Chris Martin's unreleased James Bond theme song heads to auction after 27 years

An unheard James Bond theme written by Chris Martin during Coldplay's early days is set to go under the hammer, offering fans a rare glimpse into the band's unsuccessful attempt to join the iconic 007 franchise.

The recording, titled The World Is Not Enough, dates back to 1999 and is among a collection of early Coldplay demo tapes and studio recordings being auctioned by the band's former producer, Chris Allison, through Wax Poetics. The acoustic demo features Martin on vocals and guitar and has never been publicly released.

According to Allison, the song was written while Coldplay were still in their formative years and hoped to land the coveted Bond theme for The World Is Not Enough, the Pierce Brosnan film that ultimately featured Garbage's title song of the same name. It remains unclear whether Martin's demo was ever officially submitted to the film's producers.

Martin has previously acknowledged the band's long-running ambition to write a James Bond theme. In a 2021 interview, he revealed that Coldplay had written several Bond songs over the years but never submitted them because they were "not very good".

The auction also includes a treasure trove of Coldplay memorabilia from the late 1990s, including original master tapes for The Blue Room EP, alternate versions of future hits such as Shiver, Spies and We Never Change, along with previously unheard tracks, rehearsal recordings and live performances from the band's earliest gigs.

Allison described the archive as one of the most significant surviving collections documenting Coldplay's beginnings while its members were studying at University College London before signing with Parlophone. A portion of the auction proceeds will be donated to the music education charity Restore the Music.

Although Coldplay never secured a Bond theme, Martin's fascination with the franchise has remained well documented, making the rediscovered demo a fascinating piece of the band's history and a rare insight into one of music's most enduring "what if" moments.