Beehived shit-starter Amy Winehouse told a British tabloid yesterday that she's planning on releasing her rejected theme song for the upcoming Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, to "prove that they have made a big mistake" by picking one by Jack White and Alicia Keys. "I guess they are going for clean-cut and boring," she said, presumably while acting in a completely responsible manner. "When I do release mine — and I am tempted to do it on the same day — this would be the bigger hit." Is she right? Probably! In recent years, Bond producers have exhibited pretty terrible judgment when it comes to picking their songwriting-contest winners. After the jump, hear five great passed-on Bond themes better than the ones they lost out to.

5. k.d. lang, "Tomorrow Never Dies"

For 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, Bond producers solicited tracks from everyone from lang to Pulp to the Cardigans. This one almost beat Sheryl Crow's but was eventually demoted to the song played during the end titles, possibly scuttling any chances k.d. lang had of ever dating Lance Armstrong.


4. Phyllis Hyman, "Never Say Never Again"

Producers on 1983's Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again — in which Sean Connery reprised his role as Bond even though he was a million years old — nearly went with this vastly superior theme song (ignore the fake strings) before Michael Legrand, who scored the film, sued claiming he was contractually entitled to use the one he wrote. Which was awful.


3. Scott Walker, "Die Another Day"

Remember the crappy Madonna-penned earsore that opened Die Another Day? It's not like we could imagine Scott Walker actually having a Bond theme anyway, but isn't it sort of bullshit that this typically excellent track wasn't even deemed good enough to appear on the movie's official soundtrack? Yes.


2. Swan Lee, "Tomorrow Never Dies"

Again, we'll stress that, out of a field that included this pretty great throwback-y entry, along with several other good ones, Bond producers selected a Sheryl Crow song. What ever happened to Swan Lee anyway?


1. Pulp, "Tomorrow Never Dies"

Had it actually been selected, this might've been one of the best Bond themes ever. Plus, how great would it have been to see Jarvis Cocker wandering through silhouetted naked ladies during a 007 movie's main titles?

Amy's Bond revenge [New! Magazine]