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Description
Sorry this one came in so late, but it just couldn’t be helped. Sometimes real life doesn’t pay a lot of attention to what we plan, and circumstances kept this in the background for a little while. But here it is.
For me, the quintessential Bond theme song means a big dangerous horn section backing a hot singer painting a vivid picture of perilous love in a shadowy foreign land. There’s been some good ones that step outside that idea – including many from this Challenge - but given the chance to try my own hand at the genre.... ?
My first attempts were, to put it nicely, inadequate to the task. After a week or two, I finally went back and dug up a previous song I’d recorded years ago, stripped everything out but the organ and dropped what was left into an orchestral horn section. That’s the ‘big horns’ opening, although I tweaked it more with a lot trombones and strings to get a ‘big sound’ thing going on. The rest of the song follows with plenty of strings layered among the horns to emphasize that dangerous, sexy and yet ultimately unobtainable guy that Bond is. The lyrics were written with this in mind, although at first there were some Bond movie titles mentioned in the chorus for comic effect (“A girl’s best friend is a man with a golden gun”, ha ha ha) but they seemed at odds with the heartache hinted at in the verses. So I stayed with the yearning, romantic feel right through the song.
And speaking of lyrics.... when Char mentioned that she’d like to take a shot at a Shirley Bassey-style song for the Challenge, I knew an opportunity to give this song the passion it needed was knocking on my door - if she was interested. Would my tune be up to her standards? After some emails were traded back and forth, my tune was off to Char and the collab was underway. And wow - I thought she’d do a great job, but when I heard those vocals I nearly forgot it was my music she was singing to!
Thanks, Char, for giving this song the aching heart and the dangerous fire that marks a Bond song - it was a pleasure and an honour to collab with you on this. MGM may have had Shirley Bassey but MJ has you, and you rocked this one to the wall.
MM
For me, the quintessential Bond theme song means a big dangerous horn section backing a hot singer painting a vivid picture of perilous love in a shadowy foreign land. There’s been some good ones that step outside that idea – including many from this Challenge - but given the chance to try my own hand at the genre.... ?
My first attempts were, to put it nicely, inadequate to the task. After a week or two, I finally went back and dug up a previous song I’d recorded years ago, stripped everything out but the organ and dropped what was left into an orchestral horn section. That’s the ‘big horns’ opening, although I tweaked it more with a lot trombones and strings to get a ‘big sound’ thing going on. The rest of the song follows with plenty of strings layered among the horns to emphasize that dangerous, sexy and yet ultimately unobtainable guy that Bond is. The lyrics were written with this in mind, although at first there were some Bond movie titles mentioned in the chorus for comic effect (“A girl’s best friend is a man with a golden gun”, ha ha ha) but they seemed at odds with the heartache hinted at in the verses. So I stayed with the yearning, romantic feel right through the song.
And speaking of lyrics.... when Char mentioned that she’d like to take a shot at a Shirley Bassey-style song for the Challenge, I knew an opportunity to give this song the passion it needed was knocking on my door - if she was interested. Would my tune be up to her standards? After some emails were traded back and forth, my tune was off to Char and the collab was underway. And wow - I thought she’d do a great job, but when I heard those vocals I nearly forgot it was my music she was singing to!
Thanks, Char, for giving this song the aching heart and the dangerous fire that marks a Bond song - it was a pleasure and an honour to collab with you on this. MGM may have had Shirley Bassey but MJ has you, and you rocked this one to the wall.
MM
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Lyrics
Never Say Goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
My lips will always remember your name
Never say farewell
Never say farewell
A final kiss can never cool the flame
Golden words can fool a heart
As lips can whisper lies
When all the world can offer
Is the prize
Never trust a promise
Burning diamonds always lie
And never let your kisses say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Words & Music – Mr. Mordenus
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
My lips will always remember your name
Never say farewell
Never say farewell
A final kiss can never cool the flame
Golden words can fool a heart
As lips can whisper lies
When all the world can offer
Is the prize
Never trust a promise
Burning diamonds always lie
And never let your kisses say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Words & Music – Mr. Mordenus
Char
All my fault that it was late. Such a neat piece of music in exactly the right secret agent spirit. Thank you.