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Nobody Does It Better

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This article is about the James Bond song by Carly Simon. For other uses, see Nobody Does It Better (disambiguation).

"Nobody Does It Better"
side-A label
A-side label of the US single
Single by Carly Simon
from the album The Spy Who Loved Me
B-side"After the Storm"
ReleasedJuly 1977
RecordedApril 1977
GenrePop rock
Length3:29
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager
Producer(s)Richard Perry
Carly Simon singles chronology
"Half a Chance"
(1976) 		"Nobody Does It Better"
(1977) 		"You Belong to Me"
(1978)
Official audio
"Nobody Does It Better" on YouTube
Audio sample

"Nobody Does It Better" is a power ballad and the theme song for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Composed by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, the song was produced by Richard Perry and performed by Carly Simon. It was the first Bond theme song to be titled differently from the name of the film since Dr. No (1962), although the phrase "the spy who loved me" is included in the lyrics. The song was released as a single from the film's soundtrack album, and became a major worldwide hit.

Among the most successful Bond themes, the song spent three weeks at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, kept out of the top spot by Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart, where it stayed for seven weeks,[1] becoming the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit of 1977.[2] The song was certified Gold by the RIAA, signifying sales of one million copies in the US.[3] It also reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Silver by the BPI.[4][5] The song received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Original Song in 1978, losing both to "You Light Up My Life" from the 1977 film of the same title. At the 20th Annual Grammy Awards held in 1978, "Nobody Does It Better" received a nomination for Song of the Year, and Simon was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

In 2004, "Nobody Does it Better" was honoured by the American Film Institute as the 67th greatest film song as part of their 100 Years Series.[6] In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it the third-greatest James Bond theme song,[7] while Billboard ranked it the second-greatest.[8] In 2021, USA Today crowned "Nobody Does it Better" the greatest James Bond Theme Song.[9] The song has been performed live by Celine Dion[10] and Radiohead,[11] whose lead singer, Thom Yorke, called it the "sexiest song ever written".[12][13][14]

Background and composition

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"Nobody Does It Better" is Simon's longest-charting hit, as well as the most successful hit of hers that she did not write herself. Her earlier hit "You're So Vain" spent three weeks at No. 1; however, its chart run was two months shorter than that of "Nobody Does It Better".[15] The title of the theme was later used for Simon's 1998 greatest hits compilation, The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better.

Lyrically, "Nobody Does It Better" is a "lust-drunk anthem" about James Bond's sexual prowess.[16] In a 1977 documentary on the making of The Spy Who Loved Me, Marvin Hamlisch said that the decision to ask Simon to perform the song was made after lyricist Carole Bayer Sager remarked that the lyrics sounded "incredibly vain", in reference to Simon's 1972 song "You're So Vain".

Reception

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Billboard described "Nobody Does It Better" as a "typically inventive and bombastic" James Bond theme song, stating that Simon sings it "as if she believed sincerely in the superhuman love powers of 007."[17] Cash Box said that it is "strictly star material in every detail" and that it has "a good enough melody to stand on its own," even if it wasn't a James Bond theme song.[18]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
1978 Academy Awards Best Original Song Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager Nominated [19]
British Academy Film Awards Best Film Music Marvin Hamlish Nominated [20]
Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager Nominated [21]
Grammy Awards Song of the Year Nominated [22]
Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female Carly Simon Nominated

Track listing

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7" single[23]
  • "Nobody Does It Better" – 3:30
  • "After the Storm" – 2:46

Chart performance

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Silver 250,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 221.
  2. ^ "Billboard Easy Listening Charts Singles". Billboard Magazine. December 24, 1977. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  3. ^ Grein, Paul (January 3, 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Songs of 2012". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books
  5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  6. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs". AFI.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  7. ^ Edwards, Gavin (October 5, 2012). "Carly Simon, 'Nobody Does It Better' (1977) – The Top 10 James Bond Theme Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa. "Top 10 James Bond Theme Songs Ever". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
  9. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa. "James Bond theme songs: We rank the exceptional and unremarkable, from Adele to Madonna". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
  10. ^ Brissey, Breia. "On the scene: Celine Dion live in Las Vegas". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "Best & Worst James Bond theme covers". Digital Spy. October 24, 2012. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  12. ^ Greene, Andy (April 4, 2017). "Flashback: Radiohead Cover Carly Simon's 'Nobody Does It Better'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Radiohead – Nobody Does It Better". Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  14. ^ "Radiohead take on Carly Simon's 'Nobody Does It Better'". January 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  15. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles, 1955–2002
  16. ^ Ehrlich, David (November 2, 2015). "James Bond Movie Theme Songs, Ranked Worst to Best". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  17. ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. July 9, 1977. p. 100. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 9, 1977. p. 15. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  19. ^ "The 50th Academy Awards - 1978". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  20. ^ "Film in 1978". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  21. ^ "Spy Who Loved Me, The". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  22. ^ "20th Annual Grammy Awards". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  23. ^ Discogs (1977). "Nobody Does It Better". Discogs. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  24. ^ "Cash Box - International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 18 March 1978. p. 63.
  25. ^ "Australian-charts.com - Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  26. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  27. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5447a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  28. ^ a b c "Songs from the Year 1977". Tsort.info. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. ^ "Carly Simon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  31. ^ "Carly Simon Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  33. ^ "Top 100 1977 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  35. ^ "Billboard Easy Listening Charts Singles". Billboard Magazine. December 24, 1977. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1977". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  37. ^ "Australian-charts.com - Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  38. ^ "Kent Music Report No 236 – 1 January 1979 > National Top 100 Singles for 1978". Kent Music Report. Retrieved January 8, 2022 – via Imgur.com.
  39. ^ "British single certifications – Carly Simon – Nobody Does It Better". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  40. ^ "American single certifications – Carly Simon – Nobody Does It Better". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
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