When you were young and your heart was an open book, you used to love those James Bond theme songs. You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.

You'd sing along with Shirley Bassey on "Goldfinger," hitting that "D" hard and dropping that final "R." You'd get just a little embarrassed when Carly Simon crooned, "Nobody Does it Better" which, when it came out during the Carter administration, actually was a little dirty.

You danced into the fire that was Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill." You thought Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" was only for you. Ha.

In truth, James Bond's music has been more memorable than his movies. You couldn't possibly recall the plot to "Live and Let Die," but you know every word of Paul McCartney & Wings' title tune.

Not that all the songs have been hits, or even that good. Few pop culture junkies could say who sang "You Only Live Twice" in 1967. It was Nancy Sinatra, just a year after her boots got famous. No one remembers who sang "The Living Daylights" 20 years later. It was A-Ha, though no one remembers that band either.

The Bond movies did not invent the theme song, but they turned it into an industry; the tunes can sound like they came from the same factory. They are full of sweep and dramatic pauses, and slink, and they're richly produced.

They can have a dark edge to them, almost. When Gladys Knight sings that she has a "License to Kill" anyone who wants to "tear us apart," it's a little violent. But, you know, it's Gladys. She's a teddy bear.

John Barry, the franchise's original music man created the sound when he teamed with Anthony Newly and Leslie Bricusse in 1964 for "Goldfinger." Since then it's been mass produced with the formula reconstructed and reattached to whatever singing star is of the moment. Tina Turner was in full comeback mode for 1995's "GoldenEye," Sheryl Crow in the middle of her own triple-platinum success during 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies," Madonna still way in demand for 2002's "Die Another Day."

The opportunity to contribute still draws stars, who now generally get to write whatever, as long as they get the movie's title into the lyrics. It's a gimmick, but it worked for Jack White and Alicia Keys on 2008's "Another Way to Die" for "Quantum of Solace."

The latest Bond song, "Skyfall," wraps it all up. A hot, hot singer, Adele, on a song that, like the Bond films, attempts to mix spy nostalgia with something more contemporary. It's not the best Bond song, too retro for sure, but it's a hit. The song has already made it to the top 10 in the U.S., Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan.
