Dame Shirley told PA News, “Receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour is just one of the most wonderful feelings. Music has always been a constant companion throughout my life. As a young girl growing up in Tiger Bay, I would dream of exploring the world, never imagining that my voice would lead me to where I am today. Every step of my career has been about taking risks, believing in myself, and seizing opportunities.” She further added, “Singing is my passion, and performing brings me immense joy. Entertaining audiences for over 70 years has been an absolute privilege. My heart is filled with emotions, and I am truly humbled.”

Born as the youngest of seven children in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Dame Shirley initially worked in a factory’s wrapping and packing department while performing at working men’s clubs on weekends. After touring the UK in various revues and variety shows, she achieved her first major success in 1957 with the calypso-style hit, “Banana Boat Song.” In January 1959, she became the first Welsh singer to top the charts with her single “As I Love You” from the album ‘The Bewitching Miss Bassey.’

Throughout her career, she has achieved numerous milestones, including being the first recipient of the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in 1977 and receiving the Freedom of the City of Cardiff. Her success has been unparalleled, with her records spending more time in the UK charts than any other British female artist. Between 1961 and 1991, she had an impressive 29 albums registered as best sellers. In 1964, she gained international fame with the iconic James Bond theme song, “Goldfinger,” and went on to record the theme songs for “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Moonraker.” In 1997, she achieved another notable hit with the Propellerheads and “History Repeating.”

She became the first female music artist to receive a dedicated stamp issue, marking a significant milestone in her career. The stamps showcased various iconic moments in her musical journey, including her performances at renowned venues and events. These included her captivating performance at the Pigalle nightclub in 1965, her memorable appearance in Bournemouth in 1974, and her electrifying presence at the BBC Electric Proms in 2009. Additionally, the stamps highlighted her powerful rendition of “World In Union” alongside Bryn Terfel during the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup in 1999, as well as her enchanting performance at the Oscars in 2013.

Furthermore, this powerful and sultry performer paid tribute to her extraordinary talent by releasing a limited-edition series of coins. These coins featured a design that showcased her name and silhouette, capturing her iconic arms-outstretched pose. The coin also honoured her connection to her roots with a depiction of the Welsh dragon, while the names of her three James Bond theme tunes were elegantly embossed on the coin’s surface. This commemorative coin serves as a timeless tribute to her remarkable contributions to the world of music.

Book your seat for a once-in-a-lifetime night of Bond music with @shirleybassey, @garbage and more @RoyalAlbertHall for #TheSoundOf007InConcert. pic.twitter.com/aMw7tFkE1a

— James Bond (@007) July 28, 2022

The James Bond film series’ standout soundtrack will be showcased within the upcoming event; the concert has been curated by celebrated composer David Arnold. The English movie composer’s credits include five James Bond films along with such blockbusters as Independence Day, Hot Fuzz and the BBC tv show Little Britain. Set to headline the concert is Dame Shirley Bassey, the legendary singer best known for her work within the Bond films. Dame Bassey has a long association with the Bond franchise; the singer lent her vocal talents to the themes of Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker.

To celebrate 60 years of Bond, I will be joining some other wonderful artistes to perform, for one night only, at the Royal Albert Hall! The Sound of 007 In Concert is taking place on Tuesday, October 4th.https://t.co/yjbHBDWpaO — Dame Shirley Bassey (@shirleybassey) July 28, 2022

Also billed to perform at The Sound Of 007 are a host of special guests and artists featured in the Bond soundtracks. Also scheduled to take the London stage is rock group Garbage, fronted by Scottish singer Shirley Manson; the band performed the theme for the 19th Bond film The World Is Not Enough. Also included in the lineup is singer Celeste; the singer will join further acts to perform new renditions of the film’s classic theme songs. Backing Dame Bassey and the event’s star-studded lineup is the acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, confirmed to conduct throughout the event is Nicholas Dodd.

