It’s interesting that James Bond theme songs are remarkably recognisable as such. They share certain stylistic elements and motifs that clearly signal their association with the famous franchise, and it’s all thanks to the involvement of one son-of-York, John Barry, who was by far the biggest contributor to Bond scores and theme songs. Of all the Bond themes, the first and most famous – and the one then regularly used in subsequent films – is that written for Dr No in 1962. The original score was actually composed by Monty Norman (though this was disputed by John Barry) but most notably arranged and performed by John Barry and his orchestra.

The score was a masterpiece of expressive film music and established a clear template for the quintessential Bond theme: unnerving orchestral chords, raunchy brass, clashing cymbals and of course that zesty surf rock guitar played by Vic Flick. Flick played his famous riff on a 1939 Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe electric guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier. Its interplay with the orchestral instrumentation produced a thrilling soundtrack that managed to encompass and express the sinister world of the spy, just perfect for the new film. The song ends just as thrillingly on that single Em/maj9 chord so famous it’s known as the “James Bond chord”. If you’re a guitarist, you might find it fun to reproduce this final chord yourself…it’s this:

Barry went on to score ten more Bond films, but this original score is the one that everyone instantly recognises as the Bond theme. Here’s the version recorded for single release by the John Barry Seven, reaching number one on 1st November 1962.