Spectre title song - Writing's on the Wall

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  • bondjames wrote: »
    "Former Bond actor Sir Roger Moore called Writing's On the Wall "very haunting and wonderfully orchestrated..

    http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34357110

    Got to love ol Sir Rog. Still keeping the British end up, even when it may be best to turn tail and run.

    These colours don't run..

    :)>-

    BTW I love WONTW :-)
  • Mon Dieu, I hope the movie is better than the song. What a load of complete Pony & Trap!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    =))
  • Last_Rat_StandingLast_Rat_Standing Long Neck Ice Cold Beer Never Broke My Heart
    Posts: 4,382
    For me, it lacked something. I was expecting a drum beat during the chorus and I wasn't a huge fan of the high pitch. However, I will reserve judgement to see how well it matches with the title sequence.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    We'll all be singing it at the Christmas parties this year !
    Admit it. :D
  • I really love it, and I don't often appreciate a song upon first listening. I feel the song draws lots of parallels about love lost throughout Craig era as well as foreboding for what is to come. I love the music, the lyrics, the singing. Its new and I actually believe its a brave choice. Its more of a song than the monologue that is Skyfall. This will be a great contrast to the pre titles sequence and it will lead beautifully into the rest of the film. Im so excited :D
  • Posts: 4,599
    from the Guardian:


    Writing’s on the Wall doesn’t feel anywhere near as striking as Skyfall. That may be because it’s essentially offering more of the same, while Skyfall felt like a break with the recent past, or it may be because it just isn’t as good a song.

    There’s something quite bold about a male singer using a Bond theme to convey vulnerability – you need a high falsetto threshold to get through the whole thing – but the melody doesn’t dig into your brain: you keep expecting it to arrive at a showstopping chorus that never comes.

    Perhaps there’s something telling about Smith’s boast that it took him 20 minutes to write: the result feels less like a Bond theme song than a latterday pop ballad – the kind of thing that X Factor contestants have a crack at – with big strings and 007 references bolted on.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    bondjames wrote: »
    "Former Bond actor Sir Roger Moore called Writing's On the Wall "very haunting and wonderfully orchestrated..

    http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34357110

    Got to love ol Sir Rog. Still keeping the British end up, even when it may be best to turn tail and run.
    Play it again Sam. ;)
    0618-moonraker3.jpg

  • TokolosheTokoloshe Under your bed
    Posts: 2,667
    The Poke have chipped in with a collection of humourous tweets:

    http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2015/09/25/twitter-reacts-sam-smith-bond-theme/
  • DiscoVolanteDiscoVolante Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts: 1,347
    Good melody, great orchestral intro.. But the vocals are disappointing
  • Posts: 4,599
    Another issue is, the way the media works these days, once there is serious momentum against the song, it will be hard to stop, the twitter stuff just adds to it. I appreciate that some like it and obviously its personal taste but, out there in mainstream land, there does seem to be a very clear message and its not a positive one
  • 00Ralf00Ralf Germany
    Posts: 149
    Is this the final version as used in the opening sequence in the film or do you think EON and Sam Smith will consider re-recording some parts of it? I could imagine it getting a stronger ending.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    I have listened to it a few times, now...

    Up to this point, I have loved everything I've seen associated with SP. This is the first misstep.

    I don't think Smith's voice works for this film. I like Sam Smith. And this song isn't bad. But the falsetto just doesn't work. I keep imagining it playing over the scenes in SP (much like I'd seen done with SF) and...it seems out of place.

    I'll keep listening. Maybe my opinion will change. But right now I'm disappointed.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    edited September 2015 Posts: 3,157
    I'm slighty disappointed he didn't manage to fit SPECTRE in the lyrics, especially in the "that haunt me from my past" part. Also not too keen on the falsetto, but the song is beautiful. Lyrics are certainly a lot better than those of most of Bond songs.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,586
    Mostly negative reactions on Twitter and IMDB.
  • Posts: 6,601
    Would it be possible to just have the orchestrial version for the titles?
    I mean, COULD they dicide to do it now?

    Because THAT would be PERFECT.

    The lyrics are very fitting, too, but sadly I have to agree about the voice. The high pitched notes are cringeworthy and out of place. Seems he just put them in to show, he can do it.

    If it stays that way, its a missed opportunity, because the sound is there.

    Lets say, it can only get better from her. ;)
  • bondjames wrote: »
    "Former Bond actor Sir Roger Moore called Writing's On the Wall "very haunting and wonderfully orchestrated..

    http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34357110

    Got to love ol Sir Rog. Still keeping the British end up, even when it may be best to turn tail and run.

    I love Sir Roger. By jolly, he has proven again and again that he's more of a Bond nerd than us :-P. Love him!
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    edited September 2015 Posts: 4,548
    jake24 wrote: »
    Mostly negative reactions on Twitter and IMDB.

