"A View to a Kill" | |||||||||||||||||||
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Single by Duran Duran | |||||||||||||||||||
from the album A View to a Kill (soundtrack) | |||||||||||||||||||
B-side | "A View to a Kill" (That Fatal Kiss) | ||||||||||||||||||
Released | 6 May 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||
Format | 7" | ||||||||||||||||||
Recorded | Spring 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Length | 3:37 (single version) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Writer(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Bernard Edwards | ||||||||||||||||||
Duran Duran singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||
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"A View to a Kill" is the thirteenth single by the English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 6 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the 1985 James Bond movie of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number 2 for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
In 1986, composer John Barry and Duran Duran were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "A View to a Kill". The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five member lineup of Duran Duran until their 2001 reunion. It was performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split. Following Barry's death, the band paid tribute as their encore at the 2011 Coachella Festival, Simon Le Bon reappearing in a tuxedo for a pared-down version backed by an orchestra, before launching into the full, upbeat track. Bassist John Taylor told the crowd: "We lost a dear friend of ours this year – English composer John Barry. This is for him."
The song was written by Duran Duran and John Barry, and recorded at Maison Rouge Studio and CTS Studio in London with a 60-piece orchestra.
Duran Duran were chosen to do the song after bassist John Taylor (a lifelong Bond fan) approached producer Cubby Broccoli at a party, and somewhat drunkenly asked "When are you going to get someone decent to do one of your theme songs?" This inauspicious beginning led to some serious talks, and the band was introduced to Bond composer John Barry, and also Jonathan Elias (whom Duran Duran members would later work with many times). An early writing meeting at Taylor's flat in Knightsbridge led to everyone getting drunk instead of composing.