"Licence to Kill" is a song by American singer Gladys Knight, written and recorded for the James Bond film '' Licence to Kill''. The song was written by

Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...

, Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff. Released as a single on May 30, 1989, the song became a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number six and becoming Knight's last charting solo single there. The song charted well in Europe, peaking atop the Swedish Singles Chart for eight weeks (four chart periods at the time) and reaching the top five in seven other European countries. It also peaked at number 79 on Canada's '' RPM'' Top Singles chart but did not appear on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Critical reception

Jerry Smith from '' Music Week'' wrote, "Gladys Knight beats all-comers for the dubious pleasure of singing the theme to the latest Bond movie, written and produced by

, and basically a pastiche of the best of the previous themes. It can't really fail." Pat Sharp for ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' felt "Licence to Kill" "sounds very dramatic and James Bond-y".

Track listings

* 7-inch single :A. "Licence to Kill" – 4:11 :B. "Pam" (performed by Michael Kamen and the National Philharmonic Orchestra) * 12-inch single :A1. "Licence to Kill" (extended version) :B1. "Pam" (performed by Michael Kamen and the National Philharmonic Orchestra) :B2. "Licence to Kill"

Personnel

* Gladys Knight: vocals *

: songwriter, producer, arranger * Walter Afanasieff: songwriter, associate producer, arranger, orchestrator, keyboards, drum programming, percussion, Moog bass, synthesizer * Jeffrey Cohen: songwriter * Michael Kamen: orchestrator * Gary Grant, Jerry Hey: horns * Greg "Gigi" Gonaway: Paiste cymbals * Ren Klyce: Fairlight synthesizer programming * Claytoven Richardson, Jeanie Tracy, Karen "Kitty Beethoven" Brewington, Melisa Kary, Sandy Griffith, Skyler Jett: background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

In 2017, musician and producer Fernando Perdomo collaborated with former

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

backing vocalist and Blue Pearl lead singer, Durga McBroom, recording the song for the multi-artist compilation album, ''Songs, Bond Songs: The Music of 007''."Songs, Bond Songs: The Music of 007"
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References

External links

Gladys Knight - Licence To Kill
on Discogs {{Authority control 1989 singles 1989 songs Gladys Knight songs Licence to Kill MCA Records singles Number-one singles in Sweden Song recordings produced by Narada Michael Walden Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff Songs from James Bond films Songs written by Narada Michael Walden Songs written by Walter Afanasieff Songs written for films