No Time to Die (song)

No time to die
Billie Eilish
publication	February 13, 2020
length	4:03
Genre (s)	orchestral pop song , James Bond song
Author (s)	Billie Eilish, FINNEAS
Producer (s)	FINNEAS, Stephen Lipson
Label	Interscope Records

No Time to Die is the theme song for the James Bond film No Time to Die , whose original title it shares. It was interpreted by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish , who also wrote the song together with her brother Finneas . It was released on Valentine's Day 2020, shortly after the artist, who had just come of age, was recognized in all major categories at the 2020 Grammy Awards . It is only the second Bond song to top the UK charts.

description

Like its two direct predecessors, No Time to Die is a solemn piano ballad in an orchestral arrangement . The song begins with a electric piano - Intro on a typical Billie Eilish ethereal sound bed that with the use of her singing in a simple chord accompaniment passes. Based on John Barry's defining arrangement of the James Bond theme , Johnny Marr's electric guitar supports the melody prominently in the chorus . The headline concludes this and the subsequent Bridge marks the beginning of a full orchestral accompaniment , in the second verse nor a drum is extended. The second chorus is followed by the bridge again, in which Billie Eilish repeats the title line two more times and increases it to a crescendo . This goes into the chorus one last time - here with the reduced e-piano accompaniment from the beginning. An electric guitar chord closes the song analogous to the classic Bond theme . The composition was written in E minor and recorded at 74 bpm .

Billie Eilish's text is written as a repentant reckoning after an intimate love affair, although it remains to be seen whether this corresponds to the perspective of Bond himself. After an unbearable observation, the lyrical self realizes bitterly that it has dealt with the opponent with seeing eye. The blame for this frivolous stupidity lies solely with himself ("Fool me once [shame on you], fool me twice [shame on me]", according to Oscar Wilde ), because in his position attachments always make vulnerable ("The blood you bleed is just the blood you owe ”) or cause death. But it ended - albeit painfully - with this relationship, because the return of an old friend “leaves no time to die”. Stanzas and choruses consist of a series of rhymes . The presentation style (with the exception of the final bridge) remains true to Billie Eilish's intimate “Whispering Song”.

Choice of artist

After the exhausting production of SPECTER , work on the successor only started in 2017 after a two-year break. Even before Danny Boyle was announced as director, the " Modfather " Paul Weller wrote a theme song for the as yet untitled film together with Oasis head Noel Gallagher . However, after Cary Fukunaga took over the direction, work on the song was canceled. The British soul singer Paloma Faith publicly asked for an audition at a similarly early stage .

While there was some speculation about Adele's second assignment after SkyFall , his sales successes attracted a great deal of attention in particular to British folk popper Ed Sheeran . In a late-night show in 2017, he admitted that, in the event of his engagement, he had already finished a "good" title track for three years. Sheeran was involved in Boyle's last film, Yesterday , and so the director had established contact between the singer and Bond producer Barbara Broccoli at an early stage . Sheeran has been asking his manager regularly since then . In the course of filming, lead actor and executive producer Daniel Craig would have "seriously considered" the singer.

Another favorite for the theme song was the British electro pop singer Dua Lipa , also among other musicians. When asked about this, she repeatedly emphasized her interest. Later the local press even reported on the plans for an elaborate music video in the Bond filming location Matera . As a result, the bookmakers saw their chances only slightly behind those of Sheeran until the end. Shortly after the film title No Time to Die was announced , British pop idol Boy George released a song of the same name "to annoy Ed Shearan and Dua Lipa". The British soul newcomer Jorja Smith had also prepared her own Bond song. As part of the 2020 Grammy Awards , Beyoncé published a photo with Bond's signature martini cocktail . She made similar suggestions even before previous publications, so she was traded as a possible interpreter immediately before the announcement.

Billie Eilish was never one of the favorites, but was mentioned in advance as an "exciting" candidate. The first signs of their involvement came at the end of 2019 when fans discovered director Fukunaga among FINNEAS 'few Instagram followers. A few weeks later, the renowned MI6 fan portal named Billie Eilish exclusively as the interpreter, which was then picked up worldwide. On January 14, 2020 , Billie Eilish first posted photos of past Bond girls , with official confirmation following in the evening.

publication

The song was released on February 13, 2020 in conjunction with a short trailer without a separate music video . It was then available for all online music services , and for the first time there was no physical single release . In Great Britain the piece rose to number one on the charts. This made Billie Eilish the first female artist to top the UK charts to be born in the 21st century. In Germany it reached number 5, in Austria and Switzerland it came second. Number 1 was still achieved in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland and Slovakia, and No Time to Die was therefore also number one in the European charts . In Billie Eilish's homeland, the USA, the song rose to number 16. The piece celebrated its stage premiere at the BRIT Awards 2020 with Johnny Marr on guitar and Hans Zimmer as conductor of the orchestra.

reception

The "dramatic, disturbing ballad" received brilliant reviews in the British daily press. The editors of the American industry magazine Billboard voted the piece 22nd among the best songs in the first half of 2020.

Tobias Rapp said in the mirror that you can hear immediately that the song is a Bond song. No Time to Die would add some nice lines to the feeling of failure. The song would start with a tension-building piano line, which would then be repeated with strings, which would be arranged by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, but would remain in the background to finally flow into Billie Eilish's voice. Overall, the song is a typical Eilish song, carried by the mannerisms of her voice.

Adrian Daub says in Die Zeit that there is a small revolution in No Time to Die . On the one hand, it is a bit disappointing how slavishly the song follows the pattern of the last Bond songs, but Eilish manages to trigger small vibrations within the formulaic nature of a Bond song. Daub thinks that the subject matter of the lyrics has also been greatly reduced. Eilish would sing amazingly straightforward. She sings about a broken relationship and would deny a pretended depth. So is No Time to Die a love song, it sounded a little sad and a little hurt.

