David Arnold is a James Bond expert. In 1997, shortly after scoring sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day, he recruited Pulp, Iggy Pop, Bjork, Chrissie Hynde and Leftfield for the ambitious ‘Shaken And Stirred’ Bond covers album. 007 boss Barbara Broccoli was so impressed, she hired him to work on the soundtrack for that year’s Tomorrow Never Dies. He returned for The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.
Now Arnold’s back in the world of martinis and MI6 for ‘First Light’, his titular collaboration with fellow Bond superfan Lana Del Rey that serves as the theme song to a bold new video game. “We didn’t set out to just make the next James Bond game, we set out to tell the next James Bond story,” explains Dominic Vega, audio director at developer IO Interactive. “Getting the theme song right was really important to the soul of the project.” When the idea of Arnold and Del Rey working on it was suggested, “it seemed too good to be true,” he grins. But here we are.
First Light, an action-adventure game that details the origins of 007, was first pitched to Arnold by Broccoli at an appropriately high-level briefing. “The meeting took a long time and was very detail heavy. I loved how committed they were,” says Arnold. “But really [I said yes immediately because] it was the opportunity to write an official Bond theme. I’ve never tired of doing that. I really don’t mind if that’s what I’m known for, because It’s always been my dream,” says the composer, who saw his first Bond flick ‘You Only Live Twice’ when he was just eight years old.
The soaring ballad takes Bond into a new era
Rather than rushing off to bash out his sixth Bond anthem though, Arnold spent time with the concept art, script and early development footage of the game. “I’m obviously aware of the 60 years of history – all the songs that have been written as well as all the movies, TV shows and novels that have been [created around this character]. But I had to get a sense of what this Bond was like,” says Arnold, referring to how actor Patrick Gibson has taken on the mantle of the world’s most famous secret agent for this title. He follows Daniel Craig, whose explosive farewell in No Time To Die half a decade ago still smarts for some fans. A fresh face for the films is still to be announced.
Back when Arnold first fell in love with Bond, the suited and booted gentleman was an aspirational figure who could do whatever he wanted in the name of king and country without any consequences. Craig’s era changed all that. “He didn’t just kick someone in the face, say something funny then bugger off. It’s not quite a vulnerability… but more layers have definitely been revealed. There’s room for him to be something different now,” says Arnold, who wanted to explore that within the lyrics.
“It’d be easy to fall back into things that have been done before, and I’m sure there are people who think I’ve done that, but the intent is to move it along every time. Billie Eilish’s ‘No Time To Die’ doesn’t sound anything like Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger’ or Wings’ ‘Live And Let Die’. Carly Simon’s ‘Nobody Does It Better’ doesn’t sound like John Barry’s ‘You Only Live Twice’ which doesn’t sound like Matt Monro’s ‘From Russia With Love’ but they’re all quintessential Bond songs. There’s just this feeling to them all that makes them Bond – and that’s what I needed to discover [for ‘First Light’]. It’s always the hardest part of the process.”
Lana knew just what was needed
What wasn’t difficult was working out who was going to sing it. Lana’s name sat top of the list of potential suitors – and she needed no convincing to get involved. “Lana pitched a song for Spectre and is very aware of the history of James Bond,” says Arnold. Del Rey’s cut was eventually rejected in favour of ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ by Sam Smith. “For as long as she’s been making records, people have asked why she hasn’t done a James Bond theme yet. There’s just something about Lana Del Rey that makes her [perfect] for Bond – and that’s definitely not true of everyone. She’s just timeless.” And timelessness is something Arnold has always aimed for. “I want people to be able to listen to the songs in 30 years without thinking they sound dated.”
Still, with Del Rey busy headlining stadiums and festivals following the release of 2023’s ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’, Arnold needed to rely on modern technology to get the track finished. Over the course of several months, the pair traded ideas back-and-forth over Zoom. “She’s charming, funny and brilliant but was also really enthusiastic and engaged with the whole process. All you can really ask for in a collaborator is someone who is as committed as you,” remembers Arnold.
“When you’re working closely with someone, you can forget just how brilliant they actually are. But as soon as she sang that first verse… it was just amazing… Her voice is extraordinary and is always unmistakably her.”
There are clues to the game’s story hidden within
In keeping with First Light being an origin story, Arnold revisited some of author Ian Fleming’s books for inspiration – which is where the dreamy yet haunting lyric about “running towards the sun” came from. “The idea of charging towards an exploding sun seemed to sum up who Bond is [in First Light],” says Arnold. “It’s the perfect metaphor for something unknown and dangerous, but he’s compelled to go towards it anyway. The song feels like a warning.”
“It does a great job of hinting at what path this young Bond is going down. Just like in Casino Royale [where the iconic theme doesn’t play until the very end of the film], the player earns the themes as they play the game,” adds Vega.
The track celebrates Bond’s past, present and future
‘First Light’ also laid the foundations for The Flight’s original score for the game which, according to Vega, has the same texture and feel. “We had conversations to ensure we were on the same page because music’s such a huge part of Bond’s world,” agrees Arnold. “They were asking me the same sort of questions I was asking in 1997 when I did Tomorrow Never Dies.”
A lot of ‘First Light’ and the cinematic title sequence it soundtracks feels like a modern update to classic Bond. “The game shows a version of him we haven’t really seen before in a world that we’re familiar with. We needed a song that moved the sound of the universe forward, but could also exist alongside all the great songs that have come before,” says Vega.
“We wanted to anchor it in what we already know [to show people] it’s part of the same world,” says Arnold. “Music has been so important to the James Bond series. To run away from what’s made it great would have been foolish.”
‘007 First Light’ is released on May 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC