James Bond Theme

The theme begins with a low, sneaking electric guitar line that creeps up the scale and then repeats. That riff is the core of the piece, and once you hear it you will recognize it. Over it, brass play sharp, punchy chords and jazzy swing rhythms, with the sound of a big band from the early 1960s. A bright, brassy melody takes over for a moment and then falls back to the guitar line. Concert orchestras recreate this with a full string section, trumpets, trombones and a guitarist or a part rewritten for other instruments. Listen for the way the music is built from just a few ideas: the sneaking riff, the loud brass blasts, and a quick blast of rhythm to finish. It is short, and it is meant to feel confident, a bit dangerous and very cool. The dramatic stops and starts are a big part of the fun, so keep an ear out for the silences between the hits.

Monty Norman wrote the theme for the first Bond film, Dr. No, released in 1962. Its guitar riff reworks a tune he had written earlier for a stage musical project that was never produced. Film composer John Barry arranged the theme, adding the brass writing and the swinging rhythm that gave it the sound audiences know. Barry went on to score many Bond films himself. The question of who deserves how much credit for the sound has been discussed for decades, and a British court ruled in Norman's favor in 2001 in a dispute over authorship. The theme has been used in the series ever since and is a staple of pops concerts.