- Album This song officially appears on the Live And Let Die 7" Single.
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Recording "Live And Let Die" #1
Oct 19, 1972
Recording "Live And Let Die" #2
Oct 20, 1972
Oct 21, 1972
"James Paul McCartney" sessions
February - March 1973
Recording "One Hand Clapping" - Day 2
Aug 27, 1974
Recording "One Hand Clapping" - Day 4
Aug 29, 1974
July 1993
Sep 26, 2017
Other original film songs by Paul McCartney
Officially appears on Spies Like Us / My Carnival
Officially appears on Music From Vanilla Sky
Officially appears on (I Want to) Come Home
Officially appears on Ethel & Ernest (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Related interviews
Interview for the "Freshen Up" tour book
2019 • From MPL Tours
In and Out of Wings: Denny Seiwell On His Friendship with Paul McCartney and Wings’ Underr
Feb 12, 2019 • From Rock Cellar
Paul McCartney talks about his new album 'Egypt Station' ahead of Liverpool gig
Nov 01, 2018 • From Wirral Life
Paul McCartney’s Producer Greg Kurstin Breaks Down "Egypt Station"
Jul 03, 2018 • From RollingStone
Paul McCartney on new album "Egypt Station" and collaborating with the next generation
Jun 20, 2018 • From DIY
Paul McCartney Talks One on One Tour, Pre-Stage Rituals, Rap as Poetry
Jul 06, 2017 • From RollingStone
Sir Paul on Fans, the Beatles and Himself
Aug 10, 2016 • From The New York Times
All Songs +1: A Conversation With Paul McCartney
Jun 10, 2016 • From NPR Music
Sir Paul McCartney interview: 'New song is a manifesto for the future'
Dec 05, 2014 • From Digital Spy
McCartney reveals how happiness inspired his new album
Oct 04, 2013 • From BBC News
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Live and Let Die” is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die, written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul’s band Wings. It was one of the group’s most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point, charting at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart.
Commissioned specifically for the movie and credited to Paul and Linda McCartney, it reunited the former Beatle with the band’s producer, George Martin, who both produced the song and arranged the orchestral break. It has been covered by several bands, with Guns N’ Roses’ version being the most popular. Both McCartney’s and Guns N’ Roses’ versions were nominated for Grammys. In 2012, McCartney was awarded the Million-Air Award from Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), for more than 4 million performances of the song in the US.
Background and recording
Even before Tom Mankiewicz had finished writing the screenplay to Live and Let Die, producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli invited Paul McCartney to write the theme song. McCartney asked to be sent a copy of Ian Fleming’s novel. “I read it and thought it was pretty good. That afternoon I wrote the song and went in the next week and did it … It was a job of work for me in a way because writing a song around a title like that’s not the easiest thing going.“
Originally, producer Harry Saltzman was interested in having Shirley Bassey or Thelma Houston perform it instead of Wings. Martin said McCartney would allow the song to be used in the movie only if Wings was able to perform the song in the opening credits. Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce A Hard Day’s Night, decided not to make the same mistake twice and agreed. A second version of the song, performed by B. J. Arnau, also appears in the film. Arnau’s performance originally was meant for the group Fifth Dimension. The Arnau version of the song appears on the soundtrack album as a component in a medley that also contains two George Martin-composed instrumental pieces, “Fillet of Soul – New Orleans” and “Fillet of Soul – Harlem“.
Wings recorded “Live and Let Die” during the sessions for the Red Rose Speedway album, in October 1972. The song was taped at A.I.R. Studios, with Ray Cooper providing percussion instruments.
Release and aftermath
The single reached No. 2 in the United States and No. 9 in the United Kingdom. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. Although McCartney’s previous single, “My Love“, had been credited to ‘Paul McCartney & Wings’, the label of the “Live and Let Die” single credited the performing artist simply as ‘Wings’. On the soundtrack album, however, the song was credited to ‘Paul McCartney & Wings’ and was credited as such in the opening titles to the film. “Live and Let Die” was the last McCartney single on Apple Records that was credited only to ‘Wings’.
“Live and Let Die” was not featured on a McCartney album until the Wings Greatest compilation in 1978, and was included again on 1987’s All the Best! and 2001’s Wingspan: Hits and History. The entire soundtrack also was released in quadrophonic.
“Live and Let Die” was the first James Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (garnering McCartney his second Academy Award nomination and Linda her first), but lost to the theme song from The Way We Were.
