Die Another Day

Album: American Life (2002)
Charted: 3 8
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the theme song to the James Bond movie of the same title. Madonna's high profile and heavy promotion for the movie made the song a hit, but it was criticized as noisy and repetitive. Elton John called it the worst James Bond theme song ever. Madonna allegedly skipped the Golden Globe Awards, where she was supposed to sit next to Elton, because she wanted to avoid seeing him after the remark. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Mike - Santa Barbara, CA
  • This earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song (U2's "The Hands That Built America" from Gangs of New York won), and also a Golden Raspberry nomination for Worst Song (Britney Spears' "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" from Crossroads "won").
  • Madonna had a small role in the film Die Another Day, playing a fencing instructor named Verity. Sample dialogue: "I see you handle your weapon well."
  • This song was written by Madonna and Mirwais Ahmadzai, a progressive electronica musician who first worked with the entertainer on her 2000 album, Music.
  • The world premiere of Die Another Day was held at Royal Albert Hall in London, where Madonna got to meet Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Madonna explained the song's meaning to Genre Magazine: "The song I wrote for the Bond film is about destroying your ego, and it's juxtaposing the metaphor of, you know, the fight against good and bad, and it's set inside the whole universe of Bond. James Bond is in prison and he gets out of prison. Like all Bond films, somebody’s chasing him or he's chasing somebody and it's always a fight against good and evil. I wanted to take it to another level. It's kind of a metaphor of… I'm fighting myself."

Comments: 2

  • Leo from Westminster 1, MdDie Another Day-Bond theme becomes Madonna's story! The best song from American Life, my least fave Ciccone Artwork!
  • Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnI like this song, I love Madonna's laugh towards the end of the track.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Devo

DevoSongwriter Interviews

Devo founders Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale take us into their world of subversive performance art. They may be right about the De-Evoloution thing.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.