Artistic Director of the Royal Albert Hall, Lucy Noble, has given the following statement concerning the upcoming event, “We could not be more honoured to host this landmark anniversary of one of the world’s greatest franchises. The Hall has forged an indelible association with 007 over many years and we are delighted to help them celebrate.“

He’s got a licence to kill. We’ve got a licence to thrill.

Introducing 60 years of Bond – a series of electrifying concerts including film screenings with a live orchestra, and even a special appearance from @shirleybassey herself

Find out more: https://t.co/2FmOx5yuWI pic.twitter.com/DPzfFA9iSI

— Royal Albert Hall (@RoyalAlbertHall) July 28, 2022

Also commenting on the upcoming concert, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, James Bond producers, have stated, “Music has always played a vital role in the success of the 007 series. Over the sixty-year history, we have been blessed with the extraordinary talents of legendary composers and artists who have created the most powerful and moving musical contributions to our twenty five films. The Sound of 007 in Concert on October 4th will celebrate their tremendous achievements.“

The Royal Albert Hall will also be celebrating the James Bond film franchise in November with a string of screenings of the series’ most recent releases. The venue will host the screenings with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra providing a live rendition of the film’s soundtrack, instalments included within the series of in-concert screenings are Spectre, Skyfall and Casino Royale.

Further information concerning the concert and its billed performers are yet to be announced, along with the event’s partner charity. Tickets for The Sound Of 007 go on sale on 10 am on Monday August 1^st 2022, and pre-sale for Friends and Patrons of The Royal Albert Hall went on sale today.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Some of the things he could have mentioned to her include working with soundtrack-extraordinaire Hans Zimmer, or popular US-duo Billie Eilish and Finneas for the film’s title track – “No Time To Die“.

Speaking in an interview on some of the highlights here, Marr noted his excitement in getting to play the iconic James Bond riff on the title track. “That really was a highlight. When I did it, I went and phoned my mum, ‘Guess what I’ve just done, Mum!’“.

However, the Bond movie wasn’t Marr’s first time on a film set. He also worked with Zimmer for the 2010 Christopher Nolan movie Inception, an experience that Marr credits as shaping his music in a more cinematic direction ever since. “It’s made me double down on some things because I didn’t realise until I was told that guitars in films were a no-no for a few decades because of some atrocities that were committed in the 80s. Inception changed that. It was such a big movie …. Also, because I used a 12-string guitar on all of the [scores], it’s got me back to playing the 12-string.“

Marr has also been very vocal about what working with Eilish/Finneas was like, describing the pair as “a natural musical family .… From a technical point of view, [Finneas’] process is so modern that he can make these amazing records on a laptop …. My experience of working with [them] is just that they are musicians. The way that they conduct themselves and their processes are the same as other serious musicians …. Billie and Finneas are no different – they’re just the modern version …. Let’s put it this way, they would have been able to hold their own in any era.”

 In terms of Marr’s career outside the world of 007, he’s got a new album soon for release on February 25^th, to be titled Fever Dreams Pts 1-4. You can listen to his recent single, “Night and Day“, below. And he’s also got a tour in line with Blondie this April, details of which you can see here.

Bricusse’s passing was confirmed yesterday by actress and close friend Joan Collins, who shared a heartfelt tribute via Instagram, stating; “One of the giant songwriters of our time, writer of #candyman #goldfinger amongst so many other hits, and my great friend Leslie Bricusse has sadly died today.” Other celebrities and musicians have also paid homage to Bricusse, such as Nancy Sinatra and David Walliams.

My heart is aching today because one of the loves of my life is gone. Leslie Bricusse was my friend for more than fifty years – years filled with warm embraces, a strong shoulder & a guiding hand.
Sending love to Evie, Adam & all of their friends tonight. May God treat him well.