Remarks

• With Cary Fukunaga , an American is directing the quintessentially British James Bond film series for the first time. For the title songs, on the other hand, the majority of American or female artists - like Billie Eilish here - have always been selected.
• Since Madonna's Die Another Day , the Bond performers have grown younger from film to film, right up to Billie Eilish, who has just come of age . Nevertheless, the latter has been releasing music longer than its predecessor Sam Smith at the time of their respective line-up.
• In the quarter of a century until No Time to Die , every second Bond song title contained the English die ( German ' to die').
• A Bond song was never released so far before the film, the cinema release was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic .

swell

1. ^ Neil McCormick: Listen up, Ed Sheeran: here's how to write a perfect Bond theme song. In: The Daily Telegraph . July 31, 2019, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks. In: Billboard . June 10, 2020, accessed on July 28, 2020 . 
3. ^ Daniel Craig to return as James Bond - Actor confirms his fifth outing. In: 007.com. EON Productions Limited, August 16, 2017, accessed August 31, 2018 . 
4. ↑ Andrew Trendell: Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher have been working on a James Bond song together. In: NME . May 11, 2017, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Laura Snapes: Paul Weller on a Pharrell collab, Eton elites and writing a Bond theme. In: The Guardian . September 17, 2018, accessed March 1, 2019 . 
6. ↑ Sam Warner: Here's who could be doing James Bond 25's title track. In: Digital Spy . December 8, 2017, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
7. ↑ Roger Friedman: James Bond 25 aka “No Time to Die” Wraps, And the Speculation Begins: Will Adele Sing the Title Song? In: Showbiz 411. November 3, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 (English). 
8. ↑ Devon Ivie: Ed Sheeran to the James Bond Franchise: Please! Use This Theme Song I Wrote! In: The Vulture . December 16, 2017, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
9. ↑ Mark Sutherland: From Suffolk with love: Stuart Camp on those Ed Sheeran James Bond theme rumors. In: Music Week . August 28, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
10. ^ Sharon Feinstein: Daniel Craig wants Ed Sheeran to record new James Bond movie theme. In: Daily Mirror . July 27, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
11. ↑ Rebecca Schiller: Dua Lipa Talks Calvin Harris, Addresses 'Bond' Theme Rumors at Billboard Music Awards: Watch. In: Billboard . May 21, 2018, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
12. ^ Rob Copsey: Has Dua Lipa recorded the new James Bond theme? Years & Years may have accidentally revealed the news. In: Official Charts Company . July 18, 2018, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
13. ^ Jo-Anne Rowney: James Bond 25: Dua Lipa responds to claims she's recording next Bond theme song. In: Daily Mirror . February 4, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
14. ^ Lewis Knight: Dua Lipa to film music video for James Bond 25 in Italy? In: Daily Mirror . March 29, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
15. ^ Adam Haynes: Betting on Who Will Sing the Next James Bond Theme Song - Ed Sheeran and More. In: gamblingsites.com. November 20, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
16. ↑ English singer and songwriter Boy George has released a track named after the new James Bond film. In: MI6 - The Home of James Bond 007 October 22, 219, accessed July 23, 2020 . 
17. ↑ Jorja Smith has written a James Bond theme song (just in case). In: The Official Big Top 40 . September 1, 2019, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
18. ↑ Nick Reilly: Beyonce fans convinced she's recorded Bond theme after posting Martini picture. In: NME . January 10, 2020, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
19. ↑ Emma Clarke: New Bond theme: Six artists we're hoping will sing the No Time To Die song. In: Evening Standard . February 10, 2020, accessed on July 23, 2020 . 
20. ↑ Pierce2Daniel: Post. In: MI6 Community. December 2019, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
21. ↑ Could Billie Eilish become the youngest artist to ever record a James Bond title song? In: MI6 - The Home of James Bond 007 January 12, 2020, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
22. ↑ Dariusch Tabatabaei: James Bond 007: Billie Eilish sings Bond song for "No Time to Die"! In: netzwelt . January 15, 2020, accessed July 24, 2020 . 
23. ↑ Jem Aswad: Billie Eilish Will Sing James Bond's 'No Time to Die' Theme Song. In: Variety . January 14, 2020, accessed on July 24, 2020 . 
24. ↑ NO TIME TO DIE Official Theme Song by Billie Eilish [Preview]. ( YouTube video, 0:52 min) February 14, 2020, accessed on May 26, 2020 . 
25. ↑ Billie Eilish - No Time To Die. In: Discogs . Retrieved July 28, 2020 . 
26. ↑ Rob Copsey: Billie Eilish's No Time To Die scores biggest opening week of all time for a James Bond theme. In: Official Charts. February 21, 2020, accessed on May 22, 2020 (English). 
27. ↑ No Time to Die. In: German single charts . February 21, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
28. ↑ No Time to Die. In: austriancharts.at. February 28, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
29. ↑ No Time to Die. In: Swiss Hit Parade . February 23, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
30. ↑ No Time to Die. February 20, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
31. ↑ No Time to Die. In: Official Charts Company . February 27, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
32. ↑ No Time to Die. In: Billboard . February 29, 2020, accessed May 22, 2020 . 
33. ↑ No Time to Die. In: Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2020 . 
34. ↑ James Bond theme: critics rate Billie Eilish's title track for No Time To Die. In: The Week. February 14, 2020, accessed on May 22, 2020 . 
35. ↑ Tobias Rapp : This is what Billie Eilish's James Bond song sounds like. In: Spiegel Online . February 14, 2020, accessed July 28, 2020 . 
36. ↑ Adrian Daub : The woman with the golden voice. In: Zeit Online . February 14, 2020, accessed July 28, 2020 .