In Wings’ live performances of the song, the instrumental break featured flashpots and a laser light show. McCartney has continued to play the song on his solo tours, often using pyrotechnics when playing outdoor and indoor venues. “Live and Let Die” is the only song to appear on all of McCartney’s live albums (except for the acoustic-based Unplugged)
Lyrics
Comments have been made over the years about the lyrics that ambiguously are either “this ever-changing world in which we live in” or “this ever-changing world in which we’re living“. The “in which we live in” version has been cited as being redundant and/or improper grammar. When asked about the lyrics, McCartney responded that he doesn’t remember for sure himself, but that he thinks it is “in which we’re living“.
Following the attacks on 11 September 2001, the song was placed on Clear Channel’s list of inappropriate song titles. […]
Parody
In 1984, McCartney asked “Weird Al” Yankovic when he was going to parody one of his songs. A couple of years later, Yankovic asked for permission to put his parody “Chicken Pot Pie” on an album (as a courtesy; legally he did not need permission). McCartney denied the use because he is a vegetarian and didn’t want to promote the eating of meat. Fellow vegetarian Yankovic said he respected the decision; however, he has performed the song live. […]
From The Beatles Bible:
The film producers found a record player. After the record had finished they said to George, ‘That’s great, a wonderful demo. Now when are you going to make the real track, and who shall we get to sing it?’ And George said, ‘What? This is the real track!’ – Paul McCartney
Paul (during the film ‘s production at Pinewood Studios in Iver, Buckinghamshire) “I’m really chuffed to be doing the theme for Roger. I think he’ll be great in the Bond role and l’m working on the right music for him. I’m also doing two or three songs for the film. Maybe we’ll be using music played by Wings. I’m not sure about writing the whole film score — We’ll just have to see how it goes… I read the Live And Let Die book in one day, started writing that evening and came on the next day and finished it by the next evening. I sat down at the piano, worked something out and then got in touch with George Martin, who produced it with us. Linda wrote the middle reggae bit of the song. We rehearsed it as a band, recorded it and then left it up to him… I wouldn’t have liked it if my music was going to replace John Barry’s, that great ‘James Bond’ theme. I know I’d miss that. I go to see him turn round and fire down the gun barrel. Our bit comes after he’s done that and after the three killings at the beginning. I’m good at writing to order with things like that. I’d like to write jingles really, I’m pretty fair at that, a craftsman. It keeps me a bit tight, like writing to a deadline, knowing I’ve got two minutes three seconds with a definitive story theme.”
Paul, shortly after the film’s release in July, “I enjoyed not being able to get into the cinema in Jamaica because it was sold out. You know, I told the guy at the door, ‘But I wrote the bloody tune!’ But the man said, ‘No use, man. Get out'”
From The Beatles Bible:
The film producers found a record player. After the record had finished they said to George, ‘That’s great, a wonderful demo. Now when are you going to make the real track, and who shall we get to sing it?’ And George said, ‘What? This is the real track!’ – Paul McCartney
Paul (during the film ‘s production at Pinewood Studios in Iver, Buckinghamshire) “I’m really chuffed to be doing the theme for Roger. I think he’ll be great in the Bond role and l’m working on the right music for him. I’m also doing two or three songs for the film. Maybe we’ll be using music played by Wings. I’m not sure about writing the whole film score — We’ll just have to see how it goes… I read the Live And Let Die book in one day, started writing that evening and came on the next day and finished it by the next evening. I sat down at the piano, worked something out and then got in touch with George Martin, who produced it with us. Linda wrote the middle reggae bit of the song. We rehearsed it as a band, recorded it and then left it up to him… I wouldn’t have liked it if my music was going to replace John Barry’s, that great ‘James Bond’ theme. I know I’d miss that. I go to see him turn round and fire down the gun barrel. Our bit comes after he’s done that and after the three killings at the beginning. I’m good at writing to order with things like that. I’d like to write jingles really, I’m pretty fair at that, a craftsman. It keeps me a bit tight, like writing to a deadline, knowing I’ve got two minutes three seconds with a definitive story theme.”
Paul, shortly after the film’s release in July, “I enjoyed not being able to get into the cinema in Jamaica because it was sold out. You know, I told the guy at the door, ‘But I wrote the bloody tune!’ But the man said, ‘No use, man. Get out'”
Paul McCartney in "Wingspan: Paul McCartney's Band on the Run":
As a songwriter it was always one of my ambitions to compose a James Bond film song. I realised it wouldn’t be easy but it appealed to me. Ron Kass, who had worked at Apple, knew the people at the film company and he asked if I would be interested in writing the theme for Live and Let Die. I said yes, and they sent me the lan Fleming novel and I read and liked it, and the next day I sat down to see if I could write the song. I got the fairly straightforward idea of ‘live and let die and live and let live’, and I also knew that I had to incorporate explosions. George Martin produced the session and wrote an arrangement for the middle, and Linda wrote the reggae bit. We recorded it with an orchestra and then George took it out to wherever they were filming, in the Caribbean somewhere. The producers listened to it and said, That’s a great demo, who’s going to make the real record?’ George had to tell them this was the real record. They had thought I was going to write it for someone else to sing.

