“Diamonds Are Forever”, but royalties are another story – just ask Bond lyricist Don Black, who has described his own as “terrible”.
An Oscar-winning songwriter, Black, 88, has written themes and songs for numerous Hollywood films, including the 2010 western blockbuster True Grit and five James Bond titles: Thunderball (1965), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) andThe World is Not Enough (1999).
In a new interview with The Telegraph, he spoke about his often paltry financial compensation for his work.
Black said his income from streams of his various songs derives from “a terrible [royalty] rate, there’s no question about it”.
He cited another example of a fellow songwriter, Herbert Kezmer, who wrote the lyrics for “I Dreamed a Dream” from the 1980 hit musical Les Misérables.
That song was No 1 “everywhere”, said Black, adding: “And I said to him, ‘You must be making a fortune.’ It was a billion hits or something silly like that. And he got £1,500. That’s all you need to know.” The sum of £1,500 in 1980 would amount to approximately £6,680 in 2026.
Elsewhere, recalling how his first Bond gig came about, Black said that he spent some time in his early twenties working as a manager to Matt Monro, known as “the British Sinatra”, when the singer was tapped to record the 007 theme from From Russia with Love – written by fellow songwriter Lionel Bart.
Black said he negotiated Monro’s fee for the song, which amounted to £250, of which he received 25 per cent for a sum of £62.50 – the equivalent of £679 in 2026, which he noted “was a lot of money then”.
The lyricist worked with Oscar-winning composer John Barry on all of his 1960s and 1970s Bond themes, including 1971’s “Diamonds Are Forever” – which Bond producer Harry Saltzman initially pushed back on.
“He thought it was too sexy. Well, he thought it was filthy – ‘touch it, stroke it and undress it,’” said Black of the track sung by Shirley Bassey.
According to Black, it was Barry who stood up to Saltzman, telling him: “What do you know about songs?”
Asked whether he would consider writing a sixth Bond song for the franchise’s hugely anticipated next outing, Black said: “I’d be thrilled. But lately, it’s always gone to whoever’s popular. So I’m sure the next one will have Harry Styles or Taylor Swift or something. That’s probably how it’ll go.”
Billie Eilish and Finneas co-wrote the song for 2021’s No Time to Die, with Sam Smith writing the theme for 2015’s Spectre, and Adele writing “Skyfall” for 2012’s Skyfall. RAYE, the singer behind “Where Is My Husband!”, is among the favourites to write the next James Bond theme song.
Black’s work on 007 also does not mean he is privy to any of the conversations being had about the next film. “It’s treated like Fort Knox,” he said. “No one gets in there, and no one’s going to know who Bond is until they want to let you know.”
The question of which actor will be taking over the Aston Martin keys from Daniel Craig remains enshrouded in mystery, with Slow Horses star Jack Lowden emerging as the rumoured frontrunner alongside Callum Turner and Jacob Elordi.
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