Adele
Nov 25, 2012
"Skyfall" is a song performed by English singer-songwriter Adele, and the eponymous theme song of the 23rd James Bond film from Eon Productions, Skyfall. The track was written by Adele and producer Paul Epworth, and features orchestration by J. A. C. Redford. "Skyfall" was released on October 5th, as part of "Global James Bond Day", celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the first James Bond film.
The song received generally positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was "finally" a great James Bond theme.Huffington Post described the song as a "brassy and soulful tune [that] fits perfectly alongside the work of Shirley Bassey in the oeuvre of James Bond title tracks." Idolator wrote that "during the song's final third, Adele does, in fact, make the sky fall, in typical Adele fashion."
"Skyfall" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 8, Adele's first song to debut in the Top 10, selling 261,000 copies in the United States in its first three days. Though "Skyfall" debuted at number 8, it was actually the third best-selling single in the US that week - the Hot 100 ranks songs based on sales, radio airplay, and online streaming. "Skyfall" is the first James Bond theme to chart within the Top 10 in the US in a decade and is the first James Bond theme to debut in the Top 10. Interest in "Skyfall" led to a 10% increase in sales of Adele's last album, 21, in the US.
After Skyfall was released in cinemas in North America, Adele's song saw a sales increase of 66%.