Radiohead song was rejected as James Bond theme

Radiohead failed to make the final cut for the Spectre soundtrack, according to their lead singer.

The band's vocalist Thom Yorke has revealed that they were asked to write a song for the latest James Bond film.

“Last year we were asked to write a tune for Bond movie Spectre. Yes we were ... It didn’t work out.” he wrote on Twitter.

Yorke then posted a clip of the track and said: “As the year closes we thought you might like to hear it. Merry Christmas. May the force be with you.”

The film's theme song was Writing's On The Wall by Sam Smith.

The Radiohead song, simply entitled Spectre, opens in familiar fashion with a series of minor chords on a piano against a backdrop of strings and synthesisers.

The lyricism relates more to the song’s title than Bond action themes, with frontman Thom Yorke opening in his trademark falsetto, “I’m lost / I’m a ghost / Dispossessed.”

Smith’s track became the first Bond theme song to reach number one on the British singles charts.

News of the previously unknown Radiohead track will renew speculation on how far along the band has moved on a long-awaited ninth album.

Guitarist Jonny Greenwood revealed in interviews in mid-2015 that the band was back in the studio but gave few details on the project.

Radiohead members have been busy with side projects, with Yorke last year releasing his second solo album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes – an innovative work dominated by electronic riffs and reflections on the role of the individual in modern society.