— Nancy Sinatra (@NancySinatra) October 19, 2021

‘A fond farewell to the my friend the legendary songwriter Leslie Bricusse. He wrote some of the most famous songs of the 20th Century – Goldfinger, Feeling Good, You Only Live Twice, Pure Imagination, The Candy Man, Talk to the Animals, My Kind of Girl, What Kind of Fool Am I?’ pic.twitter.com/JqDSjK5M45

— David Walliams HQ (@davidwalliams) October 19, 2021

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Bricusse worked with actor and songwriter Anthony Newley, which led to a series of successful collaborative efforts, including a myriad of West End shows and some films; most famously the 1971 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. Bricusse would go on to collaborate with giants of the composing world such as John Williams, with the first film they worked on together being “A Guide for the Married Man” (1967). Later on, he would he contribute songs to the soundtracks for Home Alone (1990), Hook (1991), and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001).

Bricusse’s best-known works are the songs he composed for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) and the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964) and You Only Live Twice (1967). Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory famously features the songs “The Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination”, the former of these attaining a gold certification. The iconic theme to You Only Live Twice has been covered over and over since its release in 1967, by the likes of artists such as Björk, Coldplay, Shirley Bassey and Robbie Williams.

Bricusse has attained a slew of academy awards since the beginning of his career, the first being Best Original Song for his work on 1968’s Doctor Dolittle. In 1982, he would secure another win for Best Adaptation and Original Song Score for Victor/Victoria. Bricusse’s services to the film and theatre industry also led to him to receive an OBE from Queen Elizabeth II, on the 29^th October 2001.

In 2013, a show honouring the work of Bricusse and Newley entitled Pure Imagination: The World of Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse was opened at the Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California, and would later go overseas to the St. James Theatre in London.

The soundtrack was penned by award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, the album’s high chart position also marks the highest charting release for him. Released via Decca Records, the soundtrack has also topped the Official Classical Artists Album chart. The previous high chart achiever released from the James Bond franchise belonged to Goldfinger. The soundtrack was released in 1964 and composed by John Barry.

The legendary German composer, Hans Zimmer, has written some of the most famous soundtracks in cinematic history. Zimmer’s long list of work includes The Dark Knight Trilogy, The Pirates of The Caribbean series, Gladiator and 1993 Tarantino film True Romance. Zimmer has also achieved many accolades during his long career of over 150 films. The composer was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Lion King in 1995. Zimmer’s large collection of awards also includes four Grammies, two Golden Globes plus many more.

Included within the soundtrack is the 25th James Bond film’s title track entitled “No Time To Die”. Written and performed by The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and “Bay Guy” singer Billie Eilish, the single also achieved chart success. Co-written by Eilish’s musical partner and brother Finneas O’Connell, the single debuted at number one when first released last year. Eilish, who was 18 at the time of the release, has become the first female and youngest artist to top the UK chart with a Bond theme. The single also holds the most successful opening release for a Bond Theme, the single re-entered the charts this week after the soundtrack release.

Zimmer has spoken to OfficialCharts.com on his chart success. “It’s incredible to think that we effectively launched this album at the Brits in 2019! It feels fantastic that the movie and its music are finally receiving such a rapturous and record-breaking reception. If you’re going to make chart history, you might as well do it with James Bond! I’m delighted.”

Laura Monks and Tom Lewis, co-managing directors of Decca Records have stated that they “thrilled” for the soundtrack and Zimmer’s chart success. Both also added, “Both legends in their own right. We couldn’t be prouder of the whole Decca team and of the increasingly strong bond (sorry!) that we have built with our partners at EON and MGM.”

Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of Official Charts Company, also provided the following statement, “The triumphant return of Bond, James Bond, this autumn has been a huge film for the nation post-lockdown and the incredible success of the soundtrack album has emphasised quite how much we love a Bond score. The involvement this time of Billie Eilish and Johnny Marr alongside Hans Zimmer has broadened the audience for this OST more than ever before. We have had to wait, but it was certainly well worth waiting for.”

No Time To Die was released in theatres on 30th September 2021 via Universal Pictures International. The latest instalment from the famous spy franchise has achieved great success within the box office. The new release also sees Daniel Craig reprieve his role as James Bond. The feature film took the highest opening weekend within the UK, beating out the rest of the series which spans over 50 years.

