Sam Smith confesses he wanted to abandon the funky pop anthems for his take on the new James Bond theme for 'Spectre', and release a track that was memorable enough to be associated with the franchise rather than something that reflected himself. The result is the orchestral 'Writing's On The Wall'.

Sam Smith promoSam Smith wanted Bond theme to be 'classic'

The 23-year-old singer reveals that, instead of taking on the usual pop aesthetic that has made him a success thus far, he wanted to create something 'timelessly classic' for 'Spectre'. Thus, it's not a driving rhythm or melancholic balladry we have here, but soaring cinematic soundscapes; the perfect combination of harmonic strings, building piano and a crescendo of a voice that goes from one end of Smith's range to the another quite remarkably. It's an impressive change in direction, perhaps surprisingly so in that he enlisted the help of trusted friend and producer Jimmy Napes (who previously worked on hits 'Stay With Me' and 'Lay Me Down') as well as Disclosure who brought themselves and Smith to worldwide attention with their 2012 single 'Latch'. A sound very different from anything we've heard from these guys so far.

More: Watch the trailer for 'Spectre' here

'It's the first time I've ever had to almost play a little bit of a character', he says, and he clearly plays it well; that dashing black suit he wears in the video for 'Writing's On The Wall' almost put an oh-so-sombre Daniel Craig to shame. 'So I just hope people listen to it and think, 'That's Bond. That sounds like a Bond theme'.'

Watch the video for 'Writing's On The Wall' here:

He certainly had some big boots to fill; Adele's single 'Skyfall' for the legendary 2012 movie of the same name was critically lauded everywhere, deservedly winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song among other accolades. Of course, Smith's already off to a good start by bringing 'Writing's On The Wall' to number one in the UK (the first Bond theme to do so) despite its mixed reception.

More: 'Spectre' theme divides opinion

'Spectre', directed by Sam Mendes, is set to hit the UK on October 26th 2015 and the US on November 6th.