:Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith song)

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| title = "Writing's on the Wall"

| description = A 27-second sample of "Writing's on the Wall". The song has been called "very slow and surprisingly restrained", with it deemed inferior to the previous James Bond theme "Skyfall".

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"Writing's on the Wall" was co-written by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes{{cite web |author=Guardian music |date=25 September 2015 |title=Sam Smith's new Bond theme, Writing's on the Wall – listen here |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/25/hear-sam-smith-bond-theme-writings-on-the-wall-spectre |access-date=25 September 2015 |work=The Guardian}} in a single session: they wrote it in under half an hour and quickly recorded a demo. They were so pleased with Smith's vocal performance that they used it on the final release.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/09/25/442558641/hear-sam-smith-break-down-his-bond-theme-writings-on-the-wall|title=Hear Sam Smith Break Down Their Bond Theme, 'Writing's on the Wall'|publisher=NPR|date=25 September 2015|access-date=25 September 2015}} On 8 September 2015, Sam Smith announced that they were singing the song for the James Bond film Spectre. They described performing the theme as "one of the highlights of my career".{{cite web|url=https://instagram.com/p/7XEimKx2S7/|title=Instagram}} [https://bibliogram.pussthecat.org/p/7XEimKx2S7 Non-loginwalled link at bibliogram.pussthecat.org] The English band Radiohead also composed a song for the film, "Spectre", which went unused.{{cite news|title=Radiohead's Bond theme the gift that fans didn't Spectre receive for Christmas|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/26/radioheads-bond-theme-the-gift-that-fans-didnt-spectre-receive-for-christmas|website=The Guardian|date=26 December 2015 |publisher=Agence France-Presse in New York|access-date=26 December 2015 |agency=Agence France-Presse }}

The song is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 66 beats per minute (Larghetto). Smith's vocals range from [[A-flat (musical note)|A

♭₃]] to D♭₅.{{cite web|url=http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0155669|publisher=Salli Isaak Music Publishing|access-date=25 September 2015|title='Writing's on the Wall' sheet music|date=25 September 2015 }} Smith said it was "horrible to sing" as the notes are "just so high".{{cite web|title=Sam Smith 'almost regrets' Bond theme: 'It's so high that I have to grab my balls'|author=Britton, Luke Morgan|url=https://www.nme.com/news/sam-smith/89282|website=NME|date=26 October 2015|access-date=26 December 2015}}

"Writing's on the Wall" received a mixed response from critics.

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the song attempted to capture the mood of Adele's "Skyfall", but "doesn't feel anywhere near as striking{{nbsp}}[...] the chances of it joining the pantheon of Bond themes that anyone with even a passing interest in pop music can hum seem pretty slender".{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/sep/25/sam-smith-james-bond-theme-writing-on-the-wall|title=Sam Smith's James Bond theme review – 'It feels like an X Factor ballad'|author=Alexis Petridis|work=The Guardian|date=25 September 2015 }} Chris Willman of Variety similarly noted the song was "unbecoming of a Bond movie", comparing it negatively to Adele's "Skyfall" from the previous 2012 Bond installment and Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die" from the subsequent 2021 Bond film of the same name. He ranked the song as the worst James Bond theme song.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=October 8, 2021 |title=Every James Bond Theme Song, Ranked Worst to Best |url=https://variety.com/lists/james-bond-theme-songs-ranked-no-time-to-die-music/ |access-date=February 17, 2024 |website=Variety}}

Lewis Corner of Digital Spy rated it three out of five stars.{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/feature/a670557/this-weeks-new-singles-reviewed-little-mix-sia-sam-smith-rudimental.html#~ppQ1lkQ4pEzlux|title=This week's new singles reviewed: Little Mix, Sia, Sam Smith, Rudimental|work=Digital Spy|date=25 September 2015 }}

Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph called the song a "monster Bond ballad", stating, "(The song) is very, very slow and surprisingly restrained, at times floating by on resonant piano notes, the faintest brush stroke of orchestra, with all the focus on Smith's intense, tremulous vocal, rising with controlled pace and tension to an audacious chorus pay-off".{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/james-bond-spectre/sam-smith-writings-on-the-wall-song-review|title=Writing's on the Wall review: 'Sam Smith's monster Bond ballad'|work=The Telegraph|date=25 April 2016 }}

Chris DeVille of Stereogum felt it was inferior to Radiohead's rejected song.{{Cite news|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1852835/sam-smith-doesnt-know-who-thom-yorke-is-hasnt-heard-radioheads-spectre/video/|title=Sam Smith Doesn't Know Who Thom Yorke Is, Hasn't Heard Radiohead's "Spectre"|date=12 January 2016|work=Stereogum|access-date=5 June 2018}}

