Goldfinger (soundtrack)

Goldfinger (soundtrack)

Goldfinger is the soundtrack for the third James Bond film of the same name.

This is the first of three James Bond films with a theme song sung by Shirley Bassey, whose forceful, dramatic style became a series trademark (she would go on to sing Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker). "Goldfinger" was composed by John Barry, with lyrics by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, and is widely acknowledged as a classic of its genre. Famously, co-producer Harry Saltzman hated the song and only agreed to use it when persuaded by Albert Broccoli.

Originally, Newley recorded a version of the theme song, but it was later re-recorded with Bassey's voice for the film and soundtrack album. In 1992, Newley's version was released for the 30th Anniversary of James Bond on film, in the compilation collectors edition The Best of Bond...James Bond.

The score was composed by Barry, making this his second, credited Bond score. The score makes regular use of instrumental arrangements of the title theme, as well as the Bond theme from Dr. No used in the gun barrel sequence . The score makes heavy use of brass. The distinctive music for Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob, makes use of repeated strokes on a metallic anvil. Metallic chimes are also heard in many scenes associated with Oddjob or gold, notably that in which the dead golden girl is discovered. The very effective use of music and various sound effects in the film won it an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and spent 70 total weeks on the chart, but for reasons that remain unclear, received no RIAA certification.

Much of the music from the film's final reel was unreleased on the original soundtrack. In 2003, a remastered Goldfinger soundtrack album was released which contained four tracks that had previously been available on only the British soundtrack album. The U.S. soundtrack album did not have these tracks but featured a Barry guitar cover version of the main theme that did not appear in the film. Barry also used the theme on his 1965 John Barry Plays Goldfinger album that featured Robert Brownjohn artwork.

The harp melody at the beginning of the song "6 Underground" is sampled from the track "Golden Girl" from the Goldfinger soundtrack (specifically the scene where Bond discovers Jill Masterson covered in gold paint).