Lana Del Rey wants the 4-1-1 on the next 007 soundtrack.
The singer/songwriter told the BBC that she originally penned part of her song “24” for 2015 Bond installment “Spectre,” starring Daniel Craig. However, Sam Smith’s “Writing’s On the Wall” was selected as the film‘s theme song, and it went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2016.
“I wrote that for them,” Del Rey said while singing the chorus of “24” from her 2015 album “Honeymoon,” before referencing Smith. “But Sam, you did a wonderful job, really. No, I’m just kidding!”
You’re in good company, Lana: Radiohead also had a scrapped “Spectre” theme song.
Del Rey previously told NME that she “wasn’t asked” to write a song for “Spectre,” saying at the time, “I would’ve done it if I was asked but I wasn’t asked. I love all of the Bond music that’s been put out over the years and I love soundtracks in general.” She acknowledged that both “24” and “Swan Song” do “have a Bond feel” to them.
With the vibe down, Del Rey wonders why her music hasn’t been in a Bond film by now: “I mean, how has that not happened yet?” she said.
“One day, maybe… Probably not,” Del Rey continued. “But I’m going to continue to do my little Nancy Sinatra thing every now and then and just pretend it’s the title track.”
It’s not too late. The franchise is set to be rebooted, and it’s rumored that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be taking on the iconic lead role.
“Spectre” wouldn’t have been Del Rey’s first film collaboration. She famously released single “Young and Beautiful” as the key track for Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby.”
Del Rey isn’t the only female crooner to have almost gotten a Bond song: Producer Barbara Broccoli told Entertainment Weekly in 2022 that Amy Winehouse was approached to write and sing a theme song for 2008’s “Quantum of Solace.” Broccoli recalled meeting with the late singer, whose life story has recently been brought to the screen with Sam Taylor-Johnson’s “Back to Black” biopic.
“Well, that was a very very distressing meeting, she was not at her best and my heart really went out to her,” Broccoli said. She was very fragile emotionally and, you know, you understood how she could create such moving material, because she has a great depth of feeling and it was very, very tragic. What an incredible talent, what an incredible voice, what an incredible person she was and it was very, very sad.”
The “Quantum of Solace” theme song, “Another Way to Die,” was recorded by Jack White and Alicia Keys instead.