Last updated on March 14, 2022

The book "The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present", published in 2021, covers Paul McCartney's early Liverpool days, the Beatles, Wings, and solo careers, by pairing the lyrics of 154 of his songs with first-person commentaries of the circumstances in which they were written, the people and places that inspired them, and what he thinks of them now.
"Live And Let Die" is one of the 154 songs covered.
Lyrics
When you were young and your heart was an open book.
You used to say live and let live.
(you know you did, you know you did, you know you did)
If this ever changing world in which we live in, makes you give it a cry.
Say live and let die!
Live and let die!
Live and let die!
Live and let die!
What does it matter to ya.
When you got a job to do, you got to do it well,
You gotta give the other fellow hell
You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.)
If this ever changing world in which we live in, makes you give it a cry.
Say live and let die!
Live and let die!
Live and let die!
Live and let die!
Officially appears on
7" Single • Released in 1973
3:13 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official live • Released in 1976
3:34 • Live • L1
- Paul McCartney :
- Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Keyboard, Vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Bass, Vocals
- Jimmy McCulloch :
- Electric guitar, Vocals
- Howie Casey :
- Saxophone
- Joe English :
- Drums, Vocals
- Thaddeus Richard :
- Flute
- Mark Vigars :
- Assistant mixing engineer
- Phil McDonald :
- Mixing engineer, Overdubs recording
- Steve Howard :
- Trumpet
- Tony Dorsey :
- Trombone
- Jack Maxson :
- Recording engineer
- Tom Walsh :
- Assistant recording engineer
Concert From the concert in Boston, USA on May 22, 1976
Official album • Released in 1978
3:14 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
3:13 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
3:13 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1987
3:10 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1990
3:16 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official live • Released in 1990
3:12 • Live • L2
- Performed by :
- Paul McCartney • Linda McCartney • Robbie McIntosh • Hamish Stuart • Paul Wickens • Chris Whitten
- Paul McCartney :
- Producer
- Eddie Klein :
- Assistant engineer
- Matt Butler :
- Assistant engineer
- Peter Henderson :
- Producer
- Bob Clearmountain :
- Mixing engineer, Producer
- Jeff Cohen :
- Recording engineer
- Geoff Foster :
- Assistant engineer
- Scott Hull :
- Assistant engineer
- George Cowan :
- Assistant engineer
- Paul Rushbrook :
- Assistant engineer
Concert From the concert in Gothenburg, Sweden on Sep 28, 1989
Official album • Released in 1993
3:14 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass (?), Electric guitar (?), Percussion (?), Piano, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney :
- Backing vocals
- Denny Laine :
- Backing vocals, Bass (?), Electric guitar (?)
- George Martin :
- Producer
- Henry McCullough :
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell :
- Drums, Percussion (?)
- Ray Cooper :
- Duck-call, Percussion (?), Tympani
- Bill Price :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Oct 19, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Overdubs:
- Oct 20, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 21, 1972
- Studio :
- AIR Studios, London, UK
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Bootlegs
Live in Leeds University 73/5/19
Unofficial live
3:14 • Live
Concert From the concert in Leeds, United Kingdom on May 19, 1973
Videos
Concert • Sep 25, 2008 in Tel Aviv
Concert • Jul 11, 2009 in Halifax
Concert • Aug 19, 2009 in Dallas
Concert • Dec 03, 2009 in Berlin
Concert • Mar 30, 2010 in Los Angeles
Concert • Jul 28, 2010 in Charlotte
Concert • Aug 18, 2010 in Pittsburgh
Concert • Nov 22, 2010 in Sao Paulo
Concert • Jul 05, 2014 in Albany
Live performances
“Live And Let Die” has been played in 685 concerts and 6 soundchecks.
Latest concerts where Live And Let Die has been played
Inglewood • SoFi Stadium • USA
May 13, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
May 08, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
May 06, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Seattle • Seattle Climate Pledge Arena • USA
May 03, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
Seattle • Seattle Climate Pledge Arena • USA
May 02, 2022 • Part of Got Back Tour
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