Johnny Cash: The Man in Black 1963-69
Here’s a musical curiosity — a James Bond theme written and performed by one of my favorites, Johnny Cash, but not considered by the 007 producers:
e|--0-3-5--0-0-0-| B|---------1-1-1-| G|---------2-2-2-| D|---------2---2-| A|---------0---0-| E|---------------|
There’s not much information about this one, even in the literature on Johnny Cash. Stephen Miller’s Johnny Cash: The Life of an American Icon says this:
One of the more surprising and incongruous moments in Johnny’s career occurred in 1965 when he recorded “Thunderball” — one of a number of contenders for the title song of that year’s James Bond film. Like ‘Five Minutes to Live’, recorded in an attempt to cash in on a film, the song was not one of Johnny’s most distinguished efforts, sounding more like a theme to a low budget Western than an international thriller. Unsurprisingly his offering wasn’t chosen, the honour going instead to the more conventional Tom Jones.
I believe this one was originally released in 1975 on the catch-all unreleased songs album Johnny & June.
As for the guitar work in the song, I’m not sure who does the playing, but a course in playing like Luther Perkins, of the backing band The Tennessee Two, is required before tackling Cash’s “Thunderball.” This is a James Bond theme with chicken pickin’ alternating bass, and I love it.
Take a listen for yourself, with this neato video in which YouTube user LuiECuomo has put the song together with the opening credits for Thunderball. Watch and wonder what might have been.
