White Keys? Alicia Stripes?
September 21st, 2008
The Unlikely Duet of the Year Award goes to…. Alicia Keys and Jack White.
Commissioned to record for the upcoming Bond film (it’s called “Quantum of Solace” in case you’ve been living offline in a cave until today.) “Another Way to Die” is probably the strangest Bond theme song of all time. Give the song a spin or two and then imagine the audiences in the theater watching the silhouettes of curvy women slithering over some cars and guns and martini glasses as the credits roll up, wincing in reaction to the dissonant guitar stylings of The White Prince. It’s a big rock song distracted by a big cinematic aspirations. Perhaps it was inspired by Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die”. “Another Way…” seems well-suited for the Academy Awards where there is an orchestra and this Odd Couple on stage for a few minutes for worldwide TV viewers, but it is out of sync with the graceful, hypnotic sounds that have opened the majority of 007 movies. (Louis Armstrong, Carly Simon, Sheena Easton, even Sheryl Crow, for chrissakes.) Alicia Keys’ presence here is incidental but her voice melds well with White’s. The staccato time signature with White’s unmistakeable fat, tube-burning guitar and the Daptones-esque horn section certainly don’t make for a song that’s “a million times better” than the last Bond theme. “You Know My Name”, recorded for Casino Royale, was not a Rick James number, but in fact performed by former Seattle resident and Golden Throat Rocker(tm) Chris Cornell.
As a postscript to this report, I can’t help but wonder which ad wizards thought it prudent to use a song called “Another Way to Die” in the campaign for Coca Cola Zero, a lovely blend of enamel-destroying bubbles, salts, and acids.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
LB said:
Oh man, I’d forgot about Chris Cornell…
It’s a good song and I think it fits well into the “genre” of Bond themes. I can’t help but think, though, that it sounds a bit like “Kashmir”, which wasn’t a Bond song but very well could have been.
Eh, hopefully the new movie’s not as enigmatic as its title.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:48 am
misterlevitan said:
“Kashmir” as a Bond song? That’d probably demand a really good movie.
What the eff is a “quantum of solace”? I asked for it at Starbucks, just for kicks. No response.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
SqueakyCleanTyroneGreen said:
Now I’m a huge fan of Jack White, The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and basically anything else Jack White does. And I think Alicia Keys is one of the classiest, most talented and most real artists (not just female artist, or R&B artist), of the last 10 years. There’s Mary J, there’s a slew of interchangeable Brit chanteuse’s, and there’s Alicia. All these people span a lot of genres and vibes, but you can’t argue with success. However this song, while it’s growing on me, seems like it could be a lot better if someone comes along and does an inspired remix or mashup with it. I need some space and some buildup and some loud soft loud. I hate to say it, but I think Jack needed to Wings-it. It’s short and it’s complex like others have done for the franchise–but it lacks the suave, slow burn that even some of the bombastic Bassey and McCartney arrangements had. I guess that’s the new take on Bond. He’s not the same wisecracking misogynist charmer that he used to be. He’s more in your face–which, I guess, you have to be to draw in the ticket-buying public these days. I guess when you think about it that way, Jack & Alicia’s song accomplishes that aim quite effectively.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:08 pm
The Liars CLub said:
I think we need to overlook the whole aspect of this being a theme song, and instead focus on the songwriting itself outside of the context of cinema. It seems to follow the disturbing trend in the music Jack White has been writing, beginning with Icky Thump and most recently Consoler of the Lonely with The Raconteurs. The music seems to wildy consume time and space as if the lack of physical production of the song is made up for with lavish arrangement that seems to lose focus, and my interest. I guess I just miss the Jack that was happy covering Stop Breakin’ Down and Death Letter, the latter maybe being the best representation of his genius to date (search you tube for the live performance and be amazed).
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:37 pm
SqueakyCleanTyroneGreen said:
Man–you nailed it on the ‘Stripes cover of Death Letter. Damn. If the middle part of this country had half the passion of Jack White we’d all be eating at Cracker Barrel tonight.
I have no idea what that means.
September 4th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Amado Lauze said:
Alicia Keys is a person with soul, brains, kind; and she is just so attractive and sexy. She deserves a rating of 10 stars plus
September 19th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
Elliott Northway said:
I really want to let you know that I am so happy for you finally having a family …. i love you and your songs. It has really change my life…Alicia Keys you are amazing!
September 26th, 2010 at 10:47 am
Loura Pipes said:
Alicia Keys wedding in the island of Corsica was beautiful. She and her hubby looked great. Goodluck with your new life and the baby. I love you Alicia