"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by English singerSam Smith, written for the release of the 2015James Bond filmSpectre. The song was released as a digital download on 25 September 2015.[1] The song was written by Smith andJimmy Napes, and produced by the latter alongsideSteve Fitzmaurice andDisclosure.
A 27-second sample of "Writing's on the Wall". The song has been called "very slow and surprisingly restrained", with it deemed inferior to the previousJames Bond theme "Skyfall".
"Writing's on the Wall" was co-written by Sam Smith andJimmy Napes[9] in a single session: they wrote it in under half an hour and quickly recorded ademo. They were so pleased with Smith's vocal performance that they used it on the final release.[10] On 8 September 2015, Sam Smith announced that they were singing the song for theJames Bond filmSpectre. They described performing the theme as "one of the highlights of my career".[11] The English bandRadiohead also composed a song for the film, "Spectre", which went unused.[12]
The song is written in the key ofF minor with a tempo of 66 beats per minute (Larghetto). Smith's vocals range fromA♭3 toD♭5.[13] Smith said it was "horrible to sing" as the notes are "just so high".[14]
"Writing's on the Wall" received a mixed response from critics.
Alexis Petridis ofThe Guardian wrote that the song attempted to capture the mood ofAdele's "Skyfall", but "doesn't feel anywhere near as striking[...] the chances of it joining the pantheon ofBond themes that anyone with even a passing interest inpop music can hum seem pretty slender".[15] Chris Willman ofVariety similarly noted the song was "unbecoming of a Bond movie", comparing it negatively toAdele's "Skyfall" from the previous 2012Bond installment andBillie Eilish's "No Time to Die" from the subsequent 2021Bond film of the same name. He ranked the song as the worst James Bond theme song.[16]
Lewis Corner ofDigital Spy rated it three out of five stars.[17]
Neil McCormick ofThe Daily Telegraph called the song a "monster Bond ballad", stating, "(The song) is very, very slow and surprisingly restrained, at times floating by on resonant piano notes, the faintest brush stroke of orchestra, with all the focus on Smith's intense, tremulous vocal, rising with controlled pace and tension to an audacious chorus pay-off".[18]
Chris DeVille ofStereogum felt it was inferior to Radiohead's rejected song.[19]
In the United Kingdom, "Writing's on the Wall" became the first James Bond theme to reach number one, on the issue dated 8 October 2015.[20][21] The previous highest-charting Bond themes were Adele's "Skyfall" andDuran Duran's "A View to a Kill" from the 1985film of the same name, which both reached number two.[22][23] It also became Smith's fifth UK number-one single within two years. The song spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks in theUK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Writing's on the Wall" debuted and peaked at number 71 on theBillboard Hot 100, compared to the previous Bond song, "Skyfall", which debuted at number 8 in October 2012. On theCanadian Hot 100, the song debuted at and peaked number 43. In Australia, the song performed moderately, debuting at number 44, and later peaking at number 43, but on theIrish Singles Chart, the song was a much bigger hit, debuting and peaking at number 9. The song has also charted in several other European countries though to a far lesser degree than its predecessor.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 46. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 40. týden 2015 in the date selector. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: insert 201605 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201546 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
