With the twenty-third official James Bond film Skyfall scheduled to arrive in theaters later this year, I started wondering about who would be singing the opening credits theme music. The Bond films' traditionally bold, artistic opening credits sequences are legendary in cinema and have been accompanied by songs from equally legendary performers such as Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney and Wings, Sheena Easton, Duran Duran, a-ha, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Chris Cornell and most recently, Jack White and Alicia Keys.
So with this range of musical artists in mind, I came up with a small list of who I feel might be worthy enough to be added to this impressive list. Sadly, I would've suggested the late Amy Winehouse not that long ago, but I think this group would do just as nicely...
Adele -- The obvious choice given her current popularity and her soulful sound that picks right up where Amy Winehouse left off. Songs like "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain" prove she could easily handle a Bond movie theme, especially with such a powerful voice. The young English singer-songwriter recently suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage, but has since recovered and is expected to make her comeback at the Grammy Awards on February 12th.
Florence + The Machine -- While I'm thinking about powerful voices, Florence + the Machine's Florence Welch certanily has quite the set of pipes as well. The band would probably bring a more ethereal sound to the opening theme, but with songs like "Howl," "You've Got the Love" and "What the Water Gave Me," you have to admit there's serious potential for a great Bond theme there.
Noel Gallagher -- As the former lead guitarist and songwriter for the band Oasis, Gallagher is starting to find additional success in his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Singles like "If I Had a Gun..." seem ready-made for a Bond film, while his prior Oasis songs like "Don't Look Back in Anger" or "Morning Glory" show quite a bit of creative range. Of course, I wouldn't be unhappy if he reunited with his brother Liam for the track...
Michael Bublé -- The Canadian singer is probably the closest thing out there to a modern-day Frank Sinatra, introducing many standards to a new generation of fans. I'm curious to hear this kind of take on a Bond theme after the last couple songs, but after hearing the stellar Junkie XL remix of Bublé's version of the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon theme, I know there are other ways the song could go as well.
She Wants Revenge -- I know this is a bit of an oddball pick here, but if a band like Garbage could create arguably one of the best Bond themes ever with "The World is Not Enough," then a band like She Wants Revenge should be in the ballpark. Their recent "Take the World" is practically a Bond theme already, while other tracks like "Up in Flames" or "Tear You Apart" could result in an edgier theme that worked well in Casino Royale.
Regardless of who sings the opening theme though, I think most of us can agree that it definitely shouldn't be Madonna again...