Making the Case for David Arnold’s Return in Bond 26
31 January 2024 07:01
You know his name: Arnold, David Arnold. Composer for five consecutive James Bond films spanning 11 years from 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies until his final score in 2008 with Quantum of Solace. That is, unless Arnold is chosen to return to score his sixth with Bond 26…
Music has always played an integral part in the James Bond franchise. There are the perfectly tailored scores for each film, the main title songs performed by the industry’s finest and of course the iconic James Bond theme, which seemingly everyone around the world is able to hum on the spot. One could go as far as saying that much of the franchise’s long-lasting success can be credited to the music.
So with Bond 26 on the horizon we’ve decided to turn our attention to who the next composer should be, but rather than simply listing all potential candidates, we figured there’s more than enough of a case to be made for why it can only be David Arnold. (Take part in our poll on social media to give us your opinion!)
Creating a New Legacy
The English composer got his first big break with 1994’s Stargate and went on to score Independence Day which earned him a Grammy Award. This put Arnold firmly on Hollywood’s radar and he soon found himself writing music for other franchise IPs such as Godzilla, Shaft and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Arnold’s early success also caught the attention of British filmmakers such as Danny Boyle, Edgar Wright and most notably the Broccolis.
According to Arnold there are several different versions to the story of how he landed the Bond gig, but it’s widely known that maestro John Barry himself recommended him to the producers. This came after being flattered by Arnold’s ‘Shaken and Stirred’ cover album which Barry called “terrific.” Paired together with Arnold’s experience in writing music for blockbuster films and his industry reputation, the Broccolis came to the easy decision to hire him for Tomorrow Never Dies.
The producers were so impressed with Arnold’s modern sound that they immediately decided to keep him onboard for the next film: The World Is Not Enough. This trusting relationship continued with each subsequent film and he ended up scoring another three with Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
Arnold soon became the franchise’s most recurring composer after John Barry, and just like his appointer, he managed to leave his own unique mark on the fabric of the Bond soundscape. For instance, Arnold established the recognisable four-note ‘suspense motif’ heard in all of his scores and most prominently in ‘Pipeline’ and ‘Dirty Martini.’ He was also heavily involved in co-writing several classic Bond songs including ‘You Know My Name’, ‘The World Is Not Enough’ and last but certainly not least ‘Surrender’ for Tomorrow Never Dies.
Furthermore, Arnold’s rendition of the James Bond theme for Casino Royale was used in all but one of Daniel Craig’s films due to its perennial brilliance. And who can forget the now beautifully bittersweet sound of Vesper’s theme, which is so profound that it even made its way into Hans Zimmer’s score for No Time To Die – an incredible 15 years after its inception.
The Midas Touch
The majority of Bond fans would agree that even though David Arnold isn’t a match for John Barry, he’s still the next best composer by a wide margin. What makes Arnold’s Bond music so special is that it starts with a deep-rooted respect for Barry’s work. It all began when Arnold first saw You Only Live Twice as a young child. The opening suite of music caught his full imagination and sparked his interest to become a composer. So when he eventually got round to scoring a Bond film, Arnold wanted to honour that moment and Barry’s legacy.
Thankfully Arnold avoids being a tribute act by adding his own twist to his Bond music. It goes deeper than the previously mentioned suspense motif. Firstly, Arnold prefers writing music that is more character-driven. In other words, the music is focused a great deal on how Bond is feeling in the moment and this is useful because as a character he usually doesn’t talk a lot about himself. So Arnold’s music allows us to peer into his inner voice without telling us too much. It’s a delicate balance but he nails it.
Another trademark of Arnold that differentiates his music is that it usually follows what’s on screen almost beat-for-beat. This might be an indirect product of modern filmmaking but it’s a very different approach to how the Bond composers of the past wrote music. This is most noticeable during action sequences where the music frequently changes pace depending on the rhythm of the visuals (even knowing when to go dead silent for extra effect). For instance, the next time you’re watching Casino Royale pay close attention to the ‘African Rundown’ track during the parkour chase. Arnold accentuates every jump and every blow. He makes you feel it.
