To Absent Friends - Monty Norman

Monty Norman

1928 - 2022

Monty Norman died this past Monday at the age of 94, and if you are like me, and I'm guessing that at least 80% of you reading this are, you had no idea who Monty Norman was until you read of his death in the news obituaries.  However, I am guessing that at least 99.9% of you are familiar, very familiar with his most well known work, and THAT is why I read the news obits and write about Absent Friends.

Let me turn it over to the brilliant obituary writer Harrison Smith of the Washington Post  and the first paragraphs of his obit for Mr. Norman. 

"Enlisted to write the theme song for “Dr. No,” the 1962 spy movie that brought James Bond to the big screen, composer Monty Norman struggled to capture 007 in music. The song needed to be menacing but also a little sexy, like the pistol-wielding, martini-drinking secret agent himself.

"Searching for inspiration, he found it right under his nose, in an unused song in the bottom drawer of his desk."

That right there is some great writing, and, yes, Norman is the guy who wrote the James Bond Theme (here it is), music that has been heard in all twenty-four Bond films and with six different actors playing 007.  In offering him the gig, producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman offered to fly Norman and his wife to Jamaica where "Dr. No" was being filmed.  Norman accepted, figuring that even if the movie bombed "at least we'd have sun, sea, and sand to show for it."  And in an interview years and years later, Norman said that one of the associate producers told him to try and do a good theme because "we're hoping to get two films and maybe a television series out of this."

Another composer, John Barry, was involved in the Bond films.  Barry did the orchestrations for Norman's theme as well as writing some of the theme songs over the course of the franchise. Over time, he was also credited with the ubiquitous theme, always a sore spot, rightfully, for Norman.  When an article on Barry in the London Times in 1997 credited Barry for the Theme, Norman sued the Times for libel and was awarded 30,000 pounds.

Norman did other things in his career, of course.  Played with English big bands, and did music for British TV variety shows for, among others, Peter Sellers and Benny Hill, but when you are responsible for the Theme for James Bond?  I'm guessing the Monty Norman pretty much knew what would be the lead paragraph in his obituary.

RIP Monty Norman.