The Greatest James Bond Theme?

For the first time in a long time, I was back at the cinema last month, there to catch the new Bond movie No Time To Die, a solid and enjoyable final romp for Daniel Craig. My favourite moment wasn't primarily film related however, it was when the strings from the impossibly majestic We Have All The Time In The World started and I was struck by how beautiful this piece of music is. Much like in the film from which it first appeared, 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, it turned out to be a reoccurring theme, with its moments of reflection and looking back.

Written by regular Bond composer John Barry and Hal David - Burt Bacharach's most reliable lyricist - it has the same assured quality that many other David penned songs have such as Magic Moments, Walk On By and Say A Little Prayer. In it's original appearance, it was written as a secondary theme for certain moments throughout ONHSS rather than opening the film; Barry felt that given it's long title, it would not be possible to carry on the tradition of having the film title in the song that opened the movie as had been done with it's predecessors such as Goldfinger.

However despite this We Have All The Time.. has become an unlikely Bond theme, one which can be used again without fear of repetition or accusations of repeating the same tired formula. And what particularly struck me when I heard it in No Time To Day was how timeless this wonderful song is. I had heard it many times on the radio, in adverts, much like it's musical sister What A Wonderful World which singer Louis Armstrong released a mere two years earlier in 1967 and which also shares a similar musical melting pot of light jazz notes, classical and easy listening, almost Burt Bacharach-esque beats just giving it enough 'oomph' to glide along as if on air.

But We Have All...it's now more than that for me, as I listen to it as a husband and a father. It is a poignant statement of love in the true-est sense. In sickness and in health, in life and in death etc. It is marriage set to music and of course is deliberately sung with irony and it's for this reason why composer Barry chose Armstrong to sing it; less tender crooners would have sung it and missed the point entirely. A beautiful song, impeccably performed, with a heartfelt message on the greatest gift of love.