Spy music
Encyclopedia
Spy music is a genre of music based primarily on themes from spy movies, especially those from the James Bond
series.
Generally this music is characterized by a fast and exciting pace, and a music theme designed to increase tension in the listener and evoke a feeling of sneakiness.
Spy music can also sound very sly and laid-back.
Primarily made for movies, spy music often contains an interesting mix of instrumentation, ranging from full orchestras to ensembles more typical of jazz
, lounge
, rock
, or electronica
.
Some of the more famous spy themes include James Bond, Mission: Impossible
, the theme from Peter Gunn
, the theme from I Spy and The Pink Panther
.
Spy music is similar but different from detective music, which includes, for example, themes from Dragnet or the Inspector Gadget
cartoon series.
Surf instrumental bands often play spy music.
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series.
Generally this music is characterized by a fast and exciting pace, and a music theme designed to increase tension in the listener and evoke a feeling of sneakiness.
Spy music can also sound very sly and laid-back.
Primarily made for movies, spy music often contains an interesting mix of instrumentation, ranging from full orchestras to ensembles more typical of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
, rock
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, or electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
.
Some of the more famous spy themes include James Bond, Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, the theme from Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn
Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards...
, the theme from I Spy and The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther (1963 film)
The Pink Panther is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and co-written by Edwards and Maurice Richlin, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers, Robert Wagner, Capucine, and Claudia Cardinale...
.
Spy music is similar but different from detective music, which includes, for example, themes from Dragnet or the Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget is an animated television series that revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, simple-witted cyborg detective named Inspector Gadget – a human being with various bionic gadgets built into his body. Gadget's arch-nemesis is Dr...
cartoon series.
Surf instrumental bands often play spy music.
Related artists
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