Live And Let Die

Album This song officially appears on the Live And Let Die / I Lie Around 7" Single.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1973

Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions





"James Paul McCartney" sessions

February - March 1973





Other original film songs by Paul McCartney



Vanilla Sky

Officially appears on Music From Vanilla Sky



Related interviews


Look out showbiz - Here come Wings

Dec 02, 1972 • From Disc And Music Echo


Hi times

Dec 16, 1972 • From New Musical Express


Henry McCullough In The Talk-In

Apr 14, 1973 • From Sounds


Paul McCartney: The Rolling Stone Interview

Jan 31, 1974 • From RollingStone


And in the evening she's the singer in the band...

Sep 27, 1975 • From Melody Maker


Keeping the Faith

Apr 20, 1982 • From Los Angeles Times


Maybe We're Amazed

May 05, 2001 • From TV Guide


McCartney interview with MOJO

May 2003 • From MOJO


My Life In The Shadow Of The Beatles

July 2004 • From UNCUT


Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.

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

From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Off the Record“, by Keith Badman:

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

From “The Beatles: Off The Record 2 – The Dream is Over: Off the Record“, by Keith Badman:

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.
From Sunday Mirror – Sunday 15 October 1972

Basically, it was done with Denny (Laine) on bass, Paul on piano, myself on guitar and Denny (Seiwell) on drums with a 40-piece orchestra on top which was done by… you know that guy that did all The Beatles stuff… George Martin. It was him that got the orchestra together and we just went in one day at 2 o’clock and rehearsed it till about 6 and recorded live at 7 after only three takes which was great. I think it’s a great single, you know, I really do. I mean a great rocker at heart but all the same it gets to me.

Henry McCullough – From interview for Sounds, April 14, 1973

From Live and let fly: the tall tale of Paul McCartney’s 007 theme song is revealed | Paul McCartney | The Guardian, December 18, 2022:

[Allan] Kozinn, music critic of the New York Times for 38 years until 2014, said: “This has been a longstanding story in the music world – the producers of Live and Let Die wanted to replace McCartney with a female singer. Martin told the story many times. Paul’s picked it up many times. Actually, the internal communications revealed that it was always in the contract that there would be two versions of the song.”

In his 1979 memoir, All You Need is Ears, Martin recalled playing McCartney’s recording to Harry Saltzman, who produced the Bond films with Albert “Cubby” Broccoli: “He sat me down and said, ‘Great. Like what you did, very nice record, like the score. Now tell me, who do you think we should get to sing it?’ That took me completely aback. After all, he was holding the Paul McCartney recording we had made. And Paul McCartney was – Paul McCartney. But he was clearly treating it as a demo disc. ‘I don’t follow. You’ve got Paul McCartney,’ I said. ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s good. But who are we going to get to sing it for the film?’ ‘I’m sorry. I still don’t follow,’ I said, feeling that maybe there was something I hadn’t been told. ‘You know – we’ve got to have a girl, haven’t we?’”

In one interview, McCartney said: “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’.”

[Adrian] Sinclair, an award-winning documentary-maker, said: “That became part of that collection of stories that George and Paul would tell over the years, and nobody ever corrected it.”

He added that the archival material – internal communications between lawyers and others representing McCartney and the Bond producers, Eon Productions – “undermines the story and shows it in a very different light”.

The contracts reveal that McCartney’s father-in-law lawyer, Lee Eastman, negotiated him a fee of $15,000 (£6,430 at that time) for composing Live and Let Die with his then wife, Linda. Further financial arrangements, including the publishing rights, earned him about $50,000, with 50% of the net profits.

In one of the documents, Ron Kass, former head of Beatles label Apple Records employed by Eon, wrote to Saltzman: “Paul McCartney has agreed to write the title song entitled Live and Let Die. He and his musical group Wings will perform the title song under the opening titles.”

Kozinn said: “So we can pretty definitively say that they were not going to replace Paul. One of the versions was going to be with Wings, which would play over the opening titles of the film and the closing credits. There would be a live version of the song performed during the club scene byBJ Arnau, a soul singer. When we saw those documents we couldn’t help but think it was just a misunderstanding.

“Martin wouldn’t have been familiar with the terms of that contract, but Paul certainly would have. One of the things we discovered is that, if it’s a good story, Paul will go with it. He didn’t have any reason to assume that anybody would see that contract.”

Last updated on December 24, 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


Live And Let Die / I Lie Around

7" Single • Released in 1973

3:13 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Wings Over America

Official live • Released in 1976

3:34 • LiveL1

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


Wings Greatest

Official album • Released in 1978

3:14 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


All The Best! (Box Set)

Official album • Released in 1987

3:10 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


All The Best! (UK version)

Official album • Released in 1987

3:13 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


All The Best! (US version)

Official album • Released in 1987

3:13 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Paul McCartney ROCKS

Official album • Released in 1990

3:16 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Tripping The Live Fantastic

Official live • Released in 1990

3:12 • LiveL2

Performed by :
Paul McCartneyLinda McCartneyRobbie McIntoshHamish StuartPaul WickensChris 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


All Time Favourites

Official album • Released in 1993

Studio version


Wings Greatest (1993)

Official album • Released in 1993

3:14 • Studio versionA

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: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989 on Amazon


Films


Live And Let Die

1973 • Directed by Maurice Binder


Live And Let Die

1987 • For Paul McCartney

Live performances

“Live And Let Die” has been played in 712 concerts and 6 soundchecks.

Latest concerts where Live And Let Die has been played







Going further


Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989

With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.

Shop on Amazon

Contribute!

Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *