Sam Smith Releases James Bond Theme Song, 'Writing's on the Wall'

Singer is first British male solo artist since Tom Jones to record Bond song.

ByABC News
September 25, 2015, 10:52 AM

— -- Last Monday, Sam Smith released a 15-second snippet of his new James Bond theme song, "Writing's on the Wall," on Instagram, along with the message, "Four days!!!!"

True to his word, the song has been released.

"Ladies & Gentleman, here it is," Smith tweeted on Thursday night. "The James Bond 2015 theme tune to #Spectre 'Writing's On The Wall.'"

"I have been dreaming of this moment for a long long time," he went on. "Thank you for all your amazing messages. Today is such a special day for me and I am so grateful to everyone supporting this track xx."

"Writing's on the Wall, the theme to the upcoming James Bond film "Spectre," doesn't quite have the sweeping chorus that fellow Brit Adele's "Skyfall" did. But there's no mistaking who sings the more plaintive song. Though it sounds more like a romantic ballad, it still boasts the lush orchestral strings that are common to traditional 007 movie themes.

It's also the first James Bond theme song recorded by a British male solo artist since 1965, when Tom Jones performed "Thunderball."

Smith co-wrote "Writing's on the Wall" with Jimmy Napes, his collaborator on "In the Lonely Hour." In an earlier statement, he calls singing a James Bond theme song "one of the highlights of my career."

"I am so excited to be a part of this iconic British legacy and join an incredible line up of some of my biggest musical inspirations," he wrote. "I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I enjoyed making it."

Adele won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance of "Skyfall," the theme to the 2012 James Bond movie of the same name.

Writing's on the Wall" is available now for purchase on iTunes or can be streamed on Spotify. "Spectre," starring Daniel Craig, opens in the U.S. on Nov. 6.