Lana Del Rey Discusses Rejected Bond Song at Ivor Novellos

Lana Del Rey recently shared a surprising revelation at the Ivor Novello Awards in London, where she received a special prize celebrating her career and influence. The singer disclosed that she had written a theme song for the James Bond franchise in 2015, only for it to be rejected by the producers. The song, “24,” from her album Honeymoon, was in contention for Spectre, the fourth outing of Daniel Craig as 007. Ultimately, the theme for Spectre was recorded by Sam Smith, who won an Oscar for “Writing’s On The Wall.”

Reflecting on the rejection, Del Rey humorously remarked, “I mean, how has that not happened?” and performed a snippet of “24.” Despite the setback, she expressed hope for another opportunity to write a Bond theme in the future. “One day, maybe… But I’m going to continue to do my little Nancy Sinatra thing every now and then and just pretend it’s the title track,” she added.

Pop star Raye, who won songwriter of the year at the same event, expressed disbelief that Del Rey’s Bond theme was rejected. “I can’t believe she would have been rejected by them, because she just has the perfect energy for it,” Raye said, emphasizing that Del Rey would be an ideal fit for a Bond theme. Raye also mentioned her own enthusiasm for potentially creating a Bond theme, saying, “If they ever approached me, I’d roll over backwards, obviously.”

Del Rey joins a notable list of artists who have had their Bond themes turned down. This list includes Pulp, Blondie, Johnny Cash, Pet Shop Boys, and KD Lang. Producers often commission multiple potential themes before deciding which one to use, sometimes only making the final decision once the film is complete. For Spectre, Radiohead also recorded a third potential theme, which was released on Christmas Day 2015 after being rejected.

During her time at the Ivor Novellos, Del Rey also revealed her decision to turn down a world tour offer following her headline set at the Coachella music festival in April. She explained, “I decided not to do a stadium tour this year because I want to go to McCreary County and Kentucky. I want to go meet with the people, and say hi and have breakfast with them. It’s not always about just going to every island and picking up money at the stadium.”

Del Rey also discussed the creative process behind her Grammy-nominated 2023 album Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. The album was largely written during impromptu jam sessions with her then-boyfriend, Mike Hermosa. “It’s funny, every time a producer doesn’t have time for me, someone I’m dating happens to be a prodigious guitar player,” she shared. “And that’s how Tunnel came about with Mike Hermosa. It was all done with him on Sundays in his two-bedroom apartment in Genesee (California).”