6) Diamonds Are Forever – Shirley Bassey
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Speaking of Shirley Bassey, no respectable list of Bond themes could go without mentioning the fact that Dame Shirley basically set the standard for what the series’ opening credits should sound like. Even the lesser of the two she was behind – “Diamonds Are Forever” – is deliciously dark and cool, even despite the questionable funk-influenced backing track.
The song speaks defiantly of the lure of material things, and the rejection of romance, before taking a curiously mournful turn at the halfway point. Then it’s all summed up by Bassey yelling the word “forever” for several seconds, and all you’re left wondering is how any human could feasibly sustain a note for so long.