled: “‘No one is going to tell you how to play your guitar, Jack’. And he talked about the James Bond song I had just done. And he said, ‘I really like it.’ And I said, ‘Oh, that’s great. Because some people, it’s like making a song for Star Wars fans or something.” Detailing further, the former White Stripes frontman added: “You’re throwing yourself into the sea of… It’s a very divisive track.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I thought it was real strong.'”
In terms of Bond themes, White and Keys’ creation for 2008’s Quantum of Solace splits public opinion more than most. On Conan O’Brien’s podcast Conan Needs a Friend, White acknowledged the hostility towards the song from some quarters and labelled it the “most divisive” track of his career. He explained: “That’s one of the most divisive things I’ve been a part of. To this day, straight across the board, people would say you either love it or hate it. That song: there are people who hate it so much and people who love it so much. Nowhere in the middle. It’s so strange.”
Although ‘Another Way To Die’ had its fair share of critics, Prince’s love for the Bond number means far more to White. Listen to the track below.
