Programme note: Writing’s on the wall by Sam Smith.

“Writing’s on the wall” was co-written by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes in a
single session. Sam Smith was born on the 19 May 1992 and his British. They
wrote it in under half an hour and quickly recorded a demo. They were so
pleased with Sam’s vocal performance that they used it on the final release on
8 September 2015, Sam Smith announced that they were singing the song for
the James Bond film ‘Spectre’. The title “Writing’s on the wall” means an
extreme/ desperate position/ a stage of defeat, failure or ruin. The theme is
there are clear signs that a situation is going to become very difficult or
unpleasant in the piece. The genre of the piece is Orchestral pop. The piece is
predominantly an R&B, pop, hip hop and soul record. The piece was written
from James Bond’s perspective. The song is written in the key of F minor with a
tempo of 66 beats per minute also known as Larghetto. The vocal range is from
Ab3 to Db5. It starts very slow and surprisingly restrained, at times floating by
on resonant piano notes, the faintest bust stroke of orchestra, with all the
focus on Sam Smith’s intense, tremulous vocal, rising with controlled pace and
tension to an audacious chorus pay-off. The title of the song also refers to the
Book of Daniel’s in the Bible in chapter 5 it’s said when King Belshazzar sees
the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upsharin” written on the wall. The king
summons Daniel to interpret the writing, which he translates as “Numbered,
numbered, weighed, divided.” He told the king that it meant that the
Babylonian kingdom will be invaded and divided among the Medes and the
Persians. The term “Writing’s on the wall” has since been used to refer any
omen that predicts a bad outcome.
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 ^ Petridis, Alexis (25 September 2015). "Sam Smith's James Bond theme review – 'It feels
like an X Factor ballad'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
 ^ "Sam Smith's 'Writing on the Wall' 'Spectre' Song Hasn't Impressed 'James Bond'
Fans". The Huffington Post UK.
 ^ "The Writing's on the Wall: Sam Smith's James Bond Spectre theme panned online".
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 ^ "Sam Smith's James Bond theme song 'Writing's on the Wall' makes Shirley Bassey
trend on Twitter because people hate it". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7
May 2022.
 ^ "Sam Smith Releases New Bond Theme But Twitter Reckons He's No Shirley
Bassey". MTV UK.
 ^ Merry, Stephanie; Yahr, Emily (10 December 2015). "Golden Globes nominations
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 ^ Guardian music (25 September 2015). "Sam Smith's new Bond theme, Writing's on the
Wall – listen here". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
 ^ "Hear Sam Smith Break Down Their Bond Theme, 'Writing's on the Wall'". NPR. 25
September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
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 ^ "Radiohead's Bond theme the gift that fans didn't Spectre receive for Christmas". The
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 ^ "'Writing's on the Wall' sheet music". Salli Isaak Music Publishing. Retrieved 25
September 2015.
 ^ Britton, Luke Morgan (26 October 2015). "Sam Smith 'almost regrets' Bond theme: 'It's
so high that I have to grab my balls'". NME. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
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ballad'". The Guardian.
 ^ Willman, Chris (8 October 2021). "Every James Bond Theme Song, Ranked Worst to
Best". Variety. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
 ^ "This week's new singles reviewed: Little Mix, Sia, Sam Smith, Rudimental". Digital
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 ^ "Writing's on the Wall review: 'Sam Smith's monster Bond ballad'". The Telegraph.
 ^ "Sam Smith Doesn't Know Who Thom Yorke Is, Hasn't Heard Radiohead's
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 ^ http://www.nme.com/features/sam-smith-our-exclusive-cover-interview-with-the-man-
with-the-golden-lungs
 ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/sam-smith-writings-on-the-wall/
 ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/adele-skyfall/
 ^ https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/19319/duran-duran/
 ^ "iTunes – Music – Writing's on the Wall – Single by Sam Smith". iTunes Store (GB).
 ^ "Writing's on the Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)". HMV. Archived
from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
 ^ "Writing's on the Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)". HMV. Archived
from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.