James Bond: Ranking The Theme Songs From Worst To Best

7. The Living Daylights - a-Ha

Description: You probably don't know much about a-Ha outside of Take On Me, and if you remember this song, you're a pretty dedicated fan to either them or Bond. Funny enough how this is one of the best Bond themes out there, and yet this was the one that made John Barry quit. Apparently a-Ha had a different version of the song that they wanted to use, and despite their insistence Barry won out and had his version prevail for the film's use. Unfortunately this lead to the composer's exit from the series, but fortunately it left him with a memorable effort to exit with.

This tune ranks above the previous entry because while it revels in the decade of its origin it remains rather timeless to this day. At the very least, it's a much easier listen than A View To A Kill, because while both songs are amazing in their own right, this one doesn't screech on the synthesizer every so often and takes advantage of the sound of live instruments. (At least the Barry version does. Sorry a Ha, but your version is very much a product of its time.)

Choice Lyrics: "Set your hopes up way too high/Living's in the way we die." This could almost be taken as a spy's motto, or a saboteur's for that matter. Grand ideals, fought with force and planning, and the only true result is that someone's going to die and someone is going to win. The living in cases like this depends on how, or more specifically what, we die of/for. You don't become a spy because you want to grow old, stay safe, and play within the rules. You do it because you're willing to forego all those things for your cause.