20 Things You Didn't Know About Licence To Kill (1989)

10. Licence To Kill

Initially, it was planned that Vic Flick and Eric Clapton would collaborate on an updated version of Monty Norman's The James Bond Theme for the film’s main song, since Flick had provided the guitar riff for John Barry's original arrangement of the classic tune. However, these plans fell through and an alternative main theme was chosen in the form of Gladys Knight’s song, Licence to Kill.

Knight, a Christian soul singer, objected to the word “kill” at first, but eventually relented. The song also referenced the “horn line” from Dame Shirley Bassey’s theme for Goldfinger, meaning that royalties had to be paid to the original songwriters: John Barry, Anthony Newley, and Leslie Bricusse. It is the longest Bond song to date.

Additionally, the song’s music video, which features Gladys Knight in a tuxedo, was directed by Daniel Kleinman, who became the regular director of the Bond titles sequences from GoldenEye onwards after Maurice Binder passed away.

Contributor

I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.