Oct 16, 20221 min read

Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey (1972) 10/17/22

Since 1963, there have been 27 James Bond films. These include 25 "official" films from Eon productions and two others: the 1967 version of "Casino Royale" starring David Niven, and Sean Connery's "unofficial" comeback: 1983's "Never Say Never Again."

Over the decades, several "Bond Themes" have become iconic. "Live & Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings comes to mind, as do "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton, and "Nobody Does it Better" by Carly Simon (from "The Spy Who Loved Me.")

Today, however, we're focusing on a Bond Theme by the only artist chosen to sing more than one: Welsh singer Shirley Bassey.

Dame Shirley sang THREE Bond Themes over the years. The first was "Goldfinger" in 1964, and last was "Moonraker" in 1979.

Sandwiched between those was today's "Great Song of 1972: "Diamonds Are Forever."

Plotline: James (Connery) infiltrates a Las Vegas diamond smuggling ring to foil a plot to target Washington DC with a space laser. Blofeld (Charles Gray) is the villain, and Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) is the Bond Girl.)

Shirley's powerful voice added just the right "Brassy Brassey" touch to the theme, and sent it to #14 on Billboard's Easy Listening Chart.

That, and the inherent "cool factor" of a Bond Theme sung over the opening credits, easily makes "Diamonds Are Forever" a "Great Song of 1972!"