Mike’s Favorite Original Songs of the Decade: #5 – “Skyfall,” from Skyfall

5. “Skyfall,” from Skyfall

Adele doing a Bond song. How perfect a pairing can you get? This became the first Bond song to win an Oscar, and for good reason — it’s everything you’d expect out of a Bond song. It immediately marks itself as part of that long lineage with those opening horns, and then there’s that amazing piano melody that goes throughout it. Plus the lyrics — I mean, I’m just gonna keep saying how every element of this song is amazing. It’s just an amazing song. And as good as almost all of them are as a rule, it’s really hard to make a great Bond song. So when one is as good as this, it’s gotta be shown the proper respect. She’s got 50 years of history to live up to. And she does.