Writing's on the Wall (Sam Smith song)

"Writing's on the Wall" is a song by English singer Sam Smith, written for the release of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre. The song was released as a digital download on 25 September 2015.[1] The song was written by Smith and Jimmy Napes, and produced by the latter alongside Steve Fitzmaurice and Disclosure and released on 25 September 2015.

"Writing's on the Wall"
Single by Sam Smith
Released	25 September 2015
Recorded	2015
Studio	RAK, Abbey Road, and the Pierce Rooms (London)
Genre	Orchestral pop
Length	4:38
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Sam Smith Jimmy Napes
Producer(s)	Jimmy Napes Steve Fitzmaurice Disclosure
Sam Smith singles chronology
"Omen" (2015) "Writing's on the Wall" (2015) "Momentarily Mine" (2016)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"Skyfall" (2012) "Writing's on the Wall" (2015) "No Time to Die" (2020)
Music video
"Writing's on the Wall" on YouTube

"Writing's on the Wall" received mixed reviews from critics comparing it unfavourably to previous Bond theme songs.[2][3][4][5] The mixed reception to the song led to Shirley Bassey trending on Twitter on the day it was released.[6][7] The single became the first Bond movie theme to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top 10 in a few other European countries, but unlike other James Bond themes, it was not as successful outside Europe, only peaking at number 43 in Canada and Australia and number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. Only the instrumental version of the song appeared on the film's official soundtrack album. The song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards[8] and the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards, making it the second-ever Bond theme to win (after "Skyfall" by Adele in 2012).

Background and composition

"Writing's on the Wall" was co-written by Smith and Jimmy Napes.[9] Smith said that the song came together in one whirlwind session: they and Napes wrote it in under half an hour and quickly recorded a demo. When they listened back to that recording, they were so pleased with Smith's vocal performance that they ended up using it on the final release—albeit with some added muscle in the arrangement.[10] On 8 September 2015, Sam Smith announced that they were singing the song for the James Bond film Spectre. They described performing the theme as "one of the highlights of my career".[11] The English band Radiohead also composed a song for the film, "Spectre", which went unused.[12]

The song is written in the key of F minor with a tempo of 66 beats per minute (Larghetto). Smith's vocals range from A ♭₃ to D♭₅.[13] The singer expressed some backlash at the vocal performance, feeling it was "horrible to sing" as the notes are "just so high".[14]

Critical reception

"Writing's on the Wall" received a mixed response from critics. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the song attempted to capture the mood of Adele's "Skyfall", but "doesn’t feel anywhere near as striking ... the chances of it joining the pantheon of Bond themes that anyone with even a passing interest in pop music can hum seem pretty slender".[15] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy rated it 3 out of 5 stars.[16] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph called the song a "monster Bond ballad", stating, "(The song) is very, very slow and surprisingly restrained, at times floating by on resonant piano notes, the faintest brush stroke of orchestra, with all the focus on Smith's intense, tremulous vocal, rising with controlled pace and tension to an audacious chorus pay-off".[17] Chris DeVille of Stereogum felt it was inferior to Radiohead's rejected song.[18]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "Writing's on the Wall" became the first James Bond theme to reach number one, on the issue dated 8 October 2015. The previous highest-charting Bond themes were Adele's "Skyfall" and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill", which both reached number two. It also became Smith's fifth UK number-one single within two years. The song spent a total of 16 consecutive weeks in the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, "Writing's on the Wall" debuted and peaked at number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, compared to the previous Bond song, "Skyfall", which debuted at number 8 in October 2012. In Canada, the song debuted at and peaked number 43. In Australia, the song performed moderately, debuting at number 44, and later peaking at number 43, but in Ireland, the song was a much bigger hit, debuting and peaking at number 9. The song has also charted in several other European countries though to a far lesser degree than its predecessor.

Track listing

Digital download[19]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Writing's on the Wall"	4:38

CD single and vinyl[20][21]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Writing's on the Wall"	4:38
2.	"Writing's on the Wall" (instrumental)	4:38

Credits and personnel

Recording and management

• Recorded at RAK Studios, Abbey Road Studios and The Pierce Rooms (London, England)
• Mixed at The Pierce Rooms (London, England)
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
• Cover photograph by Rankin
• Artwork and design by Studio Moross
• Published by Naughty Words Ltd. / Stellar Songs Ltd. / Sony/ATV Music Publishing / Salli Isaak Songs Limited / Universal Music Publishing Limited

Personnel

• Sam Smith – vocals, songwriter
• Jimmy Napes – producer, songwriter, piano
• Steve Fitzmaurice – producer, mixing and recording, additional programming
• Guy Lawrence – co-producer, additional programming
• Howard Lawrence – co-producer, additional programming
• Steve Price – orchestra recording
• Simon Hale – orchestra arrangement and conducting
• Charles Wong – assistant recording engineer
• Mike Horner – assistant recording engineer
• Gordon Davidson – assistant recording engineer
• Matt Jones – assistant recording engineer
• Toby Hulbert – assistant recording engineer
• Charlie Paakkari – assistant recording engineer
• Isobel Griffiths – orchestra contractor
• Lucy Whalley – assistant orchestra contractor
• Everton Nelson – orchestra leader
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Aya Merrill – mastering assistant

