United Artists 5117
Composer: John Barry
Track listing: Main Title — Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey) / Into Miami / Alpine Drive — Auric’s Factory / Oddjob’s Engagement / Bond Back in Action Again / Teasing the Korean / Gassing the Gangsters / Goldfinger (Instrumental Version) / Dawn Raid on For Knox / The Arrival of the Bomb Count Down / The Death of Goldfinger — End Titles
March 20, 1965
3 weeks
No other film series has captured the public’s imagination more than the ongoing adventures of a secret agent named Bond — James Bond. And no other movie theme music is as recognized as the “James Bond Theme.” While James Bond film soundtracks would later feature hits from such artists Paul McCartney & Wings, Carly Simon, and Duran Duran, the from Bond films wasn’t initially a hit with the public, at least until Goldfinger.
Dr. No, the soundtrack from the first Bond film featuring the “James Bond Theme,” stalled at number 82 in 1963. The album from the next installment, From Russia with Love, made it to number 27. With the next film and soundtrack album, all of the elements would fall into place.
“It was the the first time I was allowed to do the theme song and the entire score,” says composer/conductor John Barry. “That was very important to me, so I could integrate the theme with the score.” Monty Norman was credited with composing the score and theme for Dr. No. For From Russia with Love, Lionel Bart was credited with the theme, while Barry composed the score.
After completing the score for “Goldfinger,” Barry turned to singer/actor Anthony Newley for lyrics, unaware that Newley usually composed music, while his songwriting partner Leslie Bricusse wrote the lyrics. Together, Newley and Bricusse were interested in the project, but one question remained. “Anthony wanted to know what the hell ‘Goldfinger’ was. So I told him, ‘It’s very simple, it’s like “Mack the Knife.” It’s a song about a villain.’ “
Although Newley recorded a demo version of the song, it would remain unreleased until 1992, when it was featured on The Best of James Bond. “It was never intended for use in the movie,” Barry says. “We wanted someone with real conviction that could sing the song,” Barry says. “Shirley Bassey had the conviction.”
Goldfinger, like most of Bond material, was recorded at the Cine-Tele Studios in London in approximately four days. Bassey’s vocal was cut in one night. “It was like an old converted church hall,” Barry says. “It wasn’t a tight room, it had a terrific resonance, which made the whole Bond thing work. The brass shots would go on forever, but it wasn’t a good room for rhythm sections.”
Despite its later success, the “Goldfinger” theme almost didn’t make it in the film or on vinyl. “When Harry Saltzman, who was one of the producers, finally heard it, he thought it was the worst thing he had ever heard in his life,” Barry says. “It wasn’t going to be in the picture, but we were pressed for time. The director Guy Hamilton said, ‘I don’t know about the hit parade, but I do know in terms of the mood at the beginning of the picture with the title, I think it’s outstanding.’ “
In the film, Sean Connery as James Bond can be heard making a wisecrack about the Beatles, which makes it all the more ironic that the early Bond albums suffered the same fate as the early Fab Four releases. Because of the cost of music publishing in the U.S., four tracks, including “Pussy Galore’s Flying Circus,” were omitted from the U.S. release, yet even that couldn’t stop Goldfinger from hitting the summit. Says Barry, “From every point of view stylistically, Goldfinger is my favorite. That was like the blueprint.”
THE TOP FIVE
Week of March 20, 1965
1. Goldfinger, Soundtrack
2. Mary Poppins, Soundtrack
3. Beatles ’65, The Beatles
4. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, Righteous Brothers
5. Where Did Our Love Go, The Supremes