For nearly six decades (and counting), James Bond has been dazzling movie screens all over the world, thrilling us with high-octane adventures and signature suave super-spy style. Since the first film's release in 1962, the James Bond series has grown into the fourth highest-grossing film franchise of all time. These days, a "Bond movie" is simply just shorthand for a full-blown, totally engrossing cinematic experience.
The actors, the action, the wardrobe, and of course the music all coalesce to give a Bond movie its magic. And with the last two Bond films winning Academy Awards for their respective original songs (coming after countless Bond song Oscar nominations throughout the series' history), we thought it was about time to really zero in on 007 original music and answer the burning question: What makes a Bond theme sound like a Bond theme?
We enlisted the help of our own in-house J. Bond to break it down for us, so be sure to check out the full video above and let us know your favorite Bond theme in the comments below.