Recommended music:
Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to music that appeared in No Time To Die! This is also the third time this month we’re talking about Daniel Craig Bond films with Italian music older than anyone alive today.
Born in Naples in 1873, Enrico Caruso was the third of seven children, of which only three survived infancy. There’s an urban legend that his parents had 21 children, but seven is likely a more accurate number. Caruso was encouraged to be a musician by his mother and helped raise money for his family as a street performer in Naples, not adopting the mechanic’s trade of his father. He made his stage debut in 1895, with his operatic tenor voice bringing him immense fame at the major opera houses of Europe and North America. Caruso was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded, releasing 247 commercial recordings from 1902 to 1920.
His most famous piece of music is likely either ‘O Sole Mio’:
or ‘La Donna È Mobile’:
The song appearing in No Time To Die is actually ‘Che Gelida Manina.’ from Giacomo Puccini’s opera, La Bohème. Yes, this is the same guy I just mentioned to Tosca in Quantum of Solace.
At around nine minutes into No Time To Die, Bond and Madeleine check into their hotel in Matero and head straight for the bedroom. The music coming from the gramophone (which apparently still works in 2020 or whenever the movie is supposed to take place) is ‘Che Gelida Manina’ with vocals by Caruso.
Listening to this 1976 vinyl album was an interesting experience. Many of the tunes were somewhat recognizable. However, I had no idea what the lyrics were.
94. Enrico Caruso – The Best Of Caruso
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