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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” was difficult to write.
  • Paul asked a frequent Beatles collaborator to help him craft the song.
  • He said “Live and Let Die” prepared him to create one of his most famous albums.
Roger Moore next to Jane Seymour in 'Live and Let Die'
Roger Moore and Jane Seymour in ‘Live and Let Die’ | Express / Stringer

Paul McCartney‘s “Live and Let Die” was written for the James Bond movie of the same name. Paul said the title of the song made it challenging to write. Subsequently, he explained how it paved the way for some of his other music. 

Paul McCartney’s ‘Live and Let Die’ was partly inspired by a reading of a classic novel

The James Bond film Live and Let Die was based on Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name. According to the 2015 book Conversations with McCartney, Paul read the book before writing his song “Live and Let Die.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, Paul told Mojo about his writing process. “On the Sunday, I sat down and thought, OK, the hardest thing to do here is to work in that title,” he said. “I mean, later I really pitied who had the job of writing Quantum of Solace.” For context, Quantum of Solace is the title of a later 007 movie.

“So I thought, Live and Let Die, OK, really what they mean is ‘live and let live’ and there’s the switch,” Paul said. “So I came at it from the very obvious angle. I just thought, ‘When you were younger you used to say that, but now you say this.'”

Paul McCartney worked with The Beatles’ producer, George Martin, to bring the song to life

Denny Laine from Wings discussed how “Live and Let Live” came together in the studio. “It was recorded live in a big room,” he said. “We had to have the orchestra live and so we needed the big room. 

“I think it was recording it live that gave it the excitement,” Laine added. “It usually does in a studio. When you’ve got a live recording it has the energy, the performance, which may be the reason why it was so popular.”

Laine noted Paul had The Beatles’ producer, George Martin, work on “Live and Let Die.” Laine said Martin was very professional and took a proactive role in completing the tune. 

How ‘Live and Let Die’ paved the way for the album ‘Band on the Run’

According to Conversations with Paul McCartney, Paul is proud of “Live and Let Die.” He said the tune holds emotional significance for some people. He also said it reminded him that he didn’t have to adhere to traditional song structures.

Paul said the song “Live and Let Die” paved the way for him to design the album Band on the Run as an epic adventure. In addition, Paul was happy “Live and Let Die” managed to become successful because he didn’t think he could find success without The Beatles. Later, Guns N’ Roses put their own spin on the song for another generation.

“Live and Let Die” is a classic Bond theme — even if its title proved problematic.

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