It was a major let-down to hear the classic James Bond background music followed by the incredibly shrill voice of pop star, Sam Smith. Even though Sam Smith is an excellent singer, he does not have the robust depth to sing a Bond song.

From Dr. No to Skyfall and the twenty-one movies in between, it is a prestigious honor to sing the James Bond theme song, and Bond fans expect the lucky artist to create a song to go down in history. And Sam Smith will certainly go down in history, for he will be the artist of the song responsible for breaking 007 theme song tradition.

Shirley Bassey in Goldfinger, Tom Jones in Thunderball, Carly Simon in The Spy Who Loved Me, Paul McCartney in Live and Let Die, Adele in Skyfall, and many others were responsible for one of the most memorable and acclaimed aspects of James Bond movies—the theme song.

The 007 lineage has been around since 1962, and within that time music has significantly changed. Throughout the lifespan of James Bond, filmmakers have been preserving the movie motif—a tough but suave spy vanquishing anything in his way. One of the ways to uphold this theme is to set a mood through song at the beginning of the movie. Sam Smith’s high-pitched voice sets a mood, but not a James Bond mood. Spectre sets you up to watch a girly romantic comedy, not a movie about a secret agent.

As the world changes, James Bond movies might become more modern, but movie release after movie release, the Bond theme songs have managed to have a common thread run through them: a seductive song, rich in tone.

Despite the different music, there are still singers with the talent that previous James Bond singers possessed, and usually these singers can be found within the alternative genre. Elle King, for example, has a deep, raspy voice making her music perfect to open a James Bond movie. But the new theme song for Spectre is quite a disappointment, as this song doesn’t exemplify the classic seductive Bond song. Sam Smith’s high-pitched voice destroys the sexy aspect of a Bond song.