14. Brian Wilson's "Run James Run"
https://youtu.be/iF8Uywc4aI8 You just can't imagine The Beach Boys recording a James Bond theme. It would seem too happy. But Brian Wilson was so much more than the surfboard melodies that made him famous. As the catalyst for the band's creativity, Wilson's ingenuity at such a young age caught the attention of Bond producers and the result is this instrumental. Run James, Run was recorded in 1966 and although it has never officially been acknowledged as a Bond theme contender it has all the signature sounds you'd expect. Mainly twangy guitars and a deep bass line. It could have featured in the opening credits to You Only Live Twice, as imagined here, but for whatever reason (nobody say mafia) Nancy Sinatra was given the nod instead as Run James, Run became the title track to a little album called Pet Sounds. Years later Brian's burning desire to beat The Beatles, who had already pipped the band to the unofficial album of the decade with Sgt. Pepper, would have glowed yet brighter when Paul McCartney's band Wings recorded the title track for the 1973 film, Live and Let Die. And that was before Ringo married a Bond girl.