A View To A Kill – Duran Duran | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 2 weeks); 1985
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Carly did it. Sheena did it. Even Macca and Sinatra did it. As did Duran Duran, who also sang the theme song for a Bond…James Bond movie, A View To A Kill, in 1985. Unique among the previous Bond film tunes, Kill went all the way to #1 for the first time since the series debuted in 1962.
Roger Moore starred as Ian Fleming’s secret agent hero in his seventh, and final, appearance after taking over from Sean Connery starting with 1973’s Live And Let Die (for which Paul “Macca” McCartney and his band Wings did the theme honors).
Written by Duran Duran and ace movie music composer John Barry, Kill was the Brit band’s ninth hit in just twoand-a-half years. Paris provided the backdrop for the accompanying video, echoing the setting for Bond’s latest adventures.
Following the 007 experience, the quintet split into two factions: three continued under the Duran Duran banner while the other two joined Robert Palmer in The Power Station.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Bernard Edwards
- Jason Corsaro
- Duran Duran
Lyrics Written by:
- Duran Duran
- John Barry
Awards:
- Golden Globe Awards Nominee for Best Original Song (1986)
- Grammy Awards Winner of Best Video, Short Form for “Girls On Film/Hungry Like The Wolf” (1984)
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).