It Was 50 Years Ago Today: ‘Goldfinger: Original Motion Picture Sound Track’
March 24, 1965
Goldfinger: Original Motion Picture Sound Track
#1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart, March 20 – April 9, 1965
In the mid-’60s, even with the British Invasion and the rock revival in full swing, pop music aimed at young people was still a singles-driven market. Apart from the Beatles, the albums chart was largely reserved for more traditional pop sounds, typically ones that could be enjoyed by the whole family or were souvenirs of favorite films. In fact, in 1965, five of the nine albums that reached #1 on the Billboard Top LPs chart were movie soundtracks, including not only Broadway-style show tunes (Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music) but also rock ‘n’ roll (Elvis Presley’s Roustabout, The Beatles’ Help!).
The fifth chart-topping soundtrack that year was an exception. Goldfinger is the third entry in the James Bond franchise starring Sean Connery — in other words, not a musical, or any other type of movie that would seem to warrant much attention to its songs. Yet music has become an inextricable element of this action-packed spy series, from instantly recognizable instrumentals like the “James Bond Theme,” to the high-profile theme song that accompanies each release, many of which (including “Live and Let Die,” “Nobody Does It Better,” and “A View to a Kill”) have become major pop hits in their own right.
While the first two films in the series, Dr. No and From Russia With Love, had striking scores that bolstered the Bond mystique, it was Goldfinger that developed the prototype of the Bond movie soundtrack. Most notably, it was the first of the series to feature a purpose-written vocal theme over the opening credits, an element that has carried over to nearly all of the 20 official Bond films since. And while just as many break the template as adhere to it, the song “Goldfinger” has come to define the popular conception what a Bond theme is supposed to be: bold, sexy, dramatic, orchestral, and a bit jazzy, with a touch of camp.
Cabaret singer Shirley Bassey was already a hitmaker in her native UK, but “Goldfinger” was the first time most Americans had heard her sing. What an introduction it was: the regal grandeur in her voice, brassier than the trumpets and trombones surrounding her, is immediately arresting, while her high drama delivery tips you off to the life-and-death intrigue in the plot to come. Even her fellow full-throated Welsh compatriot, Tom Jones, couldn’t match her on his theme to Thunderball, the next entry in the series.
But while Bassey’s interpretation of Goldfinger‘s theme song certainly helped the movie’s soundtrack sell, composer John Barry’s score was equally memorable and evocative. Barry had worked on the series as far back as Dr. No, and while he wasn’t credited with writing the “James Bond Theme,” it was he who produced and arranged it, giving it the jazzy feel and surf-rock lead guitar that made the suave spy the epitome of early ’60s cool. From Russia With Love marked his debut as credited composer for the Bond series, but Goldfinger would become perhaps his most iconic work. Barry’s style is as brassy and forceful as Bassey’s voice, and, like Bond himself, a bit showy and aggressive but always polished.
Barry and Bassey’s participation in the Goldfinger soundtrack would define both their careers. Barry would score the most Bond films of any composer, his eleventh and final being The Living Daylights in 1987. He’d also win five Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Song for non-Bond film compositions, including music for Born Free and Dances With Wolves. Bassey would take the lead on two additional Bond themes, 1971’s “Diamonds are Forever” and 1979’s “Moonraker,” becoming the only singer to record more than one main theme for the series. The fact that “Goldfinger” was her only Top 40 hit in the US (#8 on the Hot 100) further linked her indelibly with the Bond franchise to American audiences.
To date, the Goldfinger soundtrack is still the only Bond score to top the US album charts. Its unusual degree of success can be attributed in large part to the cultural environment of 1965. The film Goldfinger was released at the height of popularity for both James Bond and the spy thriller genre as a whole, and is frequently cited as the best movie in the series. The score was released early enough in the series where its arrangements were still novel, and at a time when people regularly bought movie soundtracks. The punchy yet sophisticated light jazz appealed to older listeners, while still being hip enough for younger fans who idolized Bond. Add in Barry and Bassey’s instantly iconic contributions, and the result is a soundtrack that’s just as much a landmark of ’60s pop culture as the film series that inspired it.
It Was 50 Years Ago Today examines a song, album, movie, or book that was #1 on the charts exactly half a century ago.