In the past composers would primarily write atmospheric suites that would capture the overall emotion of a scene. The downside to this was that each piece of music had less range and couldn’t always capture the moment as satisfyingly. The same melodic music would often be repeated across scenes too. With Arnold you essentially get several tracks in one because of how liberally it switches gears. In retrospect it makes Arnold’s tracks more recognisable in the sense that it’s easier to identify the exact moment that the track plays compared to the work of the other Bond composers.
Yet Arnold’s talent isn’t limited to only writing blockbuster action tracks – he’s a master of capturing emotion as well. Memorable examples of this include ‘Death of Vesper’, ‘Elektra’s Theme’, ‘Paris and Bond’ and ’Forgive Yourself.’ Even for the tragic scenes there’s almost always a sense of romance in these tracks, which gives them a bittersweet note. Particularly in his later Bond scores he doesn’t want to simply elicit one emotion from the audience but rather give a more nuanced sound. There’s simply more depth to Arnold’s music than a lot of people give him credit for.
When it comes to Bond films in general, setting the right atmosphere of a scene is key and the music plays a large role in this. Barry was able to do this effortlessly in all of his films – placing you in an entirely different country or culture with a single note. Arnold has proven he can capture a setting just as well, especially when introducing an audience to a new location. Think of ‘City of Lovers’, ‘Welcome to Baku’, ‘Aston Montenegro’, ‘Bond in Haiti’, ‘Welcome to Cuba’, etc. These tracks all add to the escapism that the franchise is famous for.
So clearly Arnold is able to write music to elicit emotion, excitement and to create atmosphere but what about the big picture… the story itself. Arnold has a great understanding of Bond’s character and knows to not get ahead of the film but rather keep the audience on the same level as Bond. He demonstrated this brilliantly with his Casino Royale score by carefully revealing snippets of the James Bond theme each time it was rightfully earned. Then in the final scene after patiently waiting nearly two and a half hours, once he’s finally become the Bond we know and love, Arnold releases the theme in all its explosive glory.
It was a masterful idea, which had studio executives nervous, but it went to show Arnold’s thoughtfulness to serve the story and character first and the audience second. A lesser composer would’ve felt pressured to blast the theme at every opportunity to remind us that it was a Bond film. In hindsight it’s no wonder that Arnold received a BAFTA nomination for this particular score.
Just like Barry, Arnold always starts with the main title song. For Tomorrow Never Dies it was famously ‘Surrender’ by Canadian singer k.d. lang. Even though he knew the filmmakers were working on another more commercial song he still put in the extra work and produced an incredibly powerful piece of music. It arguably served the film better than Crow’s song due to the way he was able to fuse it to the score. For Arnold the Bond songs work as a foundation or thematic core of each film upon which the rest of the score sits. This is what makes the music so satisfying because each film has its own unique DNA despite the James Bond theme and other conventions.
This is the process Arnold followed with each subsequent film regardless of whether he was allowed to be involved in writing the main title song. Using either the primary/secondary song or even an original theme, he was an expert at knowing which bits to use as catchy motifs. Think of the horns in ‘You Know My Name,’ the string section in ‘The World is Not Enough’, the soft notes in ‘Vesper’ or the aforementioned suspense motif, which are used to great effect in their respective films. Arnold was a master at weaving and threading these motifs into the score’s fabric, giving the audience a better understanding of the film’s themes and character motivations on a subconscious level.
Forever Evolving
Over time there’s been a gradual progression to Arnold’s Bond scores from heavily precise to more melodic. This is not only a result of changes happening in the music industry but also in his personal writing style. Arnold was quoted as saying “I [now] like to write away from the film, little suites of music, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes, and adapt it to the scenes you've got in front of you.” This is the opposite approach to how he’d score a film in the past by watching it all the way through first and then writing music specifically for each scene afterwards.
Fans would agree that his final two Bond scores have a certain maturity to them and were still evolving. Arnold wanted to continue evolving his sound too, were it not for his premature departure from the franchise. Despite this he’s always remained passionate about returning one day to score another Bond film. In his mind there’s unfinished business and at least during the Daniel Craig era he still had ideas of what to do next. For instance, he wanted to expand on what he started with Quantum of Solace with tracks such as ‘Inside Man’ being the kernel.
