Inside Lana Del Rey’s Era-Defining James Bond Theme ‘First Light’
David Arnold is a James Bond expert. In 1997, shortly after scoring the sci-fi blockbuster Independence Day, he recruited Björk, Pulp, Iggy Pop, Chrissie Hynde and Leftfield for the ambitious ‘Shaken And Stirred’ Bond covers album. 007 boss Barbara Broccoli was so impressed that she hired him to work on the soundtrack for that year’s Tomorrow Never Dies. He went on to score The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.
Now, Arnold has returned to the world of martinis and MI6 for ‘First Light’, a 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.”
The Soaring Ballad Takes Bond Into A New Era
Rather than rushing to compose his sixth Bond anthem, 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, 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. He follows Daniel Craig, whose explosive farewell in No Time To Die half a decade ago still resonates with fans.
“It’d be easy to fall back into things that have been done before, but the intent is to move it along every time,” Arnold notes. “Billie Eilish’s ‘No Time To Die’ doesn’t sound anything like Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger’. There’s just this feeling to them all that makes them Bond – and that’s what I needed to discover for ‘First Light’.”
Lana Del Rey: The Perfect Fit
Working with Del Rey was a natural choice. “Lana pitched a song for Spectre and is very aware of the history of James Bond,” says Arnold. “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 her that makes her perfect for Bond. She’s timeless.”
Despite her busy schedule, the pair collaborated remotely over several months. “She’s charming, funny and brilliant, but was also really enthusiastic and engaged with the whole process,” Arnold remembers. “As soon as she sang that first verse, it was just amazing. Her voice is extraordinary and is always unmistakably her.”
In keeping with the origin story theme, Arnold revisited Ian Fleming’s original books for inspiration, resulting in the haunting lyric about “running towards the sun.” As Vega adds, “The song feels like a warning. It does a great job of hinting at what path this young Bond is going down.”
‘007 First Light’ is released on May 27 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
