Johnny Marr thought it was a "smart idea" for Billie Eilish to record the ‘No Time To Die’ Bond theme.
The former Smiths star provided the guitar to the breathtaking track, which also features an orchestral arrangement by Hans Zimmer, and revealed he was thrilled that the 18-year-old pop superstar was chosen for the gig.
Speaking on the red carpet at the BRIT Awards at The O2 in London on Tuesday night (18.02.20) – which saw the trio perform the track live for the first time, along with Billie’s brother Finneas O’Connell – Marr said: "We were already working on the film when I heard Billie had done the song and that was already a good idea to me.
"Before I’d even heard the song, I thought it was just a smart idea and this was before all the Grammys and stuff."
The 56-year-old rocker insisted it was a "very brave" move to make the song a "minimalist" ballad, but said they made sure to "Bond-ify it" without being "bombastic".
He explained: "When I heard the song, I thought ‘this is fantastic’. It’s very brave, being very minimalist. It’s her sound, and then the trick was to Bond-ify it.
"It was already a great song, but from a sound point of view, to Bond-ify it without doing the obvious.
"It’s really easy to be bombastic, so it was a case of less is more, and making it work with the film."
The ‘How Soon is Now’ star heaped praise on the ‘everything i wanted’ singer, haling her a "really good musician"
He gushed: "Billie’s just the best new, I don’t wanna say pop act, but it’s great when someone that cool is that popular, individual and a lot of people can relate to her.
"She’s a really good musician, and her family is a really musical family, very soulful. I know a great musician when I see one."
Marr also admitted it was a "super thrill" to work on a 007 movie and admitted he felt it was important to have guitar on it to honour the late James Bond composer John Barry’s legacy.
He added: "Growing up as a British boy in the late 60s, 70s, 80s, to me, the Bond theme should have guitar in it – especially the John Barry stuff.
"The sound of it to me, the guitar riff. It’s a super thrill to do it."
Johnny Marr: It was a smart idea for Billie Eilish to do Bond theme
