Four guys from Liverpool with a ticket to ride.
One guy from London with a license to kill.
And while I wrote and played music, garage band style, with the best of them in hopes that someday I would find something even remotely resembling the Fabs level of success, I, like a plethora of my peers, secretly harbored a dream about saving the world from evil, resplendent in my tailored tux, packing serious, but uber-cool heat in the form of the Walther PPK.
My monthly BMI statement will attest to the fact that I have yet to accomplish anything remotely resembling the Fab level.
And it's been years since I had to rent a tux, let alone own one.
I did, however, stumble into my own little event that empirically connected the two for all future historians and civilians to see/hear.
My three degrees of double oh seven.
1. 1967...the fifth in a very successful series of films starring Sean Connery as Ian Fleming's dapper double oh, James Bond is released. The film is "You Only Live Twice." The theme song, in keeping with the tradition of celebrity performance, is sung by a young pop star responsible for a monster number one hit the previous year, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"... Nancy Sinatra.
2. Two versions of "You Only Live Twice" are recorded, one for the movie soundtrack, another of radio single release. The latter of the two is arranged by an iconic musician/producer/writer and dear friend of Nancy's who will, fifteen or so years later, become a dear friend of mine... Billy Strange.
3. 1995...Billy Strange, assisting in production and arrangement of "One More Time", an album Nancy is recording, pitches her a song from his own publishing company, a song Nancy likes and decides to record. The song is "Crocodile Tears". The song is co-written by one of Billy's staff writers and dear friends...Scott Edward Phelps.
Crocodile Tears
Sinatra to Strange to SEP.
Ian Fleming's clever way with words notwithstanding, we all know we only live once.
If you're lucky, though, once is enough.
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