25 Mind-Blowing James Bond Facts You Need To Know
1. The Theme Song Originally Had Lyrics... About Sneezing
The James Bond theme song is one of the most iconic pieces of music in cinematic history. First appearing in Bond's debut, Dr. No, the music has been a staple in every movie since.
As hard as it is to imagine, the theme song originally had lyrics... that revolved around sneezing.
What does sneezing have to do with 007?
Well, let me explain. The theme song was written by Monty Norman for a musical called Bad Sign, Good Sign, which was based on the novel, A House for Mr. Biswas. In the song, the character explains how he is cursed to kill people (including his father) by sneezing.
Here is a sample of the lyrics, "I was born with this unlucky sneeze, And what is worse I came into the wrong way round. Pundits all agree that I'm the reason why, my father fell into the village pond, and drowned. I was born... un-der a bad sign! Everybody worries 'bout my sneeze. Achew!
After the musical was cancelled, the song was offered to Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli for a film adaptation of Ian Fleming's spy novel, Dr. No.
Monty Norman could have never anticipated that his melody would be loved by millions of fans over half a century later.