"Nobody Does It Better" is a power ballad and the theme song for the

James Bond film James Bond is a fictional character created by British novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. A British secret agent working for MI6 under the codename 007, Bond has been portrayed on film in twenty-seven productions by actors Sean Connery, David Niv ...

'' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977). Composed by

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...

with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, the song was produced by Richard Perry and performed by

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

. It was the first Bond theme song to be titled differently from the name of the film since '' Dr. No'' (1962), although the phrase "the spy who loved me" is included in the lyrics. The song was released as a single from the film's

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

, and became a major worldwide hit. Among the most successful Bond themes, the song spent three weeks at No. 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, kept out of the top spot by Debby Boone's " You Light Up My Life". It hit No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for seven weeks, becoming the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit of 1977. The song was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, signifying sales of one million copies in the US. It also reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Silver by the BPI. The song received Academy Award and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nominations for Best Original Song in 1978, losing both to "You Light Up My Life" from the 1977 film of the same title. At the

20th Annual Grammy Awards The 20th Annual Grammy Awards were held February 23, 1978, and were broadcast live on American television. They were hosted by John Denver and recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1977. Award winners *Record of the Year **Bil ...

held in 1978, "Nobody Does It Better" received a nomination for

Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...

, and Simon was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. In 2004, "Nobody Does it Better" was honoured by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

as the 67th greatest film song as part of their

100 Years Series The AFI's 100 Years… series was a series of annual lists from 1998 to 2008 by the American Film Institute—typically accompanied by CBS television specials—celebrating the century of American cinema. As a centennial celebration of cinematic ...

. In 2012, '' Rolling Stone'' ranked it the third-greatest '' James Bond'' theme song, while ''Billboard'' ranked it the second-greatest. In 2021, USA Today crowned "Nobody Does it Better" the greatest James Bond Theme Song. The song has been performed live by Celine Dion and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

; indeed, Radiohead's lead singer, Thom Yorke, called it the "sexiest song ever written".

Background and composition

"Nobody Does It Better" is Simon's longest-charting hit, as well as the most successful hit of hers that she did not write herself. Her earlier hit " You're So Vain" spent three weeks at No. 1; however, its chart run was two months shorter than that of "Nobody Does It Better". The title of the theme was later used for Simon's 1998 greatest hits compilation, '' The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better''. Lyrically, "Nobody Does It Better" is a "lust-drunk anthem" about James Bond's sexual prowess. In a 1977 documentary on the making of ''The Spy Who Loved Me'', Marvin Hamlisch said that the decision to ask Simon to perform the song was made after lyricist Carole Bayer Sager remarked that the lyrics sounded "incredibly vain", in reference to Simon's 1972 song " You're So Vain".

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described "Nobody Does It Better" as a "typically inventive and bombastic" James Bond theme song, stating that Simon sings it "as if she believed sincerely in the superhuman love powers of 007." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it is "strictly star material in every detail" and that it has "a good enough melody to stand on its own," even if it wasn't a James Bond theme song.

Accolades

Track listing

;7" single * "Nobody Does It Better" – 3:30 * "After the Storm" – 2:46

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Lyrics of this song

Carly Simon's Official Website
{{authority control Rock ballads 1977 singles Carly Simon songs Me First and the Gimme Gimmes songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Love themes Songs from James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me (film) Songs written by Carole Bayer Sager Songs written by Marvin Hamlisch Elektra Records singles Pop ballads 1977 songs 1970s ballads Song recordings produced by Richard Perry