15. Another Way To Die - Jack White & Alicia Keys
Description: You can't tell me that this wasn't an odd pairing. Half of The White Stripes and the 'Girl On Fire' is weird enough, but tapping them both to do the first (and so far only) Bond duet? That's just venturing into another ballpark. Perhaps the weirdest thing about this collaboration though is that, somehow, it kinda works. White's dark/vengeful nature with Key's smoother operating, makes for a check and balance system that manages to keep this song about action and emotion at the same time. Not to mention, it has a
killer horn section, and the cut-down version for the film plays MUCH better than the Single version. In the Single, after Ms. Keys and Mr. White engage in a sort of wail-off that builds awesomely to a climactic resolution, we're treated to Ms. Keys grunting a little bit for emphasis. It neither emphasizes, nor does it treat the audience to anything, except maybe impatience.
Choice Lyrics: "Another ringer with a slick trigger finger for Her Majesty / Another one with the golden tongue poisoning your fantasy." Right there is your balance between the imagery of a stone cold killer and an emotionally compromised agent. This being his first mission after Vesper Lynd's death, Bond isn't in the best of places right now. This shows in both his actions, and in the lyrics.