Nobody Does It Better

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]

  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.