You Only Live Twice (song)
"You Only Live Twice", performed by Nancy Sinatra, is the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film of the same name. The music was by veteran Bond film composer John Barry, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The song is widely recognized for its striking opening bars, featuring a simple 2-bar theme in the high octaves of the violins and lush harmonies from French horns. It is considered by some to be among the best James Bond theme songs, and has become one of Nancy Sinatra's best known hits. Shortly after Barry's  production, Sinatra's producer Lee Hazlewood released a more guitar-based single version. The song has been covered by many artists including Coldplay, Soft Cell and Shirley Bassey. In 1998, Robbie Williams re-recorded portions of the song (including the opening strings) for use in his UK number one single "Millennium". Background. James Bond veteran John Barry returned to the franchise to produce the score. The lyrics were by Leslie Bricusse, who had previously cowritten the lyrics for the theme to "Goldfinger". An initial version of the song was performed by Julie Rogers and recorded with a 50 or 60  piece orchestra at CTS Studios. However, this version was not used since Barry decided to re-write and re-record the song: "It was usually the producers that said 'this isn't working, there's a certain something that it needed'. If that energy wasn't there, if that mysterioso kind of thing wasn't there, then it wasn't going to work for the movie." The Rogers song shares only two lines with the final version, "You only live twice", and "you’ll pay the price". Although there are many similarities in the harmony and orchestration with the final  version, it is essentially a different song, with a less lush and more ethnic character. The film's producer Cubby Broccoli, wanted his friend Frank Sinatra to perform the song. Frank suggested that they use his daughter instead. Barry wanted to use Aretha Franklin, but the producers insisted that he use Nancy instead, who was enjoying great popularity in the wake of her single, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". The final version (2:46) featured in the film's opening title sequence and on the soundtrack LP is in the key of B and has a single vocal track. The  song was recorded with a 60 piece orchestra on 2 May 1967 at the CTS Studios in Bayswater, London. Sinatra later recalled that she was incredibly nervous during the recording, and it took around 30 takes to acquire enough material. Producer John Barry eventually created the final version by incorporating vocals from 25 takes. In UK the soundtrack had been released but while soundtracks such as "Doctor Zhivago" and "Fiddler on the Roof" hit the Top 20, You Only Live Twice was less successful. Nancy Sinatra's single version squeezed into the Top 20 for two weeks only. Barry also  released an instrumental version but this failed to chart. In Japan, the soundtrack was released in a gatefold with images from the film and a plot summary. Critical reception. Roy Wood described Barry's string introduction to his song "You Only Live Twice" as "absolute perfection". Mark Monahan of "The Daily Telegraph" described the lyrics as "mysterious, romantically "carpe diem" ... at once velvety, brittle and quite bewitching". David Ehrlich of "Rolling Stone" ranked "You Only Live Twice" the third best James Bond theme song, calling it "a classic." Cover versions. The song is one of the most covered Bond themes . In popular culture. The song was used in the closing montage of "Mad Men"'s season five finale, "The Phantom".