“Nobody Does It Better” by Carly Simon
“Nobody Does It Better” begins with Carly Simon showering praises and admiration on her significant other for being totally awesome to her while simultaneously feeling sorry for other women who are not fortunate enough to be blessed with a lover like hers.
She proceeds to reveal how she was actually not looking for love in the beginning yet was “found” by her lover. And even after being “found” by him, she still “tried to hide” from the light of his love.
All in all, we have a case of a young woman minding her own business and having no intentions whatsoever to find love but suddenly stumbles upon the addressee and succumbs to his charms.
Who is the Addressee?
Considering this song was written for the 1977 James Bond movie titled “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the addressee is none other than the iconic secret agent James Bond. And the narrator would presumably be a Bond girl. For those unaware of who a Bond girl is, she is basically Bond’s female companion who more often than not plays the role of his love interest.
The Takeaway
“Nobody Does It Better” is simply put a song that pays tribute to the fictional character James Bond.
The Bond girl narrator (who is beyond infatuated by him) not only admires him for being a great lover but also for being a fantastic secret agent.
Who wrote “Nobody Does It Better”?
This song was written by two noted songwriters. The lyrics were penned by American lyricist and singer Carole Bayer Sager. The music on the other hand was composed by the late American composer Marvin Hamlisch.
More Facts about “Nobody Does It Better”
This James Bond theme song was released in July of 1977. It met with so much success that it earned its makers multiple prestigious award nominations, including a Grammy.
At the 1978 version of the Grammys, it received two nominations, including one for “Song of the Year“.
That same year, it was nominated for an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe Award.
Chart-wise, “Nobody Does It Better” was also a huge success. For example, it was a number 1 hit in Ireland. It also made it to number 2 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart in the United States. On the UK Singles, it also did impressively well, peaking at the 7th position. This classic also fared very well in the countries below:
- Argentina – #4
- Australia – #8
- Canada – #2
- France – #5
- Norway – #5
In the United States alone, “Nobody Does It Better” has sold over a million copies. Owing to this, it has been certified Gold by the RIAA.
Due to the song’s commercial as well as critical success many regard it as the one of the best Bond theme songs of all time.
Simon played no role in the composing of this song. By virtue of this, this classic remains the most successful song of Simon’s illustrious career that she did not compose herself. Only one other song (“You’re So Vain“) from Simon’s catalogue experienced almost the same amount of success as “Nobody Does It Better”.
