The Meaning Behind “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney & Wings
Wings recorded “Live and Let Die” during sessions for Red Rose Speedway, but this, one of their defining songs, was made for another project and wasn’t included on the album. Paul McCartney wrote the song for the 1973 James Bond film of the same name. And there was controversy over who would sing it.
He’d struggled early in his post-Beatles career, fighting depression and writer’s block in the aftermath of leaving the biggest band in the world. He had a foil in John Lennon and an identity as a “Beatle,” but the new decade found him at war with critics’ anti-McCartney bias.
McCartney’s early home studio recordings have aged well, but contemporary critics weren’t pleased. After recording Ram with his wife, Linda, in 1971, McCartney formed a new band called Wings. Inspired by Bob Dylan’s breakneck recording pace, they recorded their debut quickly, and U.K. critics viewed Wild Life as rushed and overhyped. Now, the man who wrote “Yesterday” needed a hit.
Source: Thom Donovan/americansongwriter.com
