The honourable role of composing a James Bond theme song has become somewhat of a staple in the tight-knit relationship between the worlds of music and cinema. It’s a task that’s been previously tackled by heavyweights like Alicia Keys, Madonna, Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney, and even the current world-dominating force that is Adele. For ‘Spectre’ – the Bond franchise’s latest installment – duties ended up in the hands of Sam Smith, yet another international soul-pop phenomenon.
Just a couple of months later, one of the most respected alternative bands in the world have come forward and shared their own attempt at what could have been the song to roll in with the credits. We’ll let Radiohead themselves explain, via a modest SoundCloud description:
Last year we were asked to write a theme tune for the Bond movie Spectre.
Yes we were. It didn’t work out, but became something of our own, which we love very much.
As the year closes we thought you might like to hear it.
Merry Christmas. May the force be with you.
The revered outfit’s rejected theme is typically epic, layered with theatrical pianos, meticulously-crafted, soaring strings, and a classically sleepy, ‘Amnesiac’-style beat (think “Pyramid Song”). Oh, what could have been…
Get carried away with “Spectre” below: