Skip to main content

TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” didn’t come from his soul.
  • The song was a big hit in the United States.
  • It was significantly less popular in Paul’s native United Kingdom.
"Live and Let Die" singer Paul McCartney with a microphone
Paul McCartney | Richard E. Aaron / Contributor

Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die” was written for a James Bond film. Paul said the song didn’t come from his “soul.” Subsequently, he revealed he likes writing songs that don’t come from his soul.

Paul McCartney wrote ‘Live and Let Die’ after reading a famous book in 1 day

During a 2016 interview with NPR, Paul discussed the origin of “Live and Let Die.” He wrote it for the James Bond film of the same name, which in turn was based on Ian Fleming’s book Live and Let Die. Paul read the book in one day while preparing to write the track.

Paul said he had one job while crafting the tune. “The only restriction I was given was it was for a Bond film so I had to see what my interpretation of that would be and the title, you know there was no way around that,” he recalled. “So it was kind of obvious what I would do with it. It was obvious that I was going to do a play on ‘live and let live’ and ‘live and let die.'”

Paul McCartney wanted ‘Live and Let Die’ to sound like 1 of his songs at 1st before turning into something else

Paul wanted “Live and Let Die” to sound like one of his tunes at the beginning, and like a 007 theme as it progressed. “So it wasn’t restricting in that nobody said to me, ‘Well you gotta do this and you gotta do that,'” he remembered. “I just knew if I was starting kind of ballad-style, which I was, then I had to up the tempo and you know make it more Bond-like.

“But I like that: You know, I think some people would think, ‘No no no, you’ve got to just write purely from the soul,’ but I quite like songwriting sometimes as a craft where you’re given an idea and you’ve got to make it work,” he revealed.

Related

Paul McCartney Felt This Wings Album Was a ‘Disaster’ But Changed His Mind While Spending Time With David Bowie

How the song performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Live and Let Die” became a big hit in the United States. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 14 weeks. The tune appeared on the compilation album Wingspan: Hits and History. The compilation similarly reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 14 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Live and Let Die” peaked at No. 9 in the United Kingdom and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. Subsequently, Wingspan: Hits and History peaked at No. 5 and lasted on the chart for seven weeks. In addition to appearing in the movie Live and Let Die, the song was featured in the movie American Hustle.

“Live and Let Die” is one of Wings’ most famous songs even if it didn’t come from the heart.

Best in Entertainment