For Your Eyes Only: A Dossier On The James Bond Theme Song

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An illustration, representative of James Bond's title song. Illustration: 7MB
What's the connection between Monty Norman's James Bond Theme Song & VS Naipaul's book: A House For Mr Biswas?

In March 2001, London’s High Court Of Justice witnessed a curious case. Monty Norman, a music composer, was suing the Sunday Times for surmising that John Barry was the author of the ‘James Bond Theme Song.’

The ‘James Bond Theme Song,’ recognised by millions of people across the world, is one of the most popular musical notes ever composed on earth – akin to a global anthem. From the time the first James Bond film, Dr No, hit the screens in 1962, James Bond – the Secret Service Agent 007 – became the world’s most famous spy. The enigmatic, buoyant, and bold music that accompanies the film’s titles grabbed the world’s attention. Today, everyone knows the tune, but very few know about its fascinating origins.

The Cold War, James Bond & A House For Mr Biswas

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Ian Fleming’s original sketch impression of James Bond. Source: Daily Express. Image: Public domain.

In the 1950s, as the Cold War raged on, Ian Fleming, an ex-British naval officer and journalist, created a fictional character named James Bond, hoping it would bring him fame and fortune as an author. But spy fiction, depicting secret agents as heroes, had not yet gained traction in popular culture. Spy novels did not sell enough copies. So James Bond lurked in the shadows, known only to the few who read Fleming’s novels.



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