I'm in New York this week so I leave you with a concept mix I made of alternate James Bond theme songs exploring concepts of masculinity, loneliness, and hating your job.
And remember, the title of the song is the title of that particular alternate Bond movie!
Scott Walker, “On Your Own Again”: Except/ when it began/ I was so happy/ I didn't feel like me.
Guided By Voices, “The Terrible Two”: I hate my job.
David Bowie, "We Are the Dead": The stream of consciousness conjures a vivid and sordid adventure.
Sufjan Stevens, "Death with Dignity": The sense of the enemy closing in suggested by “I see the signal searchlight strike me in the window of my room.” Likewise, “you’ll never see us again” as they disappear through the trap door.
The Smiths, "Still Ill": The year is 1984, London, England. How does Bond feel?
Pet Shop Boys, “Rent”: Love what you do, do what you love.
Guided By Voices, “Home by Ten”: Mostly I love the idea of a Bond movie called Home By Ten, but there is a magic moment in the melancholy lift of “I’ve got my gun/ pointed at this world”.
The Police, “So Lonely”: In the choruses imagine Bond bare knuckle fighting goons, leaping from exploding airplanes, held hostage, etc.
Wire, "Used to": I wish Wire had done the theme of a 1978 Bond film.
Hole, "Violet": One night in Vienna.
Hot Chip, “Need You Now”: Has that Bond intercontinental club vibe, and echoes Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" with the opening line, "tired of being myself".
Julie Holter, “World”: The last line is "How can I escape you?"
Beastie Boys, "Rhymin' and Stealin'": Loosely based on the Beastie Boys' 1987 tour of the UK, which was greeted by a moral panic comparable to the Sex Pistols' US tour a decade prior.
Clark, "Springtime Linn": All action, all work. Then there’s that coda suggesting something different, something light.
Stereolab, "International Colouring Contest": Great title for an adorable movie about Bond's Italian infant daughter.
Roxy Music, "The Thrill of It All": You realize who should have been doing Bond themes in, say, 1974.
INXS, "Mediate": I wish I'd been sitting in a theater in 1987 and this opened a movie.
Courtney Barnett, "History Eraser": In the opening stanza I picture Bond diving out of his hotel window moments before the building explodes, and from there the romp is on. You could also look at this as the Ongoing Adventures of Bond’s chill Australian daughter.
The Kinks, "This Time Tomorrow": Oh what adventures will tomorrow bring?
Playlist
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You're On Your Own Again by Scott Walker on Scott 4 (4 Men With Beards) - Break
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The Terrible Two by Guided By Voices on Suitcase 1 - Break
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We Are The Dead by David Bowie on Diamond Dogs (RCA) -
Death with Dignity by Sufjan Stevens on Carrie & Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty Records) - Break
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Still Ill - 2011 Remastered Version by The Smiths - Break
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Rent by Pet Shop Boys - Break
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Home By Ten by Guided By Voices on Suitcase -
So Lonely by The Police - Break
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Used To by Wire on Chairs Missing - Break
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Violet by Hole on Live Through This -
Need You Now by Hot Chip -
World by Julia Holter on Loud City Song - Break
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Rhymin & Stealin by Beastie Boys - Break
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Springtime Linn by Clark on Flame Rave (Warp) -
International Colouring Contest by Stereolab -
The Thrill of It All by Roxy Music on Country Life -
Mediate by INXS on Kick -
History Eraser by Courtney Barnett on A Sea of Split Peas (Mom+Pop/Marathon Artists) -
This Time Tomorrow by The Kinks on Lola Versus Powerman -
Fun & Games by The Connells -
Gloria by U2 on October -
Tap Out by The Strokes -
How Many by iceage -
Way of the World by Flipper -
Huey (Explicit) by Earl Sweatshirt -
Incinerate by Sonic Youth on Rather Ripped (Geffen) -
Don't Look Back by Boston -
In Love With Useless (The Timeless Geometry in the Tradition of Passing) by A Sunny Day In Glasgow -
Azazel by Maher Shalal Hash Baz -
No Reply At All by Genesis