The Music of James Bond Is Honored in Beverly Hills

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences recognizes 50 years of music for James Bond films.

Published

8 months ago

Categories

Arts & Society

Topics

Music, History

People

Adele, Monty Norman, John Barry, Vic Flick

Tags

james bond, skyfall

Transcript

Friday (October 5) marked the 50th anniversary to the day of the premiere of the very first James Bond film, "Dr. No". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) held a gala at its Beverly Hills headquarters honoring the famed film series in general and its musical themes in particular. "The James Bond Theme," a surf rock-styled guitar riff written by Monty Norman, arranged by composer John Barry, and made famous by guitarist Vic Flick for "Dr. No" has become an integral part of the series. Five decades later it is still a pop culture phenomenon, seen widely at the 2012 London Olympic Games as the music behind a televised skit involving Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Flick, explained how it got there. SOUNDBITE Guitarist Vic Flick saying (English): "It was originally a very slow tune written by a fellow called Monty Norman, and then the production chamber, the Broccolis gave that to John Barry and myself, and we kind of arranged it and recorded it, and this is what you hear." Each Bond film opens with a signature song -- and Grammy-winning English singer Adele will be providing that to the upcoming 007 film, "Skyfall," which opens in October.