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Monty Norman

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Monty Norman was born in 1928 as Monty Noserovitch in Stepney, in London's East End, to Jewish parents. His father came from Latvia. He got his first guitar at the age of sixteen. During his national service in the RAF he became interested in singing. In the 1950s and early 1960s he sang with big bands and in variety shows, alongside comedians such as Peter Sellers and Tommy Cooper. His song False-Hearted Lover became an international success.

Music and breakthrough

From the late 1950s he wrote songs for, among others, Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, Count Basie and Bob Hope, and lyrics for musicals. He wrote the lyrics for Make Me An Offer and Expresso Bongo, which Time Out called the first rock-and-roll musical and which was filmed in 1960 with Cliff Richard. Songbook and Poppy followed later, the latter winning the prize for best musical. He also wrote film music, for example for The Day the Earth Caught Fire.

Influence

His best-known work is the James Bond Theme, which was first heard in 1962 in Dr. No. The producers were not satisfied with his arrangement, and John Barry reworked the theme. Barry later claimed that he had written it, but Norman won two libel cases, the last in 2001 against The Sunday Times. The theme is one of the best-known melodies in film history: a short, menacing melodic line that has been associated with spy films ever since. Norman died in 2022.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to James Bond Theme and notice the low, menacing guitar line with which the theme begins. Which instruments take over the melody afterwards, and how does the tension persist?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Mentioned in other articles

See also

Categories: ArtistsBond and spy sound