Sam Smith's “Writing's On The Wall” will be available September 25th to purchase, which confirms not only the artist behind the theme to the new James Bond film, but also the title of the song.
And, yes, I did indeed report yesterday that the song would be available today. Obviously, it was the full details of the song that my sources heard about, not the song itself. It's exciting news, and not long after I published my piece last night, Sam Smith put out a picture on Instagram that seemed to only stoke the fires:
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The official release from the studio just arrived in our e-mail inbox, and it refutes several months of Smith's public denials that he was going to have anything to do with the theme song. Here's what they had to say:
Albert R. Broccoli”s EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment today confirmed that Sam Smith has recorded “Writing”s On The Wall,” the theme song to SPECTRE, the 24th James Bond adventure. SPECTRE will be released in the UK on October 26 and in the US on November 6. The song, released by Capitol Records, will debut and be available to purchase and stream on September 25.
Multi-platinum selling artist Sam Smith has co-written the title song, “Writing”s On The Wall,” with fellow GRAMMY® Award winner Jimmy Napes. It is the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965. Smith”s debut album In The Lonely Hour launched at No. 1 in the UK and bowed in at No. 2 in the US, and has since earned five No.1 UK singles, four GRAMMY® Awards, three Brit Awards, six MOBO Awards, Q and AMA Awards.
Commenting on the announcement, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers of SPECTRE, said, “Sam and Jimmy have written the most inspirational song for Spectre and with Sam”s extraordinary vocal performance, ‘Writing”s On The Wall” will surely be considered one of the greatest Bond songs of all time.”
Smith said: “This is one of the highlights of my career. I am honoured to finally announce that I will be singing the next Bond theme song. I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations. I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it.”
The 23 previous James Bond theme songs make up some of the most memorable movie music of all time. The previous Bond theme song, “Skyfall,” was performed by Adele, and was honored with the Academy Award® and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Brit Award for British Single of the Year, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
It also, obviously, refutes my report here yesterday. Here's the thing… it is precisely because of things like Smith spending months saying, “I'm not doing that song” that it is hard to know what to do with a studio denial of something.
In this case, Sony wouldn't confirm what they were doing this morning in conjunction with the ticket pre-sales, or even that there was going to be something released or announced. We reached out to them for comment, but the studio declined to make a comment. In that case, we went with a trusted source.
I see how the wires got tangled, but this is a mea culpa. I pulled the trigger on the story, and I was wrong. So while you have to wait 19 more days than I said you would, at least now we know what the song is and when we are actually going to hear it.
Here's the official art that was sent out with the press release.
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And now one last observation. Part of the press release was a synopsis, and at this point, I'm sort of amazed at how detailed this is. They overtly mention something in the synopsis that I would have never published before the film came out because I would have been afraid that I was giving away the entire surprise of the film. At this point, though, it feels like they're hiding the entire film in plain sight. Tell me if I'm crazy, or if this feels like they're spelling out everything.
ABOUT “SPECTRE”
A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond”s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Sam Mendes returns to direct SPECTRE, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007 for the fourth time. SPECTRE is produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The screenplay is by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth, with a story by John Logan and Neal Purvis & Robert Wade.
We'll see what surprises the film holds for us when it hits theaters. Feels like the release is right around the corner.
“Spectre” is set for release in the UK on October 26, 2015, and in the US on November 6, 2015.