BOND THROUGH   THE YEARS
"James Bond Theme" (From "Dr. No") [105k MPEG-3] or [140k WAV] "Goldfinger" [120 MPEG-3] or [165k WAV] "The World Is Not Enough" [155 MPEG-3] or [215k WAV] (Courtesy MGM/UA)

November 19, 1999
Web posted at: 5:37 p.m. EST (2237 GMT)

A CNN WorldBeat Report

(CNN) -- With "The World Is Not Enough" -- opening Friday in wide release in the United States -- Garbage becomes the latest band hired to perform the theme song for a James Bond film. The underlying, ever-present motif, originally written for "Dr. No," is among the most distinctive musical phrases in cinema. But it began life as part of a tune composed for a musical that never reached production.

"I suddenly remembered this melody from 'A House for Mister Biswas,' so I dug it out," says composer Monty Norman. He sings a bit of the old song: "'I was born with this unlucky sneeze. And what is worse, I came into the world the wrong way.'"

Norman, soundtrack composer for "Dr. No," saw potential in the phrase, splitting the notes into a slightly different format. "I developed the number, John Barry did the orchestration and the rest, as they say, is history."

Barry, an English pianist and composer, is today a five-time Academy Award-winner, taking his most recent Oscar in 1991 for the "Dances With Wolves" soundtrack. But at the time, he was a relatively inexperienced composer who had scored the 1960 films "Beat Girl" and "Never Let Go."

	BEHIND THE BOND THEME
The James Bond pictures, and musicians who have performed the films' themes: "The World Is Not Enough" 1999, Garbage "Tomorrow Never Dies" 1997, Sheryl Crow "GoldenEye" 1995, Tina Turner "License To Kill" 1989, Gladys Knight "The Living Daylights" 1987, A-Ha "A View to a Kill" 1985, Duran Duran "All Time High" 1983, Rita Coolidge (from "Octopussy") "Never Say Never Again" 1983, Sergio Mendez "For Your Eyes Only" 1981, Sheena Easton "Moonraker" 1979, Shirley Bassey "Nobody Does It Better" 1977, Carly Simon (from "The Spy Who Loved Me") "The Man With the Golden Gun" 1974, Lulu "Live and Let Die" 1973, Paul McCartney, Wings "Diamonds Are Forever" 1971, Shirley Bassey "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" 1969, John Barry Orchestra "We Have All the Time in the World" 1969, Louis Armstrong "You Only Live Twice" 1967, Nancy Sinatra "Thunderball" 1965, Tom Jones "Goldfinger" 1964, Shirley Bassey "From Russia With Love" 1963, Matt Monro "James Bond Theme" 1962, Monty Norman Orchestra (from "Dr. No")

It took some persuasion to get him into the act. "I said, 'I can't do this,'" Barry recalls. "I have to just go off and fly -- like I would fly. And you want it by Wednesday? You know this is Saturday morning, this is nutso! I haven't seen the movie ... I've never read a James Bond book."

But when they offered him 250 pounds sterling to take on the project, Barry says, he agreed. Maurice Binder told him how long to make the recording, and he recorded it. "Bang, that was it," he says.

The film came out shortly after that -- Barry remembers only a three-week gap. "It was that quick." But he wasn't paid any more money for the famous theme because, he says, the James Bond producers reasoned they could pay him more for the next film if "Dr. No" was a success.

ALSO Brosnan finds he's 'growing into' Bond role Ailing MGM may be on cusp of a comeback     MESSAGE BOARD Talk Bond, James Bond on the message boards.

"Literally three or four weeks later they'd got the deal," he says. "Because it had opened in London, it had opened big and United Artists said, 'We're going to do 'From Russia (With Love).'"

The producers liked Barry's work so much they recruited him for the next nine Bond films. He scored 11 in all. The Barry connection continued when he introduced another composer, David Arnold, to the Bond producers, who signed Arnold for the 1997 release "Tomorrow Never Dies."

Arnold's success ensured his return for "The World Is Not Enough." Composers like Arnold can command considerably greater sums than those paid to John Barry and Monty Norman back in 1962. But with more than 500 versions of Bond film theme songs recorded, the value is in performing-rights payments.