TOP 40/ 60 YEARS OF JAMES BOND MUSIC. This post: #28. More: tomorrow.

The TOP 40 SONGS from

60 YEARS of

 BOND

9Rank: 28

]Title: LICENCE TO KILL

$Performer: Gladys Knight

)Movie: Licence To Kill

l Year: 1989

_

This was the sixteenth Bond film produced by Eon Productions. It was also the second and last 007 adventure with Timothy Dalton in the lead role. Its initial title was ‘Licence Revoked’. The cast included Robert Brown and Caroline Bliss portraying M and Miss Moneypenny respectively for the final time.

After stellar theme songs recorded by Shirley Bassey, Gladys Knight appeared to be a sound choice. The latter had scored critical and commercial success with singles such as “If I Were Your Woman”, “Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)”, “So Sad The Song” and “Midnight Train To Georgia”. Narada Michael Walden produced “Licence To Kill”, a song he co-wrote with Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as good as Bassey’s Bond title songs. 

As "Licence To Kill" was based on the horn line featured in Bassey's 1964 rendition of "Goldfinger", royalties needed to be paid to its original composers. Knight's song peaked at #6 on the British chart and sold well across Europe.

OP