The Writing's On The Wall For James Bond - Sam Smith To Sing Spectre Theme

Spectre's a month and a half away, and you can really feel the marketing blitz beginning to hot up. Tickets went on pre-order this week, more posters showing Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux et al looking very fancy are beginning to turn up and you just know every high-end product possible will have a 007 gun logo slapped on it before the end of October. But that's all paltry next to the single big tie-in that actually effects the film - the theme song. Up until now nothing has been known about it, with rumours of who's singing covering pretty much any current artist, with Ellie Goulding and Radiohead the big favourites (someone's just lost £15,000 betting on the latter). But, after a night of escalating rumours, it's finally confirmed that it'll be Sam Smith we'll all hear during the opening credits on 26th October (6th November in the US). The song itself will be called Writing's On The Wall, and will be available from 25th September (not, as some early reports suggested, today). Smith's a massive music star at the moment, still riding that initial wave of popularity from the commercial and critical success of In The Lonely Hour. But is he right for Spectre? Eh, I guess. As a singer I can quite enjoy him, but singing a Bond title is more than just being a competent vocalist - there's a style there that's been underlying since Dr. No. This was something Adele hit perfectly with Skyfall back in 2012 and, while he's less instinctively suited, with some focus I imagine Smith could repeat it. His tempo is probably the big issue, but with Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli saying, "Writing's On The Wall will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time," (a phase poised for claims of hyperbole) he must have hit some of the right notes. Fingers crossed. Writing's On The Wall is available on 25th September. Spectre is released on 26th October in the UK and 6th November in the US.