Listen to Lana Del Rey's James Bond theme, First Light, which was originally written for Spectre under the name 24

17 April 2026, 11:11

Lana Del Rey on the 007 First Light lyric video. Picture: IO Interactive

The singer-songwriter initially wrote 24 for the 2015 film, but it was rejected by the bosses of the franchise in favour of Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall.

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Lana Del Rey's unreleased James Bond theme has been shared as new track entitled First Light.

The song was originally written for the 2015 film Spectre, but was rejected by the bosses of the iconic spy franchise.

Now, the sumptuous track has been given a new lease of life and will serve as the theme to the upcoming James Bond video game 007: First Light, which is set to launch on 27th May for Xbox, PlayStation and PC, with the Nintendo Switch 2 version slated for later on this year.

Listen to Lana Del Rey's First Light, which was created alongside veteran Bond composer David Arnold (Casino Royale, Tomorrow Never Dies), below:

Lana Del Rey – First Light Official Lyric Video

David Arnold said of the collab: “The music of James Bond has always been a huge part of its identity. A title song has to tell us about the world we are about to enter into. It has to intrigue, excite, and beckon us in. This song joins a long line of genre defining songs, each one creating a benchmark of style that adds to the magnificent heritage that is ‘The Bond Song’.

“That’s why I was so excited to work with Lana, an artist who brought elegance, atmosphere, and her totally unique character to this piece, which I hope will open the world of Bond to a whole new audience.”

Indereactive CEO Hakan Abrak said: “It’s a joy to watch two extraordinary talents like Lana Del Rey and David Arnold combine forces, the result feels instantly ‘Bond’ while still bringing a fresh identity for 007: First Light.

“Bond’s return to gaming is a landmark moment for us at IO Interactive, and having a title song of this quality makes it even more special.”

Read more:

Del Rey wasn't the only artist who was considered to write the James Bond soundtrack that year with Radiohead writing the haunting Spectre for the film of the same name.

Spectre

Both of course lost out to Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall, which earned him a UK number one.

The song also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards and the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards, making it the second consecutive Bond theme to win (after Adele's Skyfall - which came from the 2012 film of the same name.