A-ha - The Living Daylights (Warner Brothers)

Nothing could surpass Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger", and since then there's been a number of dire themes accompanying James Bond films. Mort and the boys belt out something that might have stood a better chance as the theme for a gardening programme. The world tour seems to have well-knackered them. Licensed to thrill? I think not. (Robin Smith, Record Mirror, June 27, 1987)

Following in the footsteps of Shirley Bassey, Paul "Fab Macca Wacky Thumbs Aloft" McCartney, Duran Duran and little Sheena Easton, our Nordic foragers come to tackle the James Bond Movie Theme - that's the bit they play over chose dated silhouettes of girlies with not very many clothes on and blokes in suits with great big pistols. Unfortunately, James Bond films aren't really much cop and neither, usually, are these James Bond Movie Theme thingies. And this particular example is no exception. Oh, it's unmistakably A-ha: Morten's voice starts out smoky and sneery and then goes into a piping falsetto at the first available opportunity as per usual and there's piles of "dramatic" "tension" and everything. But is there a proper tune? No. Can you twist to it? No you jolly well cannot. In fact, it's all fearfully Duran Duran before they went good. (Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, June 17, 1987)