You Only Live Twice
Songfacts®:
- In the mid-1960s, Nancy Sinatra was popular enough to sing the theme song to a James Bond movie, which is entitled You Only Live Twice. While it didn't reach the chart heights of such theme songs as "Goldfinger" and "A View To A Kill," it remains fondly remembered by her fans and is featured on all of the James Bond them song compilations. >>Suggestion credit:
Mike - Santa Barbara, CA - James Bond veteran John Barry wrote the music while the lyrics were by Leslie Bricusse, who had previously worked on the theme to Goldfinger. Sinatra's regular collaborator Lee Hazlewood produced the version that was released as a single.
- The song was recorded on May 2, 1967 at the CTS Studios in Bayswater, London with a 60-piece orchestra. Sinatra was very nervous during the recording, and she needed about 25 takes before there was enough material for John Barry to create the final product.
- Robbie Williams re-recorded the opening bars of the song for his 1998 UK chart-topper "Millennium." He decided it was a lot cheaper to recreate it in the studio rather than to clear a sample.
- Cee-Lo Green sampled the song for his 2011 single "Bright Lights, Bigger City," which peaked at #13 in the UK.
- Coldplay recorded a live version of the song as the B-side for their "Don't Panic" single. It was recorded during performance at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Norway.
Comments: 2
- Gary Degard from TexasVery simply the most beautifully enchanting song ever. It carries me away to lush islands in soft seas harboring glowing orange sunsets. Mysterious, oriental and dreamlike.
- Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 13th 1967, the James Bond film "You Only Live Twice" had its world premier in London, England...
The next day it opened in theaters across the U.S.A. and Canada...
Four days later on June 18th the title song by Nancy Sinatra entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 charted at position #82; and on July 23rd it peaked at #44 (for 2 weeks) and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
The same week that "You Only Live Twice" entered the chart her duet with Lee Hazelwood, "Jackson", also entered the Top 100, at position #79...
In 1967 alone she appeared on the Top 100 nine times; as a soloist with "Sugar Town" (#5), "Love Eyes" (#15), this one, "Lightning's Girl" (#24), and "Tony Rome" (#83)...
Duets with Lee Hazelwood; "Summer Wine" (#49), "Jackson" (#14), and "Lady Bird" (#20)...
Her biggest hit for the year 1967 was a duet with her father, "Somethin' Stupid", it reached #1 (for 4 weeks) on April 9th, 1967.
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