Click here to stream/download/buy “No Time To Die“.

Click here to buy the No Time To Die Soundtrack.

Quite rightly, David Gedge anticipated that we might want to know how this came about – I’m sure we all have memories of that one evening where we had the best idea ever, for a board game, a novel, an entire fantasy world. For most of us, it becomes the one that got away. Well, The Wedding Present have been diligently sitting with this move since 2013. Gedge said,

“Where do ideas like this come from? Well, I can tell you that this one was born during a soundcheck in New Zealand, in 2013, when the band were playing around with the main melody of the classic Bond theme ‘You Only Live Twice’.

“And then came another idea. Each of the artists on this proposed compilation would be required to have a physical connection to Cinerama or The Wedding Present. I liked the unifying feel of that. I suppose it appealed to the collector in me. None of the artists I approached asked for payment for their track and so the obvious thing to do was to make this a benefit album.”

For the CEO of CALM, Simon Gunning, this project is like a teenage dream come true. He says: “I’ve loved The Wedding Present since I was a teenager. I once saw David Gedge doing some photocopying in an office, but couldn’t pluck up the courage to speak to him. I have jumped up and down to ‘My Favourite Dress’ in fields across the country and the tension of ‘Brassneck’ and ‘Dalliance’ gets me all sweaty.

“I, and CALM can’t thank the band enough for this album. Suicide is on the increase – it’s the single biggest killer of young men and the cause of death for 18 people each and every day in the UK. CALM is leading a movement against suicide through campaigning and through our free to call helpline and it’s support like this that means our message can reach more people than ever.” A covers album with a cause.

For those who are here for Bond and not the band, The Wedding Present are a 1980s indie group, heavily influenced by The Fall and Buzzcocks. In their lifetime they have had at least twenty different members, with David Gedge as the band’s only constant. Not From Where I’m Standing calls on the talent of multiple previous band members, and other artists associated with Gedge and his various projects. It has twenty different contributors.

The thing we all want is to know how fast-paced post-punk guitar music translates into the multiple and varied James Bond themes. The Wedding Present themselves will lend their talents Nancy Sinatra’s notorious ‘You Only Live Twice’, which begins with that glorious slow crescendo. Unfortunately, there’s not even a hint from the band as to what any of these covers will do, so we’ll have to wait eagerly. In the meantime, they have released the tracklist (you can see it below) for everyone to start anticipating one of the most ambitious cover albums in a long time.

Not From Where I’m Standing will be released on December 4. Coincidentally, earlier this week we learnt that this will actually become the latest offering for James Bond fans, as the twenty fifth Bond film, No Time To Die, has been postponed until April 2021. Until all of this is available, you’ll just have to pass the time by listening to Billie Eilish’s Bond theme on repeat.

Tracklist:

SIDE A
1. James Bond Theme – The Sleazoids
2. You Only Live Twice – The Wedding Present
3. Goldfinger – Simone White
4. Goldeneye – Follow The Moths
5. The Man With The Golden Gun – Jetstream Pony
SIDE B
1. Live And Let Die – The Donalds
2. The World Is Not Enough – Maria Scaroni
3. Diamonds Are Forever – Cinerama
4. Tomorrow Never Dies – Danielle Wadey & Charles Layton
5. All Time High – Minitel

SIDE C
1. Nobody Does It Better – Samuel Beer-Pearce
2. For Your Eyes Only – Klee
3. Thunderball – The Legendary Len Liggins
4. Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – Sleeper featuring David Lewis Gedge
5. From Russia With Love – Graeme Ramsay

SIDE D
1. View To A Kill – Terry de Castro
2. Die Another Day – The Ukrainians
3. Skyfall – Such Small Hands
4. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Shaun Charman
5. We Have All The Time In The World – David Lewis Gedge

Describing the moment he received a call from Bond producer Barbara Broccoli, whom Zimmer has long known, he says, “I never thought we would work together on something like that, so it was surprising just to get the call.” From there he contacted Marr and said, “‘I have two questions to ask you. First question is, what’s the only guitar part worth playing in a movie?’ And he said, ‘the Bond part’. And I said, ‘yeah right. Second question: Do you think I should do the movie and would you play the guitar part?’”

