James Bond: Ranking The Theme Songs From Worst To Best

6. The World Is Not Enough - Garbage

The World Is Not Enough

Description: The next six entries are the tops, the cream of the crop, fit to be at the apex of all that is musically James Bond. In fact this entry helped revitalize and inform a new generation on what a Bond theme SHOULD sound like. Garbage was tapped after the failed experiment that was Sheryl Crow's Tomorrow Never Dies, and with the help of then composer David Arnold, The World Is Not Enough was crafted as a song that would bring us into the 21st Century of Bond. And yet, it still had some of the hallmarks of older,well regarded Bond tunes. Lush instrumentation? It's got it in spades. Sultry vocals? Shirley Manson's default settings. Lyrics that dance the thin line between danger and sex, while hinting the motivations of the villain? Double check that one off the list. Choice Lyrics:"People like us know how to survive, there's no point in living if you can't feel alive." The "Title songs as Bond Villain Manefestos" theory has its greatest support in this song, because it lays out the motto of the villain right in the lyrics. "There's no point in living, if you can't feel alive." It's repeated in the film by two of the baddies. It's the link that exposes the secret threat as the accomplice to the main threat. And it's a hell of a sentiment to live by, one that even James himself could agree with.
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Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.