A View to a Kill (song)

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"A View to a Kill"
Duran Duran A view to a kill.jpg
Artwork for the UK single
Single by Duran Duran
from the album A View to a Kill (soundtrack)
B-side"A View to a Kill" (That Fatal Kiss)
Released6 May 1985
RecordedSpring 1985
Studio
  • Maison Rouge
  • CTS
Genre
Length3:37 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Duran Duran singles chronology
"The Wild Boys"
(1984) 		"A View to a Kill"
(1985) 		"Notorious"
(1986)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"All Time High"
(1983) 		"A View to a Kill"
(1985) 		"The Living Daylights"
(1987)
Music video
"A View to a Kill" on YouTube

"A View to a Kill" is the thirteenth single by the English new wave and synth-pop band Duran Duran, released on 6 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the 1985 James Bond movie of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart while stuck behind Paul Hardcastle's "19".[1][2] The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001 and was also performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split.

The following year, composer John Barry and Duran Duran were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "A View to a Kill". Following Barry's death in 2011, the band paid tribute to him for their encore at the Coachella Festival later that year, with Simon Le Bon reappearing in a tuxedo for a pared-down version backed by an orchestra,[3] before launching into the familiar full-band hit version.[4] Bassist John Taylor introduced the song by saying, "We lost a dear friend of ours this year. A great English composer familiar to Hollywood, his name was John Barry. We're gonna play this for him."[5]

Background[]

The song was written by Duran Duran and John Barry, and recorded at Maison Rouge Studio and CTS Studio in London with a 60-piece orchestra.

Duran Duran were chosen to do the song after bassist John Taylor (a lifelong Bond fan) approached producer Cubby Broccoli at a party and somewhat drunkenly asked, "When are you going to get someone decent to do one of your theme songs?"[6][7] The band was then introduced to Bond composer John Barry, and also composer/producer Jonathan Elias (whom Duran Duran members would later work with many times). An early writing meeting at Taylor's flat in Knightsbridge led to everyone getting drunk instead of composing.[8]

Composition[]

Singer Simon Le Bon said of Barry: "He didn't really come up with any of the basic musical ideas. He heard what we came up with and he put them into an order. And that's why it happened so quickly because he was able to separate the good ideas from the bad ones, and he arranged them. He has a great way of working brilliant chord arrangements. He was working with us as virtually a sixth member of the group, but not really getting on our backs at all."[9]

Due to a clear separation of areas of responsibility, the cooperation between band and composer turned out to be largely harmonious. The band was in charge of the actual songwriting while Barry created the final arrangement, including the orchestral parts. The song was finally completed in April 1985 and released that May. In the UK, it entered the singles chart at No. 7 before peaking at No. 2 the following week, and remained at that position for three weeks. In the US, it entered the charts at No. 45, and on 13 July it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[10] It remains the only Bond theme to achieve this chart placing.[11]

Music video[]

The song's music video was filmed in the Eiffel Tower and was directed by the duo of Godley & Creme. The video opens with the iconic gun barrel sequence and is centered around the scene from the film where Max Zorin's henchwoman May Day kills private detective Achille Aubergine in front of James Bond at the Tower. It then cuts to the band walking by the Tower on a secret mission: Simon Le Bon, disguised as a tourist, wearing a gray trenchcoat and carrying a walkman; John Taylor, a long-haired tourist dressed in black; Nick Rhodes, a photographer working with a top model; Andy Taylor, a blind accordionist who plays the Bond theme on the accordion; and Roger Taylor, a supervisor inside a van. The band's actions coincide with events shown from the movie, while Bond pursues May Day through the Tower, culminating in her escape via parachute. The video ends with a beautiful young girl approaching Le Bon to question him, "Excuse me...aren't you?", where he breaks the fourth wall to say, "Bon. Simon Le Bon". However, her moving Le Bon's arm to talk to him causes him to accidentally activate a detonator concealed inside his walkman, blowing up the Eiffel Tower.[12]

Track listing[]

UK 7-inch (EMI, Duran 007)[]

A: "A View to a Kill" – 3:37
B: "A View to a Kill (That Fatal Kiss)" – 2:31

  • Also released in a gatefold sleeve (DURANG 007). Released by Capitol in US as B-5475. Reissued on CD in Singles Box Set 1981–1985 (2003).

