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In 1994, the label of hit Swedish band Ace Of
Base with a 50-million copy selling debut album turned
down
James
Bond...
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Alternative Music - GoldenEye
14th August 2009
It had been five years since James Bond was
last seen in cinemas with "Licence
To Kill" in 1989, and the world was anticipating
007's return when Pierce Brosnan was named the new 007 in June
1994. Would the franchise get back to its glory days after its
long hiatus? The answer to that question from record label Arista
Records was a resounding 'no', which lead to a change for the "GoldenEye" theme
song.
Ace Of Base, a pop band from Gothenburg,
Sweden, recorded a demo for "GoldenEye" in
1994, a year after their debut album (which went on to
sell more than 50 million copies worldwide). The group,
comprised
Ulf Ekberg and siblings Jonas Berggren and Jenny Berggren,
were considered 'too big' for Bond by their American label,
Arista Records.
The company were reportedly worried about
007's return flopping in the USA: the movie would
fail to attract a large audience, in turn damaging the
group's
standing.
The
opposite happened: not only was it a critical and commercial
success, but it rebooted the career of Tina
Turner. |
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Above: Cover art from the song's
eventual release.
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For the three-minute demo, Ulf and Jonas penned the lyrics,
with Jeanette Söderholm providing the vocals. Söderholm,
a Swedish singer of Jamaican origin, was the group's regular
backing vocalist. The track was produced by John Ballard, StoneStream
and the group members.
The band later re-worked their lost track and renamed it "The
Juvenile", using the title as a straight replacement for "The
GoldenEye".
It was released as a single on December 9th 2002 (reaching #78
in the German singles chart) and as the last track on their 2002
album "Da Capo".
Ultimately, Bono and The Edge would pen the
track performed by Tina Turner and became one of the highest-charting
hit singles
of her career, reaching #10 in the UK.
Above: The original "GoldenEye" demo
track by Ace Of Base dubbed over the music video from "The
Juvenile". The audio loses sync due to the demo's
shorter length.
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Lyrics
"GoldenEye" (Demo) Chorus
The GoldenEye
Is a place where the night is so cold
The GoldenEye
Has the key to the end (always believe)
The GoldenEye
Is a place where the night is so cold
The road will take us to the end
I used to like you as a friend |
"The Juvenile" Chorus
The juvenile
In a time where the night is so cold
The juvenile
Has the key to the end (always believe in)
The juvenile in the end
That is why we are here
The road will take us to the end
Tomorrow's foe is now a friend |
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GoldenEye
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