And here we are today, with their names attached to what is pegged to be the biggest cinematic release of the new decade. While Zimmer, using his official Twitter account @HansZimmer, had retweeted this post from the official James Bond page back in mid-February, it seems that we are now looking at old news. Of course, this is no great surprise, for No Time to Die is just one of the many films to have seen their releases, or entire productions, delayed by the world-stopping impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, this original March 27th release date for the film’s hotly anticipated score will likely be pushed back to coincide the film’s November opening day.

The official soundtrack to #NoTimeToDie by @HansZimmer will be released on 27 March. Joining Zimmer on scoring the soundtrack are @Johnny_Marr and @SteveMazzaro. pic.twitter.com/34xpzw2bWI

— James Bond (@007) February 19, 2020

This is affirmed by Amazon’s product page for the upcoming album, where it states on the CD’s product details as, indeed, having been released on November 13, a day after the proposed UK premiere. Quoted in an interview with record label Decca, who will be publishing the soundtrack this year, the film’s director Cary Joji Fukunaga is said to be “beyond excited that Hans is scoring No Time To Die. The music of Bond has always been iconic and I’ve already witnessed Hans adding his touch of genius to the Bond legacy.“

Four days!!!! Thank you so much to everyone pre-ordering, cannot wait for you to hear 'Writing's On The Wall'

A video posted by Sam Smith (@samsmithworld) on Sep 21, 2015 at 4:00am PDT

As Sam says, the single will be released in just four short days, considerably earlier than the release of ‘Spectre’ which is due in UK cinemas on October 26th.

There will no doubt be a great deal of pressure on Sam Smith for this song to be a hit, considering for the previous Bond film ‘Skyfall’, English singer-songwriter Adele won an Oscar for her song also called ‘Skyfall':

Certainly Sam Smith is now joining an eclectic and prestigious group of artists to have performed a James Bond song, he will now be sitting with the likes of Adele, Tom Jones, Madonna, Shirley Bassey, Chris Cornell amongst others. Sam had this to say on the matter:

“I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it,” he previously said.

Sam Smith is currently enjoying a ever growing reputation in the global music scene, currently in Mexico City, Mexico on his first global tour ‘In the Lonely Hour’. Here are any future dates for the tour:

26th Sept – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Cidade do Rock
30th Sept – Glendale, USA – Gila River Arena
2nd Oct – West Valley City, USA – Maverik Center
5th Oct – Columbus, USA – Schottenstein Center
6th Oct – Raleigh, USA – PNC Arena
21st Nov – Manila, Philippines – SM Mall of Asia Arena
24th Nov – Tokyo, Japan – Yoyogi National Gymnasium
25th Nov – Kobe, Japan – Kobe World Memorial Hall
28th Nov – Perth, Australia – Perth Arena
1st Dec – Adelaide, Australia – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
4th Dec – Sydney, Australia – Qantas Credit Union Centre
5th Dec – Sydney, Australia – Qantas Credit Union Centre
8th Dec – Melbourne, Australia – Rod Laver Arena
9th Dec – Melbourne, Australia – Rod Laver Arena
12th Dec – Brisbane, Australia – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

If this song is successful, which it no doubt will be, it will be even more remarkable, considering it only took Sam Smith half-an-hour to write it! Sam recalls his method of writing:

I got called into the office with [producer] Barbara Broccoli and [director] Sam Mendes and they gave me the script, I read the script… they said ‘have a go at the song’,” he said.

“It’s the quickest I’ve ever written a song – it took 20 minutes… and they loved it!”

There can be little doubt that performing the new James Bond Theme song can only lead to positive things, especially with Sam being currently being potentially at his peak of fame, the release of ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ will do little harm to his global image as a musical superstar.