It’s common knowledge that the James Bond producers are in the habit of considering multiple themes for the movies - Radiohead admitted as much when they released their rejected effort for Spectre. Now Luke Spiller, frontman with British rock band The Struts, has revealed that he and late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins lost out to Billie Eilish on 2021 film No Time To Die.
“I’ve always been obsessed with a lot of the Bond songs,” Spiller told The Sun. “I had a crack at it, but got beaten by Billie.”
Despite this disappointment, Spiller still believes in his unheard effort. “It’s a fantastic song,” he says. “I called Taylor [Hawkins] and we cut the drums in his home studio.”
In 2022, Spiller was one of the artists to appear at the Taylor Hawkins tribute show at Wembley Stadium. He’s recently been working on his debut solo album, which he says sounds very different to The Struts’ material.
"It's all piano-based love songs, loads of big strings,” he says. “I recorded like a 20-piece string section with it. It's very Bondy. It's really, really, really over the top. It's great."
Does this mean that Spiller is hoping to attract the attention of the 007 producers in the future, then? It would seem so.
“Hopefully the people making the next Bond film can listen to my record and appreciate the potential I have to create an incredible Bond song,” he says.
In fact, Spiller suggests that he already has something in mind: “I’ve got another up my sleeve,” he reveals. “I’m waiting for the call because I know it’s going to happen.”
While we admire Spiller’s self-confidence, he odds appear to be against him providing the theme for the next Bond blockbuster. Dua Lipa is the current bookies’ favourite, with names like Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Celine Dion, Lana Del Rey and - inevitably - Taylor Swift also being bandied about.
Don’t expect an announcement any time soon, though: although ‘Bond 26’ is believed to be in development, it hasn’t even been confirmed who’s going to play the sardonic spy just yet, and there’s no word on a title or release date.
“It’s a very concerted effort I make to not do that, and to try to be influenced by things that I love and not what’s current”: Sabrina Carpenter songwriter Amy Allen on why she doesn’t listen to other contemporary pop hits
Pink Floyd are in the Money as they seal their back catalogue deal for £400 million