In popular culture[]

DJ's Factory, a Eurodance project of German producer Bülent Aris and British keyboarder Adrian Askew, released a dancefloor-oriented version of the song in summer 1985, reaching No. 22 on the German single charts.[13]

In 1987, Shirley Bassey covered the song for her album The Bond Collection, which contained her renditions of Bond theme songs. However, she wasn't satisfied with the quality, so the album was withdrawn from sale.

In 2008, the song was covered in a bossa nova style by former Morcheeba singer Skye on the various artists compilation album Hollywood, Mon Amour, containing cover versions of songs from 1980s films.

Måns Zelmerlöw performed a live version of the song at the beginning of the Andra Chansen (Second Chance) round of Melodifestivalen 2010 in Örebro, Sweden.[14]

Further cover versions of the song have been recorded by the Welsh alternative metal band Lostprophets,[11] Canadian punk rock band Gob,[11] Australian band Custard, on the tribute album The Songs of Duran Duran: UnDone (1999),[15] and the Chilean heavy metal band Los Mox, on their album ...Con Cover (2006). Finnish melodic death metal band Diablo has covered the song, as well as Finnish symphonic metal cover supergroup Northern Kings.[11] Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers covered the song in a bossa nova style on the various artists compilation album Songs, Bond Songs: The Music of 007 (2017).[16]

In 2016, Duran Duran performed the song live at the unveiling of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 (ND).[17]

Personnel[]

Duran Duran

Technical

  • Bernard Edwards – co-producer
  • Jason Corsaro – co-producer, engineer, mixing
  • Duran Duran – co-producer
  • John Barry – orchestral arranger, conductor
  • John Elias – digital sampling

Charts and certifications[]

Other appearances[]

Albums:

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books
  3. ^ Breihan, Tom (14 October 2020). "The Number Ones: Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill"". Stereogum. Stereogum Media. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Duran Duran - Bond Medley & A View To A Kill ( Coachella Festival 2011)". YouTube. Jcc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Duran Duran -Bond medley View to a kill live Coachella 2011". YouTube. RocioDD. Event occurs at 0m 30s. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  6. ^ Malins, Steve. (2005) Notorious: The Unauthorized Biography, André Deutsch/Carlton Publishing, UK (ISBN 0-233-00137-9). pp 161–162
  7. ^ Paul Gambaccini Interview with John Taylor, 1985, Greatest DVD extras.
  8. ^ Pattenden, Sian. "Blame It on Rio." Deluxe Magazine, December 1998 (pp 125–129)
  9. ^ "BOND BY BARRY". Archived from the original on 28 November 1999. Retrieved 26 November 2006.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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  11. ^ a b c d Jost, PD Dr. Christofer (March 2014). "A View to a Kill". University of Freiburg (in German). Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  12. ^ "A View to a Kill". YouTube. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  13. ^ "Official German Charts". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Veteranernas kväll i Örebro". Helsingborgs Dagblad (in Swedish). 6 March 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  15. ^ "A View to a Kill-Custard". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  16. ^ "A View To A Kill, by Jay Gonzalez". Curry Cuts. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Watch the 2016 Mazda Miata MX-5 Debut with Duran Duran in TFL4K". YouTube. The Fast Lane Car. 4 September 2014. Event occurs at 2m 52s. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  18. ^ bulion. "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". ARIA. Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
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  30. ^ "Lista Przebojów Programu 3" (in Polish). LP3. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  31. ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts D". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  32. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  51. ^ "British single certifications – Duran Duran – A View to a Kill". British Phonographic Industry.


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