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2015–16) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[22] 43 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[23] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[25] 4 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[26] 43 Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[27] 39 Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28] 52 Euro Digital Songs (Billboard)[29] 1 Finland Download (Latauslista)[30] 3 France (SNEP)[31] 5 Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 17 Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[33] 2 Hungary (Single Top 40)[34] 2 Iceland (RÚV)[35] 22 Ireland (IRMA)[36] 9 Italy (FIMI)[37] 32 Japan (Japan Hot 100)[38] 50 Japan Physical Singles (Oricon)[39] 81 Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)[40] 3 Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[41] 2 Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[42] 37 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[43] 35 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 32 New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 4 Portugal Digital Songs (Billboard)[46] 10 Scotland (OCC)[47] 1 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[48] 36 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[49] 32 Slovenia (SloTop50)[50] 36 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[51] 24 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[52] 63 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[53] 5 UK Singles (OCC)[54] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[55] 71 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[56] 20

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[57] 88 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[58] 59 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[59] 159 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[60] 73 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[61] 56 Certifications and sales Region Certification Certified units/sales Italy (FIMI)[62] Gold 25,000 Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[63] Gold 45,000 Poland (ZPAV)[64] Platinum 20,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Platinum 626,000[66] United States (RIAA)[67] Platinum 1,000,000 sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Worldwide	25 September 2015	Digital download	Capitol
United Kingdom	23 October 2015	CD single
	6 November 2015	7" vinyl

See also

• Outline of James Bond

References

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2. "Sam Smith Bond song splits opinion". BBC News.
3. 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.
4. "Sam Smith's 'Writing On The Wall' 'Spectre' Song Hasn't Impressed 'James Bond' Fans". The Huffington Post UK.
5. "The Writing's on the Wall: Sam Smith's James Bond Spectre theme panned online". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 September 2015.
6. "Sam Smith's James Bond theme song 'Writing's On The Wall' makes Shirley Bassey trend on Twitter because people hate it". The Independent.
7. "Sam Smith Releases New Bond Theme But Twitter Reckons He's No Shirley Bassey". MTV UK.
8. Merry, Stephanie; Yahr, Emily (10 December 2015). "Golden Globes nominations 2016: Complete list". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
9. Guardian music (25 September 2015). "Sam Smith's new Bond theme, Writing's on the Wall – listen here". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
10. "Hear Sam Smith Break Down Their Bond Theme, 'Writing's On The Wall'". NPR. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
11. "Instagram". Instagram.
12. "Radiohead's Bond theme the gift that fans didn't Spectre receive for Christmas". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse in New York. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
13. "'Writing's on the Wall' sheet music". Salli Isaak Music Publishing. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
14. 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.
15. Alexis Petridis. "Sam Smith's James Bond theme review – 'It feels like an X Factor ballad'". The Guardian.
16. "This week's new singles reviewed: Little Mix, Sia, Sam Smith, Rudimental". Digital Spy.
17. "Writing's on the Wall review: 'Sam Smith's monster Bond ballad'". The Telegraph.
18. "Sam Smith Doesn't Know Who Thom Yorke Is, Hasn't Heard Radiohead's "Spectre"". Stereogum. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
19. "iTunes – Music – Writing's on the Wall – Single by Sam Smith". iTunes Store (GB).
20. "Writing's On The Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)". HMV. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
21. "Writing's On The Wall – Theme from Spectre (James Bond 007)". HMV. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
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27. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201546 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
28. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201540 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
29. "Euro Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
30. "Sam Smith: Writing's On The Wall" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
31. "Lescharts.com – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
32. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
33. "Greece Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
34. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
35. "Sam Smith Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
36. "Chart Track: Week 40, 2015". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
37. "Italiancharts.com – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
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39. "ライティングズ・オン・ザ・ウォール on Oricon" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
40. "Olt20.com: Artist Sam Smith". The Official Lebanese Top 20. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
41. "Luxembourg Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
42. "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
43. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 42, 2015" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 17 October 2015.
44. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
45. "NZ Heatseekers Chart (23 November 2015)". Recorded Music NZ. 16 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
46. "Portugal Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
47. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
48. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201605 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
49. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201546 into search. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
50. "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
51. "Spanishcharts.com – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
52. "Swedishcharts.com – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
53. "Swisscharts.com – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
54. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
55. "Sam Smith Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
56. "Sam Smith Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
57. "Jaaroverzichten 2015" (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
58. "MAHASZ Single (track) TOP 100 – eladási darabszám alapján – 2015" (in Hungarian). Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
59. "Jaarlijsten 2015" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
60. "Swiss Year-end Charts 2015". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
61. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2015". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
62. "Italian single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 28 September 2017. Select "2016" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Writing's on the Wall" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli online" under "Sezione".
63. "Danish single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
64. "Polish single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
65. "British single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 September 2017. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Writing's on the Wall in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
66. Justin Myers (7 September 2017). "Sam Smith: the story so far". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
67. "American single certifications – Sam Smith – Writing's on the Wall". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 November 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.