‘A View to a Kill’ is a song by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 7 May 1985. Written and recorded as the theme for the James Bond film of the same name, it became one of the band's biggest hits. It is the only James Bond theme song to have reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100; it also made it to number two for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart while stuck behind Paul Hardcastle's ‘19’. The song was the last track recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of Duran Duran until their reunion in 2001 and was also performed by the band at Live Aid in Philadelphia, their final performance together before their first split. The following year, composer John Barry and Duran Duran were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for ‘A View to a Kill’.
The story behind this song, according to the bassist John Taylor, was that he approached the longtime Bond producer, Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli, while extremely intoxicated when they were both at a party. He stated that he was a long-time fan (Major Bond geek would be more accurate. An Aston Martin was said to be one of his first "rock star" purchases, and he frequently mentioned his Bond video collection in interviews) of the series, but the music for the last few movies had been mediocre. He then offered to have his band fix the problem and Broccoli took the idea under advisement.
Singer Simon Le Bon said of Barry: "He didn't really come up with any of the basic musical ideas. He heard what we came up with and he put them into an order. And that's why it happened so quickly because he was able to separate the good ideas from the bad ones, and he arranged them. He has a great way of working brilliant chord arrangements. He was working with us as virtually a sixth member of the group, but not really getting on our backs at all." Following Barry's death in 2011, the band paid tribute to him for their encore at the Coachella Festival later that year, with Simon Le Bon reappearing in a tuxedo for a pared-down version backed by an orchestra, before launching into the familiar full-band hit version. Bassist John Taylor introduced the song by saying, "We lost a dear friend of ours this year. A great English composer familiar to Hollywood, his name was John Barry. We're gonna play this for him."
Cash Box described the single as "a memorable and dynamic cut and easily one of Duran Duran's very best efforts" that is "melodically strong" and employs "highly sophisticated state of the art production". Reviewing singles for Smash Hits, Stephen Duffy wrote: "Quite stunning production. Producer Bernard Edwards seems to have superseded Nile Rodgers in every direction. Takes a long time to get to the hook, but very interesting." As of October 2021, ‘A View to a Kill’ was the seventh most streamed Duran Duran song in the UK.
The song's music video was filmed in the Eiffel Tower and was directed by the duo of Godley & Creme. The video opens with the iconic gun barrel sequence and is centered around the scene from the film where Max Zorin's henchwoman May Day kills private detective Achille Aubergine in front of James Bond at the Tower. It then cuts to the band walking by the Tower on a secret mission: Simon Le Bon, disguised as a tourist, wearing a grey trench-coat and carrying a Walkman; John Taylor, a long-haired tourist dressed in black; Nick Rhodes, a photographer working with a top model (Gail Elliott); Andy Taylor, a blind accordionist who plays the Bond theme on the accordion; and Roger Taylor, a supervisor inside a van. The band's actions coincide with events shown from the movie, while Bond pursues May Day through the Tower, culminating in her escape via parachute. The video ends with a beautiful young girl approaching Le Bon to question him, "Excuse me... aren't you?", where he breaks the fourth wall to say, "Bon. Simon Le Bon." However, her moving Le Bon's arm to talk to him causes him to accidentally activate a detonator concealed inside his Walkman, blowing up the Eiffel Tower.
Labels – EMI, Capitol
Songwriters – Duran Duran, John Barry
Producers – Bernard Edwards, Jason Corsaro, Duran Duran
SONG LYRICS
Meeting youWith a view to a kill
Face to face in secret places
Feel the chill
Nightfall covers me
But you know the plans I'm making
Still oversea
Could it be the whole Earth opening wide?
A sacred why
A mystery gaping inside
The weekend's why
Until we dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire
To fatal sound of broken dreams
Dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire
Choice for you
Is a view to a kill
Between the shades
Assassination standing still
First crystal tears
Fall as snowflakes on your body
First time in years
To drench your skin with lover's rosy stain
A chance to find the phoenix for the flame
A chance to die
Again we dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire
To fatal sound of broken dreams
Dance into the fire
That fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire
When all we see is the view to a kill