Maybe i'm late for this but i have just found out this track. Since this track was composed by Monty Norman for a song from an abandoned 1950s musical, why was it so difficult to say who was the composer for THE JAMES BOND THEME ?
Maybe i'm late for this but i have just found out this track. Since this track was composed by Monty Norman for a song from an abandoned 1950s musical, why was it so difficult to say who was the composer for THE JAMES BOND THEME ?
Sir "Monty Norman" wrote the Bond theme. The man is a legend, a master in his field. Every note in the bond theme was painfully crafted by Sir Monty Norman. Make no mistake.
The answer to me lies in Norman’s score itself. You will hear a fragment of the theme in the score. That came from the song. Everything else is Barry. That’s my theory anyway.
1962. Monty Norman is hired to create the music for Dr. No.
The producers wants some Jamaican source music, a song, and a score.
The Jamaican music, they like.
The song, they like.
The score, err... not so much.
Terence Young called it, "mining disaster music."
There's a meeting at which the music is discussed.
Please bear in mind a lot of this is hearsay and possibly apocryphal.
There's no desire to replace all Monty's music. Apart from anything else, I suspect they couldn't afford to do that.
I believe it is Peter Hunt who effectively says, we lack a 'James Bond' theme, and if you give me an exciting James Bond theme, I can dial that in and out of the film where we need that excitement.
I also believe it is Peter Hunt who says there's a guy called John Barry he's heard who has the sound he thinks he's looking for.
Well, someone came up with the name anyway.
So, UA bring John Barry in and since Monty is the contractual composer, the idea, apparently, is for John Barry to jazz up one of Monty's tunes to give Peter Hunt that exciting theme.
This is where the stories diverge.
Monty's claim is that he provided the theme and Barry 'merely' did an exciting arrangement of it.
Barry's claim is he couldn't work with what Monty provided and went off on his own.
The common thinking is that the Bond theme does utilise a melody provided by Norman but Barry did everything else, like the vamp, the bebop middle section, etc.
If Barry did wrote the whole thing, then you'd basically say he ghost wrote it and was paid off for doing so.
If Norman provided the main theme and Barry provided everything else, then it gets technical about whether Barry's contribution amounts to composition or arrangement.
Even Norman's team conceded it was 'extreme arrangement'.
If it was a screenplay, you might call it a 're-write'.
However, in music they don't really have that concept.
Bottom line, the James Bond theme is based on a melody provided by Monty Norman, but John Barry did a transformational job on it.
The problem here is different stories, different claims, and some 'dubiosity' about where 'extreme arrangement' ends and composition begins.
Like I said, if it was a screenplay, you'd probably call it a re-write.
It's worth saying the Sunday Times legal case did not resolve whether Barry should have been recognised as a co-composer, re-writer or arranger. That case examined only this question:
Was Monty Norman libelled when the Sunday Times claimed John Barry was the true author of the theme.
That was equated with, did Monty Norman compose at least part of it.
The jury was satisfied that Norman did indeed compose at least part of it and therefore had been libelled.
Since the case was not about the extent of Barry's contribution, it did not seek to make any further conclusions.
Doesn’t this hinge on the lead line? Songwriting credits go to the composer of the lead melody, and everything else is treated like additional flourishes even if it accounts for 90% of the song. Monty’s sneeze melody is counted as the lead so he is the composer. Or that seems to be how they award it
Thanks Stephen. My ears can barely identify one of the most iconic themes in movie history in the original post says everything about who the composer is.
Sir "Monty Norman" wrote the Bond theme. The man is a legend, a master in his field. Every note in the bond theme was painfully crafted by Sir Monty Norman. Make no mistake.
Mild Cigar...will return!
As Stephen and Mike mentioned above, if Norman provided the melody then the argument begins over what is songwriting or arrangement. Lots of pop groups have had rows over the years about similar issues, if someone brings the melody but someone provides a riff that everyone remembers who gets the credit? Sting and The Police being a good example with their Every Breath You Take song.
I suspect that there could have been an inclination to keep Norman's source music, and dump his score but the film was running over budget due partly to the cost of Ken Adam's sets and a completion Bond was triggered which guaranteed completion of the film but implemented strict budget control. As a consequence, Eon/UA were stuck with Norman.
Well, I'll say this again. Anybody thinking that Barry's contribution lessens his importance to the theme would be like downgrading Sinatra for not writing "New York, York," or Tony Bennett for not writing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," or Miles Davis for not writing "Round Midnight." I would say that regardless of what came from a discarded musical, Barry owns the Bond theme in the same manner as the above.
I posted this in another "Bond theme authorship" thread a couple of years ago...
Here's how it all appears to me...
Monty Norman was the head chef at a restaurant. Someone ordered a "steak dinner". Norman went to work, and the customer was presented with a plate containing a bland, tasteless steak -- and nothing else.
The customer immediately sent it back for being unsatisfactory.
The manager then called on another chef, John Barry, and asked him "Can you do anything with this?" Barry looked at the steak, rolled his eyes, and went to work.
Barry sprinkled spices and other garnishings onto the steak, and also added a baked potato, string beans, a salad and bread to the plate.
The customer was elated. "Delicious!" he exclaimed. "Who made this?"
"I did!" proclaimed a proud Monty Norman (who was subsequently replaced by John Barry as the head chef).
Norman contends "It was a steak dinner. I provided the steak."
Barry shrugs, "If he made the dinner, why wasn't he kept-on as head chef?"
Maybe i'm late for this but i have just found out this track. Since this track was composed by Monty Norman for a song from an abandoned 1950s musical, why was it so difficult to say who was the composer for THE JAMES BOND THEME ?
This Norman v. Barry debate has been going on for years. Norman has been collecting royalties since Dr. No. Has he done anything since? I think he's the luckiest composer ever. Barry made something big out of something very small.
The best way would be to look at the handwritten score pages and see just how much was contributed by Barry. Hopefully the score still exists.
Norman contends "It was a steak dinner. I provided the steak." Barry shrugs, "If he made the dinner, why wasn't he kept-on as head chef?"
Paul,
This seems to be the perfect analogy! Perhaps future editions of the Bond movies will state...
James Bond Theme: Slab of Beef by Monty Norman Seasoned Steak and Accoutrements by John Barry
Edit: Ignore my above suggestion; Norman might have a beef with that credit. The resulting lawsuit could be costly to EON and MGM - there's too much at steak.
