Paul McCartney Said 'Live and Let Die' Wasn't a Great Bond Theme Song, and He's Crazy
No matter your opinion of Paul McCartney, you can’t deny he’s a prolific songwriter. He’s written more than 1,000 songs in his career, though the real total is probably higher. John Lennon admitted he liked only one of Macca’s Beatles pieces, and the bassist could be just as critical of his own work. Paul was harsh on his song “Live and Let Die,” and he was 100% wrong.
Paul McCartney sitting on a stool playing acoustic guitar during an April 1972 TV special in which he performed the James Bond theme song 'Live and Let Die.'
Wings, Paul’s band after The Beatles, was still relatively new in 1973. The group formed and released their debut album in 1971. The solid follow-up Red Rose Speedway landed in early 1973, and the smash hit Band on the Run followed later that year.
Paul wrote “Live and Let Die” during the 1972 Red Rose Speedway sessions, but it didn’t hit record stores until mid-1973 when the James Bond movie came out. Macca wrote the song quickly after reading the book Live and Let Die, on which the movie was based. Beatles producer George Martin recorded it and composed the orchestral arrangement. Still, Paul still didn’t think much of “Live and Let Die.”
Source: Jason Rossi/cheatsheet.com
