BOND... JAMES BOND

People always make a big deal about the theme songs to films in the James Bond franchise. I have the new compilation The Best Of Bond... James Bond, and I gotta say, there's a lot of pretty bad songs on it. But since I don't dwell on the negative, let me list my favorite few.

1. Paul McCartney & Wings - "Live and Let Die" from 1973's Live and Let Die. This is one of the few Bond songs that transcended the movie: I think that people don't even think of this as a Bond theme. It's one of Paul's greatest post-Beatles songs, and it even holds up to a lot of Fab Four stuff.

2. John Barry & Orchestra - "James Bond Theme" from 1962's Dr. No. The first, and one of the most distinct movie themes ever.

3. Duran Duran - "A View To A Kill" from 1985's A View To A Kill. In 1985, you couldn't pick a more appropriate band for a Bond theme than double D, and the band rose to the occasion with one of their greatest songs ever, and a great video to boot. "Bon... Simon LeBon."

4. Garbage - "The World Is Not Enough" from 1999's The World Is Not Enough. In the late '90s, Garbage was one of the few bands that made sense for a Bond theme. This featured an even better video than "A View To A Kill." Shirley Manson was perfect for this.

5. Jack White & Alicia Keys - "Another Way To Die" from 2008's Quantum Of Solace. I've written about this one already, you know I love it. I hope Jack and Alicia work together again .

6. Madonna - "Die Another Day" from 2002's Die Another Day. Supposedly Elton said this was the worst Bond theme ever, but I really like it. I guess Madge was inspired by spies: her Austin Powers theme "Beautiful Stranger" is one of my favorites by her, and I like this very electro songs as well. Also a great video.

7. Sheryl Crow - "Tomorrow Never Dies" from 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies. Bond's evening gown vibe is outside of Sheryl's denim comfort zone, but she did a great job on this song.

8. Shirley Bassey - "Diamonds Are Forever" from 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. I'm not really into the old school schmaltzy thing, but this was a good song, sampled to great effect by Kanye West in "Diamonds From Sierra Leone."