It’s been a whirlwind chain of events that’s lead to tonight’s release of Billie Eilish’s single that serves as the title track to the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die. Only a couple of weeks ago, we’d gotten the first word that Eilish got the gig, as well as an official confirmation that composer Hans Zimmer would be lending his musical quill to the 007 series.
Now, we have the official release of that mysterious song, which takes the same name as the film it’s going to serve as the theme to, and you can listen to it for yourself below:
Already, the theme to No Time To Die puts itself into the more modern class of James Bond theme songs. Co-written by Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas O'Connell, this tune is more aligned with Sam Smith’s melancholy single “Writing’s On The Wall” than Adele’s more boisterous and traditionally skewing “Skyfall.”
Tragic romance is in the air, both with the beautiful instrumentals tinged with aural darkness, and the lyrics “I should have known I’d leave alone” painting a picture that doesn’t sound so rosy for Daniel Craig’s James Bond and Lea Seydoux’s Dr. Madeleine Swann.
Whether you approve of the results or not, No Time To Die’s eponymous title track is officially a moment in James Bond history. With Billie Eilish being the youngest artist to co-write and sing a 007 theme song, this musical backdrop for Daniel Craig’s last Bond adventure is going to be remembered for quite some time. And thanks to a video released on Twitter to celebrate the release of "No Time To Die," you can hear the song mixed in with some footage from the film:
All that remains to be seen now is how the public reacts to this new single from the young hitmaker, and where this song will place in the canon of James Bond theme songs old and new. As the 25th film in the iconic espionage series, we'll have to wait and see if No Time To Die turns out to be a warmly regarded adventure, or if it sinks to the bottom of the pack in a cloud of infamy.
No Time To Die takes aim for audiences in theaters on April 10. If you want to hear the title song played live, with accompaniment from composer Hans Zimmer and guitarist Johnny Marr, Billie Eilish will be performing this tune at The BRIT Awards on February 18.
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