With the Bond film “A View to a Kill” opening 34 years ago, it’s a good time to look back at Duran Duran's contribution to the musical side of the franchise. To this day, Duran’s "A View to a Kill" remains the only Bond theme song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The combination of James Bond and Duran during the peak of the British band's commercial success may be why that chart record still stands.
The five original members of Duran Duran joined with legendary Bond composer John Barry to write "AVTAK," which in addition to its chart success, also scored a Golden Globe nomination.
The song melded together the best of the Fab Five: sharp keyboard and guitar riffs and a driving rhythm section, topped by Simon Le Bon's incomparable vocals. It was the last time Taylor/Taylor/Taylor/Rhodes/Le Bon would all record together until reuniting 16 years later.
The video for "AVTAK" also was a hit, featuring footage of the Durans and film stars Roger Moore and Grace Jones at the Eiffel Tower.
Duran still plays "AVTAK" live and even added a Mark Ronson-arranged orchestral intro in tribute to the late Barry, who Le Bon once referred to as "virtually a sixth member of the group."
The song lives on as a musical highlight of the Bond film franchise.
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