Louis Armstrong’s swan song for 007

We continue with our look at the UK documentary about James Bond songs. We’re skipping ahead because, well, we’re going straight to a rather touching tale. But, like anything associated with James Bond, it didn’t come very easily.

For Louis Armstrong, his performance of We Have All the Time in the World capped a magnificent career. As song writers John Barry and Hal David relate, they were concerned whether Armstrong had the energy to perform because of health problems. But, as David discusses, something magical happened when the “record” button was hit.

Still, there were obstacles. This time, it was producer Albert R. Broccoli who could have gummed up the works. Broccoli wasn’t being volatile like his then-partner Harry Saltzman. Broccoli’s initial objection was more basic — money. He thought Armstrong’s asking price of $35,000 to $50,000 was too high.

Despite that, a Bond classic was produced. It didn’t hit the charts — until decades later when it was used in a beer commercial.

One other note: Barry calls his score On Her Majesty’s Secret Service his most Bondian because he “poured everything” into to help the audience forget it was George Lazenby instead of Sean Connery playing Bond.

Take a look below. The compelling story of We Have All the Time in the World starts at the 57-second mark.