"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by English singer Sam Smith. It was created for the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre. The song was released as a digital download on September 25, 2015. Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes wrote the song, and Jimmy Napes, along with Steve Fitzmaurice and Disclosure, produced it.

Critics had mixed opinions about the song, with some saying it was not as favorably received as earlier Bond theme songs. This led to Shirley Bassey becoming a trending topic on Twitter the day the song was released. However, the single became the first Bond movie theme to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 10 in several European countries. Outside Europe, the song was less successful, reaching number 43 on Canada's Hot 100 chart and number 71 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Only the instrumental version of the song appeared on the film's official soundtrack album.

The song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. This made it the second Bond theme in a row to win an Academy Award, following "Skyfall" by Adele from the 2012 film of the same name.

Background and composition

"Writing's on the Wall" was co-written by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes in one session. They completed the song in less than 30 minutes and quickly recorded a demo. They were very pleased with Sam Smith's vocal performance and used it in the final version of the song. On September 8, 2015, Sam Smith announced that they would sing the song for the James Bond film Spectre. They described performing the theme as "one of the most exciting moments in my career." The English band Radiohead also created a song for the film, "Spectre," but it was not used.

The song is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 66 beats per minute (Larghetto). Sam Smith's vocals range from A♭3 to D♭5. Smith said it was "very difficult to sing" because the notes are "extremely high."

Critical reception

The song "Writing's on the Wall" received different opinions from critics.

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian wrote that the song tried to match the feeling of Adele's "Skyfall," but he said it was not as impressive. He believed it was unlikely to join the group of famous Bond theme songs that many people can sing along to.

Chris Willman from Variety said the song did not fit the style of a Bond movie. He compared it to Adele's "Skyfall" from the 2012 Bond film and Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die" from the 2021 Bond film. He ranked it as the worst Bond theme song.

Lewis Corner from Digital Spy gave the song a rating of three out of five stars.

Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph called the song a "monster Bond ballad." He described it as very slow and calm, with soft piano notes and a small orchestra. He noted that the focus was on the singer's voice, which grew stronger and more powerful during the chorus.

Chris DeVille from Stereogum said the song was not as good as a song by Radiohead that was not chosen for the movie.

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, the song "Writing's on the Wall" became the first James Bond theme to reach number one on the chart dated 8 October 2015. Before this, the highest-charting Bond songs were Adele's "Skyfall" and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" from the 1985 movie, which both reached number two. "Writing's on the Wall" was also the fifth number-one single for its artist, Smith, within two years. The song stayed on the UK Singles Chart for 16 weeks in a row. In the United States, the song first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number 71. This was lower than the previous Bond song, "Skyfall," which started at number 8 in October 2012. In Canada, the song debuted and peaked at number 43. In Australia, it first appeared at number 44 and later reached number 43. In Ireland, the song performed better, debuting and peaking at number 9. The song also appeared on charts in several other European countries, but it did not reach as high as its predecessor.

Credits and personnel

• The recording took place at RAK Studios, Abbey Road Studios, and The Pierce Rooms (London, England).
• The mixing was done at The Pierce Rooms (London, England).
• The mastering was completed at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).
• The cover photo was taken by Rankin.
• The artwork and design were created by Studio Moross.
• The publication is handled by Naughty Words Ltd., Stellar Songs Ltd., Sony, ATV Music Publishing, Salli Isaak Songs Limited, and Universal Music Publishing Limited.