Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith song)

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"Writing's on the Wall"
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 previous James Bond theme "Skyfall".
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"Writing's on the Wall" was co-written by Smith and Jimmy Napes [9] in a single session: they wrote it in under half an hour and quickly recorded a demo. 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 the James Bond film Spectre . They described performing the theme as "one of the highlights of my career". [11] The English band Radiohead also composed a song for the film, "Spectre", which went unused. [12]

The song is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 66 beats per minute (Larghetto). Smith's vocals range from A ♭3 to D♭5. [13] Smith said it was "horrible to sing" as the notes are "just so high". [14]

Critical reception

"Writing's on the Wall" received a mixed response from critics.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the song attempted to capture the mood of Adele's "Skyfall", but "doesn't feel anywhere near as striking [...] the chances of it joining the pantheon of Bond themes that anyone with even a passing interest in pop music can hum seem pretty slender". [15] Chris Willman of Variety similarly noted the song was "unbecoming of a Bond movie", comparing it negatively to "Skyfall" and "No Time to Die". He ranked the song as the worst James Bond theme song. [16]

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy rated it three out of five stars. [17]

Neil McCormick of The 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 of Stereogum felt it was inferior to Radiohead's rejected song. [19]

Commercial performance

"Writing's on the Wall"
Writing's on the Wall by Sam Smith.png
Single by Sam Smith
Released25 September 2015 (2015-09-25)
Recorded2015
Studio RAK, Abbey Road, and the Pierce Rooms (London)
Genre Orchestral pop
Length4:38
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Sam Smith singles chronology
"Omen"
(2015)		"Writing's on the Wall"
(2015)		"Momentarily Mine"
(2016)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"Skyfall"
(2012)		"Writing's on the Wall"
(2015)		"No Time to Die"
(2020)

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" and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", 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 the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Writing's on the Wall" debuted and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, compared to the previous Bond song, "Skyfall", which debuted at number 8 in October 2012. In Canada, 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 in Ireland, 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.

Track listing

Digital download [24]
No.TitleLength
1."Writing's on the Wall"4:38
CD single and vinyl [25] [26]
No.TitleLength
1."Writing's on the Wall"4:38
2."Writing's on the Wall" (instrumental)4:38

Credits and personnel

Recording and management
Personnel

Charts and certifications

Release history

Release dates for "Writing's on the Wall"
RegionDateFormatLabel
Worldwide25 September 2015 Digital download Capitol
United Kingdom23 October 2015CD single
6 November 20157" vinyl

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Sam Smith's 'Writing's on the Wall' Is the Theme of New Bond Film Spectre". Time. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Sam Smith Bond song splits opinion". BBC News.
  3. ↑ Petridis, Alexis (25 September 2015). "Sam Smith's James Bond theme review – 'It feels like an X Factor ballad'". The Guardian . Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Sam Smith's 'Writing on the Wall' 'Spectre' Song Hasn't Impressed 'James Bond' Fans". The Huffington Post UK.
  5. ↑ "The Writing's on the Wall: Sam Smith's James Bond Spectre theme panned online". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 September 2015.
  6. ↑ "Sam Smith's James Bond theme song 'Writing's on the Wall' makes Shirley Bassey trend on Twitter because people hate it" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022.
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  10. ↑ "Hear Sam Smith Break Down Their Bond Theme, 'Writing's on the Wall'". NPR. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
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  13. ↑ "'Writing's on the Wall' sheet music". Salli Isaak Music Publishing. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Britton, Luke Morgan (26 October 2015). "Sam Smith 'almost regrets' Bond theme: 'It's so high that I have to grab my balls'". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  15. ↑ Alexis Petridis. "Sam Smith's James Bond theme review – 'It feels like an X Factor ballad'". The Guardian.
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  19. ↑ "Sam Smith Doesn't Know Who Thom Yorke Is, Hasn't Heard Radiohead's "Spectre"". Stereogum. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
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  69. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved 28 September 2017. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Writing's on the Wall" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
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