Tomorrow Never Dies (song)

"Tomorrow Never Dies" is the song, performed by Sheryl Crow, which served as the theme song to the James Bond film of the same name. The song was co-written by Crow and the song's producer Mitchell Froom, and became her fifth UK top-twenty hit, peaking at No. 12 in 1997.
History.
Another song, "Tomorrow Never Dies", written by the movie's composer David Arnold and performed by k.d. lang, was originally produced as the official theme tune. When Crow's song became the official theme, the k.d. lang song was relegated to the end credits and renamed "Surrender". The melody of "Surrender" still remains in Arnold's score.
In addition to k.d. lang's song, the James Bond producers solicited tracks from other artists, including Pulp, The Cardigans, Saint Etienne, and Swan Lee. These ultimately were rejected in favour of Crow's song.
Reception.
Critical reception.
Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote, "Crow steps forward with a tune that perfectly fuses her distinctive rock/pop style with the bombastic sound that has become the Bond signature. She wails with appropriate melodrama as an array of fluid guitar riffs and swooping strings and piano lines collide at the song's climax." He added, "It's a wonderfully delicious moment that tops off a stellar, deservedly hit-bound recording." "Entertainment Weekly" music critic Jim Farber negatively reviewed the song, explaining, "While Crow's music has the right swank and swing, her brittle voice lacks the operatic quality of the best Bond girls and boys, like Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, or even Melissa Manchester. "Tomorrow Never Dies" should be for her ears only." (Manchester has never recorded a song for a James Bond film.) Farber called the choice of Crow "the worst hire since A-ha fronted one of these themes."
Writing for Filmtracks.com, Christian Clemmensen wished Lang's song had remained, and thought Crow's "beach-bum voice and lazy performance was a disgrace to the film." "Music & Media" wrote that "this is a topnotch song and a classy record. In true Bond style, it could best be described as a mini epic." Also "NME" complimented the song, stating, "But, believe it or not, this is a low-key beauty and probably the best thing 'Miss' Crow has ever done. Crow has virtually reinvented the Bond theme by shrugging off the weight of history and playing it straight." "Rolling Stone" was also critical, believing Lang's song to be superior. Ian Hyland from "Sunday Mirror" gave the song 9 out of 10. He commented, "Miss Crow follows the fine tradition of Bond themery with a dreamily brilliant rock song demanding play after play."
Awards and nominations.
At the 55th Golden Globe Awards, "Tomorrow Never Dies" received a nomination for Best Original Song, but it lost to "My Heart Will Go On" by James Horner and Will Jennings. The song also received a nomination at the 41st Grammy Awards for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media, losing again to "My Heart Will Go On".
Track listing.
2-track CD Single
European CD Single (Cat. No. 582 457-2)
Alternate rejected theme songs.
After the financial and critical reception of Tina Turner's "GoldenEye", which bolstered and revamped her career, the theme to its sequel was an unusually hot commodity. Producers took the opportunity to offer the job to several different artists, allowing them to submit their best effort. Sheryl Crow's was ultimately chosen, but just as other Bond themes before it, it was not the only song recorded for the film. A top contender, alternative rock band Pulp, wrote a song for the film, which was later retitled "Tomorrow Never Lies" and released as a B-side to their "This Is Hardcore" album in 1998. Britpop band Saint Etienne recorded their own version of a song titled "Tomorrow Never Dies", which was later released as an exclusive to their fanclub on their "Built On Sand" album in 1999. Canadian country and pop singer k.d. lang's optioned theme, "Surrender", which was co-written by the film's composer, David Arnold, ended up being used as an end-title song.