James Bond has been firing blanks in the pop-music department for years now.

Does anyone even recall that Sheryl Crow turned in a kvetchy title song for 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies"? Or that Tina Turner offered a nasal snore for `95's "GoldenEye"?

Can anyone actually hum those tunes?

This week the sleepy franchise and cultural relic that is James Bond finally receives a creative wakeup call from Madonna's zippy single and video for "Die Another Day." The stylishly bloody video had its debut Thursday night on MTV. (A commercial version of the single reaches stores Oct. 22 and the movie trucks into theaters Nov.22.)

The clip for the song is violent enough to make Quentin Tarantino seem like Rob Reiner. It cuts back and forth between a torture sequence, in which goons beat up the singer, and a series of scenes in which two Madonnas face off against each other in a fencing duel. (She has a cameo as a fencing instructor in the flick).

But the squeamish shouldn't fret. The violence has a certain cracked wit, not to mention an S&M; frisson. And it's all used for some vague spiritual purpose, spelled out in lyrics that refer to "killing the ego." Consider it Zen Buddhism meets Vin Diesel.

The song itself has an edge Bond title tracks haven't boasted since Shirley Bassey bellowed "Goldfinger" or Tom Jones belted out "Thunderball." Of course, Madonna's voice isn't that meaty, but here it functions more like a sound effect in a clever sonic pastiche.

Whipping up the broader aural souffle is the one-named French producer Mirwais, the same monsieur who helped cook up Madonna's most recent album, "Music." As in all Bond title cuts, strings play a key part here. The orchestral sections, woven by arranger Michel Colombier, play tensely off an explosion of electronic effects that never forget the demands of pop.

But the most arresting aspect is percussive. It's the stamp of a foot against a wood floor, recalling the most arch and erotic of flamenco dancing.

"I'm going to shake up the system," Madonna sings here. "I'm going to avoid cliche."

Once again, she has.