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In the United Kingdom, "Writing's on the Wall" became the first James Bond theme to reach number one, on the issue dated 8 October 2015.{{Cite web | url=http://www.nme.com/features/sam-smith-our-exclusive-cover-interview-with-the-man-with-the-golden-lungs | title=Sam Smith – Our Exclusive Cover Interview With The Man With The Golden Lungs | website=NME | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114215111/http://www.nme.com/features/sam-smith-our-exclusive-cover-interview-with-the-man-with-the-golden-lungs-756981 | archive-date=2017-11-14}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/sam-smith-writings-on-the-wall/|title=WRITING'S ON THE WALL|date=8 October 2015|website=Official Charts}} The previous highest-charting Bond themes were Adele's "Skyfall" and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" from the 1985 film of the same name, which both reached number two.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/adele-skyfall/|title=SKYFALL|date=13 October 2012|website=Official Charts}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19319/duran-duran/|title=DURAN DURAN|date=21 February 1981|website=Official Charts}} It also became Smith's fifth UK number-one single within two years. The song spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks in the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Writing's on the Wall" debuted and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, compared to the previous Bond song, "Skyfall", which debuted at number 8 in October 2012. On the Canadian Hot 100, the song debuted at and peaked number 43. In Australia, the song performed moderately, debuting at number 44, and later peaking at number 43, but on the Irish Singles Chart, the song was a much bigger hit, debuting and peaking at number 9. The song has also charted in several other European countries though to a far lesser degree than its predecessor.

{{track listing

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| title1 = Writing's on the Wall

| length1 = 4:38

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{{track listing

| headline = CD single and vinyl{{cite web|url=http://store.hmv.com/music/pre-orders/writing-s-on-the-wall|title=Writing's on the Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)|publisher=HMV|access-date=9 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925052659/http://store.hmv.com/music/pre-orders/writing-s-on-the-wall|archive-date=25 September 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://store.hmv.com/music/pre-orders/writing-s-on-the-wall-(1)|title=Writing's on the Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)|publisher=HMV|access-date=9 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925122914/http://store.hmv.com/music/pre-orders/writing-s-on-the-wall-(1)|archive-date=25 September 2015|url-status=dead}}

| title1 = Writing's on the Wall

| length1 = 4:38

| title2 = Writing's on the Wall

| note2 = instrumental

| length2 = 4:38

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;Recording and management

• Recorded at RAK Studios, Abbey Road Studios and The Pierce Rooms (London, England)
• Mixed at The Pierce Rooms (London, England)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
• Cover photograph by Rankin
• Artwork and design by Studio Moross
• Published by Naughty Words Ltd. / Stellar Songs Ltd. / Sony/ATV Music Publishing / Salli Isaak Songs Limited / Universal Music Publishing Limited

;Personnel

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• Sam Smith – vocals, songwriter
• Jimmy Napes – producer, songwriter, piano
• Steve Fitzmaurice – producer, mixing and recording, additional programming
• Guy Lawrence – co-producer, additional programming
• Howard Lawrence – co-producer, additional programming
• Steve Price – orchestra recording
• Simon Hale – orchestra arrangement and conducting
• Charles Wong – assistant recording engineer
• Mike Horner – assistant recording engineer
• Gordon Davidson – assistant recording engineer
• Matt Jones – assistant recording engineer
• Toby Hulbert – assistant recording engineer
• Charlie Paakkari – assistant recording engineer
• Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor
• Lucy Whalley – assistant orchestra contractor
• Everton Nelson – orchestra leader
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Aya Merrill – mastering assistant

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Writing's on the Wall"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|title=Writing's on the Wall|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=6 June 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|access-date=11 April 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writings on the Wall|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=28 February 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2015|certyear=2019|id=8460|access-date=21 September 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2015|certyear=2016|id=3402|access-date=28 September 2017}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2018|source=radioscope|access-date=28 December 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2020|access-date=7 October 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing's on the Wall|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2017|id=13458-3877-1|access-date=28 September 2017}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Sam Smith|title=Writing_s on the Wall|type=single|award=Platinum|relyear=2015|certyear=2020|access-date=12 November 2020}}

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• Outline of James Bond

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{{Sam Smith}}

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{{Academy Award Best Original Song}}

{{Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song}}

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Category:2015 singles

Category:2010s ballads

Category:2015 songs

Category:Sam Smith (singer) songs

Category:Songs from James Bond films

Category:Number-one singles in Scotland

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles

Category:Songs written by Sam Smith (singer)

Category:Songs written by Jimmy Napes

Category:Capitol Records singles

Category:Pop ballads

Category:Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songs

Category:Best Original Song Golden Globe–winning songs

Category:Orchestral pop songs