    I'm a softy. I feel bad for Sam, if this ends up being a clunker and universally disliked Bond theme. It's not his fault that his voice isn't good for this...it's Mendes's for calling on him to do it. I don't like the sound (yet); that doesn't mean I like seeing someone getting publicly skewered over their creative efforts.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I listened to it again for the 3rd time now and yep, I still like it. There's a tragic romantic atmosphere and feeling to the song which I feel DK can add a powerful weight of context with his visuals.
  • edited September 2015 Posts: 623
    I too, am hoping for an instrumental version for the opening credits.

    I know we're in the days of epic political correctness and everyone's really touchy and ready to be offended, but I don't care and I'm going to say it...

    He sounds like a great big sissy and it just ain't Bond!

    There. I feel better now.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I do agree with you on that point, @TripAces.
  • Posts: 4,599
    Thats fine if SP was/is a romantic tragedy but its not. Its a Bond movie. Hunt used a seperate song (WHATTITW) for the biggest romantic tragedy in Bond's life. He did not use it as the main theme.
  • Posts: 1,181
    I've listened to the song another 10 times or so. I think this thing could be salvaged if they edit the falsetto parts and have him sing it an octave lower. It's just too jarring and disjointed when it hits that part, but when he's in his strong mid-upper range it sounds a bit more bold and powerful.

    The high-high parts kind of scream 90's soul/r&b to me. It just doesn't resonate with the Bond character. This is a real shame, because Sam's voice is pleasant and he does have vocal strength. He made this a Sam Smith song instead of a James Bond theme.
  • edited September 2015 Posts: 11,119
    Listening "Skyfall" right after "Writing's On The Fall" basically tells you the problem with "WOTW". I also completely understand why "Skyfall" won an Oscar. And it wasn't just for 50th anniversary reasons.
  • Posts: 4,599
    Gattis knows:

    Mark Gatiss

    @Markgatiss

    My two penneth. Bond themes rarely succeed when they pastiche. The best and most memorable are just great songs, pure and simple.
    10:24 AM - 25 Sep 2015
  • Listening "Skyfall" right after "Writing's On The Fall" basically tells you the problem with "WOTW".

    Yup. I'm no Adele fan, but for my money her Bond theme was the best since Goldeneye. Someone mentioned YKMN as a good theme, and I agree, it's miles above the horrors of DAD and QoS, but I do like a trad Bond sound. Lush orchestra, those sinister sounding semi-tone hooks, all of which this new song has. But then there's his voice.


  • edited September 2015 Posts: 95
    I can see why people might be put off by the high vocals in the song, but honestly, the melody and orchestration (could not be more Barry-esque), the verses, the lyrics are beautiful and Smith really sings it all with emotion. The strings sound as Bondian as anything I can think of. And I also think the lack of too many backing tracks like percussion, will allow DK to give us a title sequence as great as any he's done before.

    Mark my words, in time, after seen in context of the film, the song will be appreciated more than now for its simplicity and strength of Sam's vocals. But obviously not by everybody, I realize that.

    I've seen the initial reactions to the last 4-5 themes and maybe with the exception of Skyfall all were met with a 'meh' reaction - even YKMN. I remember reading that Cornell's vocals were not suitable for Bond and it wasn't as edgy as CR needed. Then the film came out, the song blazed over the credits awesome title sequence in a great Bond film, and now the song is seen as great theme. Again, not saying by everyone.

    The fact the vocals are front and center here show me Smith and co. are confident his singing will stand the test of time. And over time the strengths of the song will surface. I appreciate that in a song. Reactions on social media or Twitter are so knee jerk anymore I think seeing how it works with a general audience in the film is all that counts.

    But if you don't like Smith then the song was highly unlikely to please you. I feel he gave it his all.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,586
    The only thing I would have liked to see is the Bond theme woven into the song somehow.
  • SirHilaryBraySirHilaryBray Scotland
    Posts: 2,138
    So disappointed. Musically it's starts well but the song builds to a horrible falsetto. It's sounds more fitting for Disney Frozen 2 than Spectre. Why why why EON??? I don't even mind Sam's back catalog but this is just not as strong, and not as strong as the footage we have seen for the film. It's a major let down.
  • I think it's great. As you say Brimar, the melody and orchestration are great and very Bondian. I do feel the chorus could do with a bit more of something, and I was expecting that opening melody, very John Barry-esque, to have a more prominent role. I was worried when Sam Smith was announced, I really don't like his singing style, feels very forced. I like singers like Kurt Cobain where the emotion in the singing is real and honest. It does get a bit like that in this recording but not as much as I was worrying would be the case. And lyrically it's very strong, not the usual inane Bond song lyrics, but hopefully very related to the core of what's going to happen to Bond in this film.
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