9 Later Day Musical Crimes Perpetuated By Great Artists

9. Madonna - "Die Another Day"

It’s only fair, really, that one of the worst James Bond films gets one of the worst themes. Writing a song for the famous spy franchise is no easy feat. It’s a high pressure situation, in which your work is certain to be widely discussed and dissected long before it’s heard in its intended context. The pressure was on, and Madonna sadly did not rise to it.

While some people are ever eager to take spiteful digs at Madonna late into her career, the fact is she has managed to innovate and adapt through four decades, and brought out good stuff before and after “Die Another Day”.

There’s no excuse for this tune, though. The stuttering, clanging harshness of the techno background sidelines Madonna’s vocals, and the tune, such that it is, is instantly forgettable. Props to Madonna for doing something different than the usual booming operatic number, but “Die Another Day” doesn’t work as a Bond theme. It takes a conscious swerve from what you’d expect, which is bold, but ultimately misguided.

That’s not to say it works separate from its Bond context, though, because it doesn’t. Luckily, the film itself quickly outstrips Madonna’s efforts in terms of rubbishness.