Licence to Kill (song) Licence to Kill (song) "Licence to Kill" is a 1989 song by Gladys Knight, written and recorded for the James Bond film "Licence to Kill", also from 1989. It was written by Narada Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen and Walter Afanasieff. Release as a single in May 1989, the song became a top-ten hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number six and becoming Knight's last charting solo single there. The song charted very strongly in Europe, peaking atop the Swedish Singles Chart for eight weeks and reaching the top five in seven other European countries. It also peaked at number
Licence to Kill released alongside "Lethal Weapon 2", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (starring former Bond Sean Connery), and "Batman". There were also issues with the promotion of the film: promotional material in the form of teaser posters created by Bob Peak, based on the "Licence Revoked" title and commissioned by Albert Broccoli, had been produced, but MGM decided against using them after American test screenings showed 'Licence Revoked' to be a common American phrase for the withdrawal of a driving licence. The delayed, updated advertising by Steven Chorney, in the traditional style, limited the film's pre-release screenings. MGM also discarded a