It has been more than four decades since Shirley Bassey last performed a James Bond theme with Moonraker, completing an unmatched trio after Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever. No artist has repeated the feat since, and it’s unlikely one ever should.

While modern theme performers have ranged from merely serviceable (Jack White and Alicia Keys, Sam Smith) to genuinely outstanding (like Adele and Billie Eilish in particular) the franchise benefits from moving forward, not revisiting familiar voices. A repeat artist, no matter how beloved, risks stagnation and blurs any sense of evolution that Bond themes traditionally signal. That isn’t to suggest that a returning artist would be incapable of delivering a strong theme. After all, these songs were commercially successful and Oscar-worthy. But especially as the series enters a new, likely rebooted era under Amazon, this is precisely the moment to establish a fresh musical identity, not lean on past success.