Sam Smith helmed the James Bond theme “Writing’s On The Wall” for the 2015 film Spectre. To celebrate the franchise’s 60th anniversary, the British superstar revealed exactly how the haunting theme came to be.
Sam took to their Instagram Story to reveal they began working on the song while recording their 2013 hit “Lay Me Down” with producer Jimmy Napes.
“Jimmy just played some chords and it just flowed,” Sam expressed.
Napes picked up the story from there, explaining, “After we finished writing, we literally went next door to RAK Studio 1 and recorded it and that was the take.”
Throwback footage shows Sam singing “Writing’s” for the first time. “The vocal [for the song] is the demo vocal. The first vocal I ever did for the song,” they described. Because Sam used the first take, the piano Napes played in the background can actually be heard if one isolates the track’s vocals.
“Such a special memory,” the British superstar expressed when sharing the footage.
Sam isn’t the only artist saluting James Bond’s legacy. Adele, who sang the 2012 Bond theme “Skyfall,” took to Instagram to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her chilling theme. “Hold your breath and count to ten,” her account wrote, a nod to the song’s opening lyrics.
Billie Eilish, who is the newest Bond singer, also saluted the franchise on its anniversary when looking back at her offering “No Time to Die.” She told Prime Video she had chills when she heard her song play during the most “emotional parts of the film” at the movie premiere.
It should be noted all three of these artists took home the Oscar for Best Original Song, and to date, are the only singers to have won an Academy Award for their Bond themes.
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