“Skyfall” is a 13-second word in the hands of Ms. Adele.

Along with producer Paul Epworth, Adele channels her inner Shirley Bassey for the theme of the next instalment of the James Bond film series.

Unlike the past few themes, tackled by the likes of Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Jack White, Alicia Keys and U2, Adele’s efforts hark back to the 60s ballades with femme fetale splendour. Calm but always dynamic, the song unravels itself with the cinematic lush and grandor we’ve come to expect from both our Bond tunes and Adele herself.

The photos were taken spying in at Her Majesty’s official residence in Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which stands at the end of Edinburgh’s Golden Mile. It’s just across from the very moden and controversial Scottish Parliament building, and rests at the foot of Arthur’s Seat. First founded as a monastery in 1128, the palace has been the main residence of the Kings and Queens of the Scots since the 15th century. This includes the brief tenure of the famous Mary, Queens of Scots from 1561 to 1567 (after she was raised in France and before she was imprisoned and forced to abdicate.)

This track, embedded from Adele’s YouTube account, has been played over 17 million times in the last three days, and 300,000 times just while I was writing this post, but in case you haven’t heard it:

“Skyfall” by Adele