Oscars 2022: Billie Eilish's 'No Time To Die' deserves Best Original Song win for its legacy-defying casual cruelty

‘No Time To Die,’ the Bond theme song that Grammy-winning pop wunderkind Billie Eilish sang and co-wrote with her producer brother Finneas, came out 20 months before the release of the eponymous James Bond film . It was a first in a slew of firsts that transpired between Eilish being considered to sing the theme song for the 25th Bond film and her being the chosen one. For one, she is the youngest singer in the history of the illustrious Bond franchise to have sung a Bond theme [Eilish was 18 when the song came out; 19 when the film released]. It allowed Eilish and Finneas the opportunity to collaborate with Hans Zimmer, arguably the greatest living composer of movie soundtracks. Then there is the fact that at first listen, Eilish’s track sounded nothing like what Bond theme songs are usually supposed to sound like. Sure, the track preserves the lurking feeling of danger that is essential to any Bond track. But it is on Eilish’s terms, which is to say that this is arguably the quietest and most minimalist any Bond track has gone. That is exactly what made it so unforgettable — it is as if Eilish, a generation-defining musician, reimagined the purpose of the Bond theme for an entire generation. The achievement of the song lies in just how effortlessly it manages to challenge the idea of a Bond theme. Still, it does not sound easy. The stakes, for instance, were impossibly high: Not only is James Bond a tradition-bound franchise but No Time To Die also marked the final film that would see Daniel Crag reprise his role as the famed spy. It was assumed that the Bond theme then needed to be a fitting coda, ceremonious yet capable of sonically embodying the extent of the wounds and melancholia that has suffused Bond’s psyche over the last few years. Deciding to go with a Gen Z pop superstar who is presumably unfamiliar to the Boomer audience that make up the majority of the Bond fanbase might seem like an odd clash. Even more, considering the edgy, subversive pop reputation that Eilish has diligently carved for herself. In fact, Zimmer admitted in several interviews how everyone was not on board with bringing Eilish and Finneas in to record the Bond theme. Incidentally, No Time To Die was the first time the prolific music composer was invited to compose a Bond track — Zimmer readily involved himself in the decision-making process, which involved listening through a box of song options that were lying around for consideration. By his own admission, he found himself drawn to the “small, leanly-produced, very personal song” by Eilish, and decided that was it. Except, not everyone felt as strongly about Eilish as Zimmer, in particular Craig himself.   The general apprehensiveness to tap a teenage girl for a Bond theme — synonymous with the very definition of masculinity — made sense if the idea for a track befitting the Craig era was to be a showy affair. But then again, it is hard to disagree with Zimmer, who has one Oscar, two Golden Globes, and four Grammys, to his credit. The composer seemed to understand one thing that others had trouble seeing, which is that if there was a chance for the Bond theme to head into a new direction, there would be no other singer apart from Eilish more cut out for the job.

It is precisely why ‘No Time To Die’ simultaneously sounds like a Bond song while sounding like nothing that any previous Bond themes have ever done.

In that, Eilish brought a real sense of intimacy to the whole affair, stripping down her trademark playful vocalizations and her brother’s ingenious production trickery to deliver a haunting, moody ode to the burden of solitude. Indeed, what stands out about Eilish’s rendition is that it does not pander to the legacy of Bond as much as it eggs on the listener to re-envision the purpose of the legacy. Like the most memorable Bond themes such as Adele’s ‘Skyfall’ or Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger,’ Eilish’s rendition stood out for its staunch refusal to be co-opted — the singer managed to stamp her distinctive identity over the song, illuminating her musical influences while beautifully winking at the camera at the same time.  

Lyrically, the song hints at a double-crossing lover and the bruises that one accumulates in between [“I should have known I’d leave alone – it just goes to show that the blood you bleed is just the blood you own.”]  Armed with a tender ruthlessness, Eilish’s standard close-mic approach to the song articulates dread and danger, culminating into a swashbuckling crescendo that even the most talented singers can only dream of hitting. The sonic arrangement of the song — grand piano motif, appealing guitar intro reminiscent of Monty Norman’s original Bond theme — complement Eilish’s confidence, resulting in a song that shows a lifetime of torment without telling any of it. If anything, it cements Eilish as a generation-defining powerhouse vocalist. Think: the big kick that she takes at the end to softly launch into “No time to diieeee.” As it stands, Eilish’s Bond theme, which already won at the Grammys and the Golden Globes, could very well be Oscar-garlanded for Best Original Song this weekend. It is a worthy contender, considering no other Bond theme has come this close to being so casually cruel. ’No Time To Die’ does not just cement Bond as a man of undeniable mystery but more crucially, excels at being the one thing that a Bond ballad should be — arrestingly sexy. How else do you explain ‘No Time To Die’ being in the public consciousness for 20 months? That certainly would not have been the case if the song was not much a befitting entry to the Bond theme canon as it was a befitting Billie Eilish joint. There is no time to die but there is certainly all the time in the world for an Oscar win. Oscars 2022 will take place on 28 March. [caption id=“attachment_10418721” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Oscars 2022. Illustration by Poorti Purohit[/caption]

Poulomi Das is a film and culture writer, critic, and programmer. Follow more of her writing on  Twitter.

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