Goldfinger is the soundtrack for the third James Bond film of the same name.
This is the first of three James Bond films with a theme song sung by Shirley Bassey, whose forceful, dramatic style became a trademark of the series (she would go on to sing Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker). "Goldfinger" was composed by John Barry, with lyrics by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and is widely acknowledged as a classic of its genre. Famously, co-producer Harry Saltzman hated the song and only agreed to use it when persuaded by Cubby Broccoli.
Originally, Newley recorded a version of the theme song, but it was later re-recorded with Bassey's voice for the film and soundtrack album. In 1992, Newley's version was released for the 30th Anniversary of James Bond on film, in the compilation collectors edition The Best of Bond...James Bond.
The score was composed by John Barry, making this his second, credited Bond score. The score makes regular use of instrumental arrangements of the title theme, as well as the Bond theme from Dr. No used in the gun barrel sequence . The score makes heavy use of brass. The distinctive music for Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob, makes use of repeated strokes on a metallic anvil. Metallic chimes are also heard in many scenes associated with Oddjob or gold, notably that in which the dead golden girl is discovered. The very effective use of music and various sound effects in the film won it an academy award for sound editing. The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200, and spent a total of 70 weeks on the chart, but for reasons that remain unclear, received no RIAA certification.
Much of the music from the final reel of the film was unreleased on the original soundtrack. In 2003, a remastered Goldfinger soundtrack album was released which contained four tracks that had previously been available on only the British soundtrack album. The US soundtrack album did not have these tracks but featured a John Barry guitar cover version of the main theme that did not appear in the film. Barry also used the theme on his 1965 John Barry Plays Goldfinger album that featured Robert Brownjohn artwork.
The harp melody at the beginning of the song 6 Underground is sampled from the track "Golden Girl" from the Goldfinger soundtrack (specifically the scene where Bond discovers Jill Masterson covered in gold paint).Goldfinger is the soundtrack for the third James Bond film of the same name.
This is the first of three James Bond films with a theme song sung by Shirley Bassey, whose forceful, dramatic style became a trademark of the series (she would go on to sing Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker). "Goldfinger" was composed by John Barry, with lyrics by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and is widely acknowledged as a classic of its genre. Famously, co-producer Harry Saltzman hated the song and only agreed to use it when persuaded by Cubby Broccoli.
Originally, Newley recorded a version of the theme song, but it was later re-recorded with Bassey's voice for the film and soundtrack album. In 1992, Newley's version was released for the 30th Anniversary of James Bond on film, in the compilation collectors edition The Best of Bond...James Bond.
The score was composed by John Barry, making this his second, credited Bond score. The score makes regular use of instrumental arrangements of the title theme, as well as the Bond theme from Dr. No used in the gun barrel sequence . The score makes heavy use of brass. The distinctive music for Goldfinger's henchman, Oddjob, makes use of repeated strokes on a metallic anvil. Metallic chimes are also heard in many scenes associated with Oddjob or gold, notably that in which the dead golden girl is discovered. The very effective use of music and various sound effects in the film won it an academy award for sound editing. The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200, and spent a total of 70 weeks on the chart, but for reasons that remain unclear, received no RIAA certification.
Much of the music from the final reel of the film was unreleased on the original soundtrack. In 2003, a remastered Goldfinger soundtrack album was released which contained four tracks that had previously been available on only the British soundtrack album. The US soundtrack album did not have these tracks but featured a John Barry guitar cover version of the main theme that did not appear in the film. Barry also used the theme on his 1965 John Barry Plays Goldfinger album that featured Robert Brownjohn artwork.
The harp melody at the beginning of the song 6 Underground is sampled from the track "Golden Girl" from the Goldfinger soundtrack (specifically the scene where Bond discovers Jill Masterson covered in gold paint).false2025-10-06 22:38:44Goldfinger (Music From the Motion Picture)20092009-03-242009-03-2447ClassicalJazzPopRock112428211826483d92538-5e62-4716-abcc-40ac98cc19ea661e20c8-3d82-4da2-94a2-97d9e11691c07590984a-6ecf-3268-a8b3-47e00f105e77/media/data/media4/Music/John Barry/Goldfinger (1964)/folder.jpgJohn BarryJohn BarryJohn Barry Prendergast (3 November 1933 – 30 January 2011) was an English composer and conductor of film music. Born in York, Barry spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus, Barry began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. Upon completing his national service, he formed a band in 1957, the John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music, making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the filmmakers of the first James Bond film Dr. No, who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Noel Rogers, the head of music at United Artists, approached Barry. This started a successful association between Barry and the Bond series that lasted for 25 years.
He composed the scores for eleven of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1987, as well as arranging and performing the "James Bond Theme" for the first film in the series, 1962's Dr. No. He wrote the Grammy- and Academy Award-winning scores to the films Dances with Wolves (1990) and Out of Africa (1985), as well as the scores of The Scarlet Letter (1995), Chaplin (1992), The Cotton Club (1984), Game of Death (1972), The Tamarind Seed (1974), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971) and the theme for the television series The Persuaders!, in a career spanning over 50 years. In 1999, he was appointed with an OBE for services to music.
Barry received awards including five Academy Awards: two for Born Free and one each for The Lion in Winter (for which he also won the first BAFTA Award for Best Film Music), Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves (both of which also won him Grammy Awards). He also received ten Golden Globe Award nominations, winning once for Best Original Score for Out of Africa in 1986. Barry completed his last film score, Enigma, in 2001 and recorded the successful album Eternal Echoes the same year. He then concentrated chiefly on live performances and co-wrote the music to the musical Brighton Rock in 2004 alongside Don Black.
In 2001, Barry became a Fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and, in 2005, he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Barry was married four times and had four children. He moved to the United States in 1975 and lived there until his death in 2011.