James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli recalls meeting with Amy Winehouse in 2008
Several pieces of iconography have become staples of the James Bond franchise over the years, from the flashy cars to the absurd gadgets. Though, nothing is more beloved by fans than the unique Bond theme that is released beside each new release in the franchise.
Often handled by only the most coveted musicians of any given year, legendary performers such as Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Shirley Bassey, and Nancy Sinatra have each had the honour of creating some of the greatest Bond themes of all time. They are joined by modern artists such as Madonna, Billie Eilish, Adele and Sam Smith, who have also impressed with their progressive take on the iconic sound of Bond.
When it comes to favourites, fans across the world have long battled to argue theme tune supremacy, and Bond producer Barbara Broccoli even weighed in to say, “the song that has a lot of resonance with me is ‘We Have All The Time in The World,” picking the tune from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by the great Louis Armstrong. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly to promote the new Amazon Prime documentary, The Sound of 007, Broccoli had a lot to say about the performers of recent Bond themes too.
Joyously recalling the collaborations between herself, Billie Eilish, Sheena Easton and Lulu, Broccoli also spoke to the publication about how a theme tune by the late Amy Winehouse never came to fruition. Meeting with Winehouse, who struggled with addiction and mental health issues before her death, Broccoli recalled a “distressing” discussion between the two of them in which the producer offered the singer the chance to create a song for 2008’s Quantum of Solace.
“Well, that was a very, very distressing meeting,” Broccoli stated, adding, “she was not at her best, and my heart really went out to her…She was very fragile emotionally and, you know, you understood how she could create such moving material, because she has a great depth of feeling and it was very, very tragic. What an incredible talent, what an incredible voice, what an incredible person she was, and it was very, very sad”.
Broccoli went on to discuss the nature of the new Amazon Prime documentary, revealing, “It was a labour of love…We were thinking of something to do for the 60th anniversary, and we’d done different kinds of documentaries over the years, and the idea of doing a music one seemed to fit. So many great songs, and so many great performers, and so many great composers, it just seemed like the time”.
Helmed by Mat Whitecross, the expansive documentary goes back to the beginning of the series to explain how the original, iconic score was made, before bringing viewers up to date with the songs of Eilish, Adele, Sam Smith and more.
