Licence to Kill

The soundtrack to Licence to Kill, the 16th James Bond film of the same name, was released by MCA Records in 1989. Because the usual James Bond composer John Barry (who had scored almost every film from From Russia with Love onwards) was not available at the time, due to the fact he was undergoing throat surgery, the soundtrack's more upbeat and suspenseful score was composed and conducted by Michael Kamen, who also composed the soundtracks for t... more

The soundtrack to Licence to Kill, the 16th James Bond film of the same name, was released by MCA Records in 1989. Because the usual James Bond composer John Barry (who had scored almost every film from From Russia with Love onwards) was not available at the time, due to the fact he was undergoing throat surgery, the soundtrack's more upbeat and suspenseful score was composed and conducted by Michael Kamen, who also composed the soundtracks for the first three Die Hard films and all four Lethal Weapon films. Initially Eric Clapton and Vic Flick were asked to write and perform the theme song to Licence to Kill. The theme was said to have been a new version based on the James Bond Theme. The guitar riff heard in the original recording of the theme was played by Flick. The prospect, however, fell apart and Gladys Knight's song and performance was chosen, later becoming a UK Top 10 hit. The song (one of the longest to ever be used in a Bond film) was composed by Narada Michael Walden,... less