We Have All the Time in the World

"We Have All the Time in the World"
1994 single re-release
Single by Louis Armstrong
from the album On Her Majesty's Secret Service
B-side	"Pretty Little Missy"
Released	1969, 1994 (re-released)
Genre	Jazz[1]
Length	3:15
Label	Warner Bros.
Composer	John Barry
Lyricist	Hal David
Producer	Phil Ramone
Louis Armstrong singles chronology
"The Kinda Love Song" (1969) "We Have All the Time in the World" (1969) "Give Peace a Chance" (1970)
James Bond theme singles chronology
"You Only Live Twice"(1967) "We Have All The Time In The World"(1969) "Diamonds Are Forever"(1971)
Audio sample
file help

"We Have All the Time in the World" is a James Bond theme song performed by Louis Armstrong. Its music was composed by John Barry and the lyrics by Hal David. It is a secondary musical theme in the 1969 Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the title theme being the instrumental "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", also composed by Barry.

Composition and recording

"We Have All the Time in the World" was composed by John Barry with lyrics by Hal David.^[2] The title is taken from Bond's final words in the film, spoken after the death of his wife, Tracy Bond. Barry chose the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong to perform it because he felt he could "deliver the title line with irony".^[3] Armstrong recorded his vocal in a single take.^[4] As he was too ill to play the trumpet, it was played by another musician.^[5]

Use in film

"We Have All the Time in the World" is used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service during the Bond–Tracy courtship montage, bridging Draco's birthday party in Portugal and Bond's burglary of the Gebrüder Gumbold law office in Bern, Switzerland.^[6] The song was reused for the closing credits for the 2021 film No Time to Die.^[7]

Release

"We Have All the Time in the World" was released as a single in the US and the UK (under the title "All the Time in the World" in the UK^[8]) to coincide with the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in December 1969, but did not chart in either market.

In 1994, "We Have All the Time in the World" was rereleased in the UK after it was used in a Guinness commercial (Chain), after My Bloody Valentine covered it for charity for the 1993 compilation Peace Together. Armstrong's version was released on vinyl and CD and reached No. 3 on the UK singles chart and No. 4 on the Irish Singles Chart.^[9] In 2005, a BBC survey found it to be the third most popular love song played at weddings.^[10]

Charts

Chart (1994)	Peakposition
Ireland (IRMA)	4
UK Singles (OCC)	3
UK Airplay (Music Week)[11]	11

See also

• Outline of James Bond

References

1. "Every James Bond Theme Song Ranked". Slant Magazine. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2024. That said, the jazzy ballad (with music by John Barry and lyrics by Burt Bacharach collaborator Hal David) is perfectly lovely...
2. Smith, Jim (2002). Bond Films. London: Virgin Books. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7535-0709-4.
3. John Barry. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service audio commentary". On Her Majesty's Secret Service Ultimate Edition. MGM Home Entertainment.
4. "The Top 10 James Bond Theme Songs". Rolling Stone. 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2026-02-06.
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Serviceliner notes, On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Ultimate Edition (©2006 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc.).
6. Barnes, Alan; Hearn, Marcus (2001). Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: the Unofficial James Bond Film Companion. Batsford Books. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-7134-8182-2.
7. "'We Have All the Time in the World' is Crucial to Truly Understanding 'No Time to Die'". Esquire. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021.
8. 45cat.com
9. "Louis Armstrong, Top 75 Releases". Official UK Charts Archive. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
10. "Adams hit tops wedding dance poll". BBC News. 7 April 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
11. "The Airplay Chart"(PDF). Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 17. Retrieved 23 May 2025.