Thank you for attending this TED talk on why ‘Skyfall’ sounds a bit like a great Bond theme but isn’t a great Bond theme. And the subject – what is it about? Skyfall is… a mansion in the film? Who sings a Bond song about a mansion? Or any kind of abode or dwelling? It’s hard for Adele to connect the song with any relatable human emotion, regardless of her demonstrable skills. There’s a swirling chord progression which barely moves for the entirety of the song (which is a colossal four minutes and forty-six seconds long), the dynamic level barely goes further than mezzo-forte to forte and back again.Īdele, utterly spellbinding vocal talent that she is, basically whispers the whole song. So, let’s attempt to rationalise the song with its constituent parts. As a result, the sheer relief of hearing a passable Bond theme led listeners to believe that ‘Skyfall’ was a classic. A theory for you: by the time ’Skyfall’ came along, there hadn’t been a classic Bond theme for many, many years (since 1995 to be precise). Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupYou Know My Name (From 'Casino Royale' Soundtrack) Chris CornellCarry On 2006 Interscope RecordsReleased on: 2.