James Bond fans say one theme song is 'better than the movie it was made for'

A James Bond theme song has been hailed as "better than the movie it was made for" by movie fans. The long-running series has enlisted the likes of Adele, Paul McCartney, and Shirley Bassey to lead the soundtrack efforts over the last 60 years, but one music group has been singled out as improving the film they were attached to.

Their work on the Roger Moore-starring film came about when the bassist asked producer Albert Broccoli why nobody "decent" had written music for the Bond franchise. This comment is seemingly what led to the band in question receiving an offer to write the theme for A View to a Kill.

While the final outing of Moore's 007 isn't as highly regarded as his earlier works, it does serve as a vehicle for Duran Duran's soundtrack hit.

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The band has been praised by commenters in the r/TodayILearned Reddit page. A fan wrote: "Duran Duran was chosen to do the theme song for James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985) after bassist John Taylor drunkenly asked producer Albert Broccoli, 'When are you going to get someone decent to do one of your theme songs?'"

While some were stunned by the bold call for Duran Duran's A View to A Kill track being the best theme in the franchise, others were in agreement.

One person wrote: "Idk if you know but this is one of the worst James Bond movies ever." Another replied: "And yet, it's one of the best Bond themes... what a waste of a theme." A third joked: "The duality of Bond."

A fourth added: "That’s not a very good Bond movie but it has a fun song!"

Others were left noting the unused Bond themes from previous films which went unused. Radiohead had written a song for Spectre, though Sam Smith's Writing on the Wall was used instead.

Pulp, too, wrote a song for the Pierce Brosnan-starring Tomorrow Never Dies though this was rejected in favour of Sheryl Crow's track.

Some suggested the quality of a James Bond theme song often outweighed the quality of the film. One person wrote: "They had a lot of good songs that really fit the time and feel of the movies. You Only Live Twice is one I find to be particularly underrated."

But some found Taylor's comments poor, as they pointed out the likes of McCartney and Bassey had offered songs to the series before Duran Duran.

One fan wrote: "They did and it was Paul McCartney. Shut your gorgeous pie-hole, Taylor." Despite Taylor's flippant comment about the quality of previously released Bond songs, some fans believe it was Duran Duran who ushered in a new wave of fans for the film franchise.

They suggested: "I was pretty young when the movie came out, but I’m pretty sure Duran Duran doing the song ushered in a lot of young people who would have skipped it otherwise.

"The song was a major hit on its own. Just looked it up and the only Bond movie theme song to hit #1 on Billboard Top 100."