Bond themes are usually a victory lap. By the time the movie hits theaters, the song is a radio staple and the artist is cemented in cinematic history. But the story behind the song Tomorrow Never Dies isn't a smooth ride through the Alps in an Aston Martin. It was a chaotic, high-stakes bake-off that left several world-class musicians feeling burned and a legacy that critics still argue about thirty years later.
Honestly, it's a miracle the track even works.
Usually, the producers pick a star, they write a hit, and everyone goes home happy. For the 1997 film, Eon Productions decided to throw a curveball. They invited a dozen different artists to submit demos. It was basically a musical "Battle Royale." You had Sheryl Crow, k.d. lang, Pulp, Saint Etienne, and even Marc Almond all vying for the opening credits. Imagine being a multi-platinum artist and having to "audition" for a gig.
Sheryl Crow eventually won the slot, but the fallout created one of the most interesting "what if" scenarios in Bond history.
The Crow vs. Lang Controversy
If you listen to the song Tomorrow Never Dies as performed by Sheryl Crow, you hear that classic 90s alt-rock grit mixed with a sweeping John Barry-esque string arrangement. It's moody. It’s a bit smoky. Crow’s vocal delivery is breathy and strained in a way that fits the high-tension vibe of the Pierce Brosnan era. She wrote it with her frequent collaborator Mitchell Froom, and it certainly ticks all the boxes of a standard Bond theme.
But there’s a catch.
While Crow got the main title sequence, she didn’t actually have the best song. That’s not just an opinion—it’s a sentiment shared by a huge chunk of the Bond fandom and even some of the crew. k.d. lang’s submission, "Surrender," was so good that the producers couldn't bear to throw it away. Instead, they buried it in the end credits.
Listen to them side-by-side.
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Lang’s version is a powerhouse. It uses the actual melodic motifs from David Arnold’s orchestral score. In the world of 007, the "integrity" of the score usually depends on the theme song sharing a DNA with the incidental music. Because Crow’s track was written independently of Arnold’s work, it feels like a standalone pop song. Lang’s "Surrender" feels like Bond. It has that brassy, Shirley Bassey-level climax that makes your hair stand up.
Why Sheryl Crow’s Version Actually Matters
Despite the purists' love for k.d. lang, the song Tomorrow Never Dies by Sheryl Crow was a savvy business move. In 1997, Crow was arguably the biggest female rock star on the planet. Coming off the massive success of her self-titled second album, she brought a younger, "cooler" audience to a franchise that was still trying to prove it wasn't a relic of the Cold War.
The track peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. It got a Golden Globe nomination.
People forget how much pressure was on this specific film. GoldenEye had been a massive comeback, but the "sophomore slump" for Brosnan was a real fear. The music had to feel contemporary. Crow’s dry, almost cynical vocal tone mirrored the plot’s focus on media manipulation and 24-hour news cycles. It sounded like the 90s.
David Arnold, who took over scoring duties from Eric Serra, had a tough job. He had to weave a cohesive musical narrative while the "official" theme song was doing its own thing. He ended up using the "Surrender" melody as the primary James Bond theme throughout the movie’s action sequences. If you pay attention during the high-octane moments, you’re actually hearing k.d. lang’s rejected theme, not Sheryl Crow’s.
The Rejects: Pulp and the Lost Themes
The "losers" of the song Tomorrow Never Dies competition didn't just go away.
The Britpop band Pulp submitted a track originally titled "Tomorrow Never Dies." When they lost out to Crow, they simply renamed it "Tomorrow Never Lies" and released it as a B-side on their "Help the Aged" single. It’s a fantastic, weird, synth-heavy track that would have made for a very different, much more psychedelic movie intro.
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The Cardigans also threw their hat in the ring but eventually withdrew because of the exhausting workload.
Then there’s the Saint Etienne version. It’s light, airy, and sounds absolutely nothing like a Bond song. It's a fascinating look into how lost the producers were at one point. They didn't know if they wanted a classic orchestral ballad or a trip-hop experiment. By choosing Crow, they played it safe. They chose the middle ground between "rock radio" and "cinematic grandiosity."
Production Tensions and the David Arnold Factor
You can't talk about the song Tomorrow Never Dies without mentioning David Arnold. This was his first Bond score. He was a massive fan of the original composer, John Barry. Arnold wanted a unified sound.
When the producers moved Crow’s song to the front, Arnold was reportedly frustrated. He had spent months integrating the "Surrender" melody into every corner of the film’s score. Suddenly, the "face" of the movie’s music was a song that didn't match his work.
- Crow's song: Written by Sheryl Crow and Mitchell Froom.
- The Score: Built on the "Surrender" melody by David Arnold and David McAlmont.
- The Result: A slightly disjointed sonic experience where the opening doesn't match the rest of the film.
Is it a bad song? No. It’s actually one of the better-written ballads of the late 90s. But it’s an outlier. It’s one of the few times in the franchise where the marketing department clearly won the battle over the creative vision of the composer.
Legacy of a 90s Relic
Looking back, the song Tomorrow Never Dies represents a specific moment in time. It was the era of the superstar soundtrack. Think of Celine Dion and Titanic or Aerosmith and Armageddon. The Bond producers wanted that level of radio saturation.
They got it, but at the cost of the "classic" Bond feel.
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Interestingly, Crow’s performance has aged better than some other 90s themes. It’s less dated than Eric Serra’s experimental GoldenEye score, and it’s certainly more grounded than Madonna’s later attempt with "Die Another Day." There is a vulnerability in Crow's voice when she sings "Until the day is done / April fools / Step into the sun" that captures the loneliness of the Bond character better than a flashy pop anthem would.
How to Appreciate the Music Today
If you really want to understand the musical landscape of this film, don't just stream the main track.
- Listen to Sheryl Crow’s official theme first to get the "vibe."
- Immediately play "Surrender" by k.d. lang. Notice the brass sections and the way it feels "bigger."
- Watch the movie and listen for the melody of "Surrender" during the car chase in the parking garage.
- Check out "Tomorrow Never Lies" by Pulp to see the "indie" version of what could have been.
The song Tomorrow Never Dies is a case study in how the music industry and the film industry collide. It’s about branding versus artistry. While Sheryl Crow delivered a solid hit that served the movie’s commercial needs, the "ghost" of k.d. lang’s version still haunts the score, reminding us that sometimes the best song doesn't always win the top spot.
For the modern listener, the best way to experience this is to create a "composite" playlist. Combine the Crow track with Arnold’s "White Knight" and "Backseat Driver." It creates a fuller picture of a film that was trying to be two things at once: a gritty modern thriller and a traditional Bond spectacle.
To dig deeper into the technical side of the 007 sound, look for the expanded 2-CD soundtrack release. It contains several cues that were cut from the original 1997 album, showcasing how David Arnold tried to bridge the gap between Crow's contemporary pop and the legacy of the Bond sound. You’ll find that the "rejected" melodies actually do the heavy lifting for the film's emotional beats.
Next Steps for Bond Fans:
- Compare the Vocals: Listen to the "Surrender" isolated vocal track (available on some deluxe editions) to hear the sheer power k.d. lang brought to the table.
- Analyze the Score: Watch the pre-title sequence and see how David Arnold uses the James Bond Theme to build tension before transitioning into Crow's more subdued intro.
- Explore the "Lost" Themes: Search for the demos by Saint Etienne and Marc Almond to see just how close the movie came to having a completely different identity.