Top 10 James Bond Theme Songs #3 - "Thunderball"

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#3 in my Top 10 Favorite James Bond Theme Songs series takes us to 1965 for the fourth Bond film, Thunderball. Welsh singer Tom Jones (an OBE--Order of the British Empire--recipient) did the vocal honors on "Thunderball," and came through marvelously, putting such effort into his vocals that he fainted after the final note. In fact, Wikipedia is full of interesting "Thunderball" tidbits such as that. Did you know: The original theme was called "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," and was recorded by Shirley Bassett, then Dionne Warwick. Once the producers decided to go with "Thunderball," Johnny Cash submitted a version for consideration. Performance-wise, "Thunderball" charted in several countries, including the United States, where the song peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Thunderball is one of my favorite Bond films, so it's probably no surprise that it's theme song would place highly in this series. Plus, you have to love a vocal performance that puts the singer on the floor. That's dedication to your craft!