James Bond Theme / Goldfinger Lyrics - Shout!

Song Overview

Personal Review

“Goldfinger” hits like a blast of brass and velvet, a cinema curtain ripping open. The lyrics frame a warning and a seduction at once, and those lyrics ride Shirley Bassey’s ironclad vibrato like a chandelier swinging over a casino table. Key takeaways: John Barry’s melodic hook is simple and lethal, George Martin’s session credit sits in the fine print, and Bassey turns a villain’s calling card into a pop standard. One-sentence snapshot of the theme plot: a myth-soaked portrait of greed that charms as it threatens, telling you to run even as it pulls you closer. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Song Meaning and Annotations

The message is a velvet-gloved cautionary tale. “Goldfinger” paints Auric Goldfinger - the film’s villain - as a seductive force that corrupts everything touched. The words don’t just describe a man; they brand a temptation.

Musically it’s orchestral pop fused with jazz brass and a swaggering 4/4 swing. The rhythm section keeps a steady, almost stalking pulse while trumpets flash like camera bulbs. That fusion was Barry’s playground, and Bassey commands it with theatrical phrasing that makes every consonant feel weaponized. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

The emotional arc starts as a slinky whisper and climbs toward defiance. Bassey teases the danger, then plants a flag on that final sustained note - the one that nearly knocked her out during the all-night session. The track was recorded on August 20, 1964 at CTS Studios in London, with the credit listing George Martin as producer and John Barry driving the session. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Culturally the lyric leans on a myth that everyone knows. When Bassey warns of a “Midas touch,” she’s reaching back to Greek lore where King Midas turned everything to gold - a gift that cursed him. The song twists that legend into a modern fable about greed’s kiss of death.

Inside the Bond story, those words echo a very specific image: Jill Masterson’s body painted gold. The film calls it “skin suffocation,” a striking idea that lodged in pop memory even though medical reality says otherwise. It works as symbol - a human turned treasure and then a tomb. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

“The man with the Midas touch / A spider’s touch”

Two metaphors, two kinds of threat. “Midas” glamorizes; “spider” ensnares. The lyricist pair Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley lace the line with sibilants that sound like silk threads being pulled tight. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

“Golden words he will pour in your ear”

The vowel-melting “pour” slows time for a second, like honey slipping from a spoon. It’s seduction via language - a sales pitch where every promise glitters. Production-wise you hear muted brass cushion the phrase, then the band opens up on “kiss of death,” brass stabs underlining the verdict. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

“Pretty girl, beware of his heart of gold / This heart is cold”

That flip from “gold” to “cold” is the whole thesis. Wealth without warmth. The rhyme snaps like handcuffs.

Creation history

The melody was Barry’s, then Bricusse and Newley cracked the lyric after hitting on the Midas conceit. Anthony Newley cut the first demo on May 14, 1964; Bassey’s version became the film’s statement piece. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Opens with character sketch. Short lines, heavy nouns. The band creeps then flares, and Bassey shapes “spider’s touch” with a glint of menace.

Chorus

Persuasion vs. perception. The “golden words” promise safety, the arrangement grows taller, then the chorus yanks the curtain: “kiss of death.” That staccato brass is the verdict rendered.

Verse 2

The warning gets blunt. The rhyme of “gold” and “cold” is hard and deliberate. The outro’s litany - “He loves only gold” - reduces the villain to one appetite. That’s Bond morality distilled to a chant.

Key Facts

• Featured: Shirley Bassey with John Barry’s orchestra. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Producer: George Martin. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
• Composer: John Barry. Lyricists: Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
• Release Date: UK single 1964; US single January 1965. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
• Genre: orchestral pop, jazz. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
• Instruments: big-band brass, strings, rhythm section, guitar, timpani accents; arranged and conducted by John Barry. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
• Label: Columbia (UK, cat. DB 7360); United Artists (US, cat. UA 790). :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
• Mood: sultry, ominous, triumphant.
• Length: 2:48. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
• Language: English.
• Album: appeared on Goldfinger - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; later on multiple Bond compilations. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
• Music style, poetic meter: dramatic swing with mixed feet; trochaic hits like “Goldfinger,” iambic turns in “He’s the man.”
• © Copyrights: film soundtrack issued by United Artists Records in 1964. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

Questions and Answers

Who wrote and recorded “Goldfinger”?

Music by John Barry, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, recorded by Shirley Bassey for the film’s titles. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

When and where was it recorded?

August 20, 1964 at CTS Studios in London, in an overnight session; producer credit to George Martin. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}

What does “Midas touch” mean in the song?

It references the Greek myth of King Midas, whose touch turned everything to gold - a shorthand for greed that ruins what it touches.

Did someone in the film really die from gold paint?

No. The movie uses “skin suffocation” for Jill Masterson’s death, but medical experts and fact-checkers have debunked that idea. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

How did the single perform on the charts?

It hit No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 2 on Adult Contemporary, and No. 21 in the UK. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

Awards and Chart Positions

“Goldfinger” gave Shirley Bassey her signature US hit, peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart in early 1965; in the UK it reached No. 21. It later ranked No. 53 on AFI’s 100 Years...100 Songs and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

How to Sing?

Lead with posture and breath. The arrangement is mid-tempo swing, but the phrases are long and the dynamics jump. Bassey supports the low-register hush in the verses, then opens the ribcage for the chorus, selling each consonant without chopping the legato. On the final note, think column of air first, vibrato second - John Barry famously asked for one more second on that hold. If you’re practicing, rehearse crescendo swells on a sustained vowel, then add diction on top. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}

Songs Exploring Themes of greed and power

Shirley Bassey - “Diamonds Are Forever” slides from torch to threat. Like “Goldfinger,” it centers material obsession, but here the narrator does the seducing. The lyric treats diamonds as companions that never lie, an icy twist on intimacy. The arrangement is silkier, less brassy, yet the moral temperature is similar - desire purified into something hard and permanent.

Pink Floyd - “Money” takes the theme to the street with cash register loops and a loping groove. Where “Goldfinger” warns you about a glamorous villain, “Money” points the camera at us, our spending, our excuses. Vocals are dry, guitars bite, and the lyric lists temptations like items on a receipt. The cynicism makes it feel colder, even without a tuxedo in sight.

The Rolling Stones - “Sympathy for the Devil” looks at power through a grinning narrator who’s been everywhere history got ugly. It’s not about gold so much as the impulse behind it. The samba beat keeps things fluid while the words talk about deals, names, and blame. Compared with “Goldfinger,” it’s the same dance with temptation, just stripped of the film’s formal attire.