The Living Daylights (song)
| "The Living Daylights" | |||||||||||||
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| Single by A-ha | |||||||||||||
| from the album The Living Daylights and Stay on These Roads | |||||||||||||
| B-side | "The Living Daylights" (Instrumental) | ||||||||||||
| Released | 22 June 1987 | ||||||||||||
| Format | 7" vinyl 12" vinyl |
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| Recorded | 1987 | ||||||||||||
| Genre | Synthpop, New Wave, Alternative rock | ||||||||||||
| Length | 4:47 | ||||||||||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Paul Waaktaar-Savoy John Barry |
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| Producer | Jason Corsaro Magne Furuholmen Paul Waaktaar-Savoy John Barry |
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| A-ha singles chronology | |||||||||||||
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"The Living Daylights" is the song performed by A-ha for the James Bond film of the same name. It was co-written by guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Bond composer John Barry.
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[edit] Origin and recording
Barry was listed on the credits as co-writer and producer, and the initial release of the song was his version. A second version of the song, re-worked by A-ha in 1988, later appeared on their third album, Stay on These Roads. Not surprisingly, the band prefers their version of the song to Barry's.
When interviewed on a late-night show in 1987, Barry said that he found working with the band exhausting secondary to the band's insistence on using their own version of the song for release.[1] In an interview with Hotrod Magazine, keyboardist Magne Furuholmen said that "[the band's] fight with Barry left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. Apparently he compared us to Hitlerjugend in a newspaper interview."[2] Waaktaar-Savoy claims that Barry never contributed to the creative process, and should not have his name on the credits.[1]
[edit] Release and reception
"The Living Daylights" was released in the summer of 1987. The song didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it charted in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number five. It also remains a favourite with Bond fans.[citation needed]
The song remains one of a-ha's most played songs in live concerts and has often been extended into a sing-along with the audience, as featured on the live album How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head. In live performances, Paul Waaktaar-Savoy often included the James Bond Theme in his guitar solo.[citation needed]
Evan Cater of Allmusic said the song was "a strong sample of Seven and the Ragged Tiger-influenced Europop, enhanced by Morten Harket's powerhouse falsetto vocals."[3]
The single sold over 2 million copies worldwide.[4]
[edit] Music video
The music video, which was directed by Steve Barron, was shot at the 007 Stage in London, which was built specifically for the Bond franchise.[1]
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Singles Chart[5] | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 29 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[6] | 18 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 35 |
| Dutch Top 40[7] | 9 |
| French Singles Chart[8] | 21 |
| German Singles Chart[9] | 8 |
| Irish Singles Chart[10] | 2 |
| Italian Singles Chart[11] | 3 |
| Japanese Singles Chart | 42 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 3 |
| South African Singles Chart | 5 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 30 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[12] | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[13] | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart[14] | 5 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "The Official Community of A-ha". A-ha.com. http://www.A-ha.com/MEDIA/video/AHA_videoTheLivingDaylights.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-15.[dead link]
- ^ "http://magnef.org/bibliography/hotrod-interview.pdf" (PDF). magnef.org. http://magnef.org/bibliography/hotrod-interview.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Allmusic review of The Living Daylights soundtrack album". http://www.allmusic.com/album/r126761. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "the living daylights (1987-06-22)". http://www.aha-fr.com/A-ha_discographie_singles.php?detail_single=9. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Norwegian Singles Chart". VG-lista. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=A-ha&titel=The+Living+Daylights&cat=s. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Austrian Singles Chart". Austria Top 40. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=A-ha&titel=The+Living+Daylights&cat=s. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 30, 1987". http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=5870. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "French Singles Chart". Palmares. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=A-ha&titel=The+Living+Daylights&cat=s. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "German Singles Chart". Charts-Surfer. http://www.charts-surfer.de/musiksearch.php. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Irish Singles Chart". The Irish Chart. http://www.irishcharts.ie/. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Italian Singles Chart". hitparadeitalia. http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_weeks/87/hp870808.htm. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Swedish Singles Chart". Hitlista. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=A-ha&titel=The+Living+Daylights&cat=s. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "Swiss Singles Chart". Schweizer Hitparade. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=A-ha&titel=The+Living+Daylights&cat=s. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
- ^ "British Singles Chart". UK Top 40. http://www.everyhit.com/. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
[edit] External links
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