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[Liam.k.]

It's 15 years since 'Die Another Day' was charting as one of the most commercially successful Bond themes. Die Another Day was the 20th official Bond film and marked 40 years of the franchise; MGM wanted a high-profile artist to perform the main theme song, particularly after the previous effort by Garbage failed to gain any success in the US. Madonna was their first choice and March 2002 saw the song deal confirmed. At the time, Madonna had been working with Mirwais Ahmadzaï on her upcoming album American Life and together they wrote and produced 'Die Another Day'.

An electroclash song complete with stuttering, heavily-processed vocals and choppy strings and electronics, 'Die Another Day' is about destroying one's ego. It's a departure from the usual Bond theme formula despite the signature strings, with this progression receiving conflicting reviews from critics. Whilst many praised the direction Madonna took the Bond theme, just as many thought it simply didn't work; an "anti-Bond theme". Likewise, the song found itself receiving polar-opposite award nominations, from Golden Globe's Best Original Song to Golden Raspberry's Worst Original Song. Chartwise, however, it became one of the most successful Bond themes, reaching the Top 10 across the world, including a much-hoped for Top 10 placing on the US Billboard Hot 100. The music video for 'Die Another Day' also allowed it to be held in higher regards - a recreation of the film's opening credits and jam-packed with Bond references from over the years, costing a whopping $6m to make and placing it as the second most expensive music video.