Leading up to No Time To Die, Arnold admitted that he was still open to composing the music for the film if the producers would ask him. Dan Romer was initially hired before leaving due to ‘creative differences.’ Hans Zimmer then jumped in at the last minute. No offence to Zimmer but it’s surprising that Arnold wasn’t the producers’ first or second choice. According to Arnold he was never approached at any time either. So unfortunately we never got to hear the continuation of Arnold’s music to bookend Craig’s era. With another actor to be cast for Bond 26 we might also never know how exactly he wanted to expand on his Quantum of Solace score even if he returns.
Common Criticisms
There are of course naysayers who are quick to criticise Arnold’s work and are opposed to his return. A frequent criticism is that his music is too simple and loud. The modern pop version of John Barry. However, based on everything that’s been discussed above this is an unfair overgeneralization. Times changed and loud electronic scores became the norm around the time Arnold was first hired. Admittedly, Arnold’s music is more noticeable than other composers’ work but this is a result of the beat-for-beat scoring – a quasi ‘Mickey Mousing’ of what’s on screen. Arnold does it with intention though and it elevates the moment.
A further criticism is that his scores are too repetitive of each other and a new sound is needed to keep the franchise fresh. While it is true that he repeats certain motifs and arrangements across his Bond scores, this can be said of any of the composers that did more than one score. Even John Barry reused his own ideas but it still felt fresh because they made up a small part of the overall score. Plus we’ve already had two new composers since Arnold’s departure 16 years ago. That’s more than enough time for a break. Arnold would now have even more fresh ideas than had he returned for Skyfall.
In any case, who else in the industry is better suited than Arnold for Bond 26? Would it be Lorne Balfe (MI: Fallout), Michael Giacchino (Rogue One), Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer), Alan Silvestri (Avengers) or John Williams (Raiders of the Lost Ark)? These are no doubt all fantastic, respected composers but do they really understand Bond like Arnold does? Would they even go the extra mile to respect Barry’s legacy?
Thomas Newman had a fresh sound for Skyfall but by SPECTRE he was already drained of ideas and resorted to recycling the former score, making the amateur mistake of falling in love with it as temp music. Hans Zimmer was a fan-favourite pick similar to John Williams but his Bond score was arguably forgettable apart from the ‘Final Ascent’ track. Zimmer was too afraid to experiment with the Bond sound so he ultimately played it too safe. This could easily happen with other composers that are either intimidated or overwhelmed by the prospect of scoring a Bond film. With Arnold you’re guaranteed to be in a safe pair of hands.
Many detractors have pointed out that Arnold’s film résumé over the past 15 years has been feeble. This is mostly true as he’s only written music for two studio films in that time, but this shouldn’t be anything to worry about. After all, the composer has been keeping his pencil sharp primarily focusing on TV projects such as Good Omens and Sherlock – the latter of which won him an Emmy in 2014.
Arnold and the Bond Brand
Elsewhere Arnold has been keeping himself busy with his UK solo tour, which received positive reviews from both the general public and critics. This is not to be confused with the ‘Casino Royale in Concert’ Bond events which he occasionally participated in. Speaking of which, Arnold has continued to stay close to the Bond brand over the years, partnering with the Broccolis to curate and produce the 60th anniversary celebration of James Bond music for ‘The Sound of 007 in Concert.’ More recently Arnold even wrote the main title theme for the 007: Road to a Million reality show. Time will tell if Arnold will also be involved in season 2.
All of this is to say that the connection between Arnold and Bond remains strong despite his absence from scoring the past few films. Arnold only lost out to Newman for Skyfall because director Sam Mendes insisted on working with his long-time collaborator. The same happened with SPECTRE. There’s no problem with that – Arnold doesn’t need to score every Bond film for the rest of his life and it’s also refreshing to hear a new sound – but it’s fair to say that the recent scores simply aren’t on par with the work of Arnold or Barry.
At the end of the day David Arnold is the best man for the job: he’s talented, humble and above all passionate about Bond. The composer has proven himself five times already and is more than ready to make his comeback. He understands Bond like no other living composer and is able to write emotional, thrilling and impactful music that elevates the films beyond their visuals. On top of all this he continues to have a close relationship with the Broccolis. Simply put, if given the chance, David Arnold will deliver.