The anticipation was already high for No Time To Die before we got wind of the film’s titular theme. But now that Billie Eilish’s song has been released, fans are more curious than ever as to what exactly is in store for James Bond in Daniel Craig’s last turn as the iconic spy. Because the song seems to offer some big clues about what could be a major plot point.
Bond themes tend to fall into a few categories. Some do little more than set the tone for the film. Others, like the theme from Goldfinger, focus on one of the key characters, but don’t reveal much about the plot. And then there’s songs like “Skyfall,” which more directly address the movie’s themes. Now that we’ve finally heard Billie Eilish’s “No Time To Die” theme, we can safely say the song seems to fall in that tradition.
“No Time To Die” is, as to be expected from the recent Grammy winner, a somber and somewhat foreboding song. If Billie Eilish’s haunting vocals are anything to go by, the track doesn’t inspire much hope for a really happy ending for Bond. The lyrics center on a tragic betrayal. And, more specifically, the betrayal coming from someone that you love. The first verse sets up the song’s narrative, making it seem as though a meaningful relationship has ended badly:
I should have knownI'd leave aloneJust goes to showThat the blood you bleed is just the blood you oweWe were a pairBut I saw you thereToo much to bear
The theme of being caught off guard carries on as Billie Eilish builds toward the chorus:
You were my life, but life is far away from fairWas I stupid to love you?Was I reckless to help?Was it obvious to everybody else?
And the somber chorus all but confirms the presence an intense conflict ahead for James Bond:
That I'd fallen for a lieYou were never on my sideFool me once, fool me twiceAre you death or paradise?Now you'll never see me cryThere's just no time to die
There’s already been speculation, based on No Time To Die’s first trailer, that the spy is betrayed by Madeleine Swann, his love interest from Spectre. A new trailer for the film, which features Billie Eilish’s title song, really drives that point home. In the second chorus, she sings:
I let it burnYou're no longer my concern, mmmFaces from my past returnAnother lesson yet to learn
In the new footage, we see James Bond burning a note, written in elegant cursive, that says “Forgive me.” What’s even more intriguing is that he is then seen standing in front of something that looks like it could be a mausoleum. So, those lyrics and that scene seem to be tied together closely. The question, of course, is what kind of betrayal could lead to such a dramatic moment -- and whether Madeleine survives. We’ll find out exactly how it all ties together when No Time to Die hits theaters on April 10.
