Why Guns N’ Roses Version of Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die’ Was ‘Complex’
Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” is an epic anthem and still one of the best James Bond songs ever. It’s a challenging song to perform, as a large orchestration is involved, but Guns N’ Roses accepted the challenge in 1991. The Guns N’ Roses version of “Live and Let Die” was different in several ways, and a few of their creative decisions made it “complex” to record.
Slash said recreating the horns for Guns N’ Roses’ ‘Live and Let Die’ was ‘complex’
Guns N’ Roses was one of the most prominent bands of the 1980s and 1990s. While songs like “November Rain” and “Welcome to the Jungle” propelled their career, the band still performed covers of classic songs, like Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil”.
In 1991, the band decided to cover McCartney’s “Live and Let Die”. In a 1992 interview (shared via Far Out), Slash explained why they felt so strongly about recording their version of this song.
“It’s one of those songs, like ‘Heaven’s Door’, that Axl and I have always loved,” Slash said. “It’s always been a really heavy song, but we’d never discussed it, and didn’t know that we each liked it. We were talking one night about a cover song and that came up, and we were like, ‘Yeah! Let’s do it!’ So I went to rehearsal with Izzy and Matt and Duff, just to see whether we could sound good playing it, and it sounded really heavy.”
Guns N’ Roses worked with significantly fewer resources than McCartney, who had a full orchestra at his disposal. In his 2007 autobiography, Slash, the guitarist said Axl Rose used synthesizers to recreate the horns, adding a complex element to the track’s production.
“When we did ‘Live and Let Die’, it was all synths – those horns are not horns,” Slash explained. “What Axl did there was really complex; he spent hours dialling all that s*** in, getting the nuances just right, and I have to give him that.”
Paul McCartney approved of Guns N’ Roses’ version of his song
Guns N’ Roses released “Live and Let Die” as the second single to their 1991 album Use Your Illusion I. In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, McCartney said that when their version came out, many of his kids’ friends believed it was a Guns N’ Roses song, so his kids had to defend his dad and say the new version was a cover. However, McCartney is still happy Guns N’ Roses released their version, even if it caused some confusion.
“It’s funny, because when their version came out, my kids were in school, and they had a lot of defending to do, because all the kids said, ‘Great song, ‘Live and Let Die!’” McCartney shared. “They said, ‘My dad did that!’ ‘No way, it’s Guns N’ Roses!’ I was happy they did it. I thought it was a nice little nod. I’m glad to hear our pyro is bigger and better.”
While people can debate which version is better, McCartney’s record performed better on the charts. When it debuted in 1973, it peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 9 on the U.K. Singles chart. The Guns N’ Roses version reached No. 33 in the U.S. and No. 5 in the U.K.
