The Live And Let Die Theme

For the first time ever in the James Bond series, John Barry wasn’t involved in composing the score for a 007 movie with the release of 1973’s Live and Let Die.  “Live and Let Die” is the main theme song to Roger Moore’s debut film as the British superspy, written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul’s band, Wings.

 

 

Prior to the script being finished, the Bond producers approached McCartney and requested he write the theme song.  McCartney has stated it took him an afternoon to come up with the song after reading Ian Fleming’s novel.  The former Beatle reteamed with producer George Martin, who produced the song and arranged the orchestral break.

 

While producer Harry Saltzman wanted a different singer to perform “Live and Let Die,” Martin told filmmakers that McCartney would only allow the song to be used in the movie if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits.  Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce the Beatles musical film A Hard Day’s Night, didn’t want to make the same mistake again and accepted McCartney’s offer.

 

At the time of its release, “Live and Let Die” was the most successful Bond song to date, reaching second on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the UK Singles Chart.  It is one of Wings most famous singles.  The song was nominated for a Grammy, as was a cover version by Guns N’ Roses.  McCartney’s original version is also the first Bond song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to the theme song from The Way We Were, which was written by a future Bond composer.

 

A second version of “Live and Let Die” is heard throughout the film, performed by B. J. Arnau.  Arnau’s performance was originally meant to be used with the group, Fifth Dimension.

 

Sir James Paul McCartney … where to begin?  The man, or at this point should he just be referred to as a legend, was born June 18, 1942.  Along with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, McCartney formed the Beatles, one of the most influential bands the world has ever seen.  To his credit, he has 60 gold discs and sales of more than 100 million albums and 100 million singles, both as a Beatle and a solo artist.

 

McCartney’s accolades are too numerous to list, but some highlights include his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he wrote or co-wrote 32 songs that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, received an MBE, or Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in 1965, and was presented with a knighthood in 1997.

 

Look, if you don’t know who the Beatles are then there is nothing I can do for you.  I don’t have the three weeks it would take to properly provide a sufficient background of Paul McCartney.  Just take my word for it.  He is a really important musician who will go down as one of greatest icons in rock and roll history.  In a couple hundred years, his name will be synonymous with Mozart and Beethoven when people think of great musicians of the past.  He’s kind of a big deal.

 

Linda McCartney (pictured with Paul) was born Linda Louise Eastman on September 24, 1941.  She began her musical career as a photographer for different bands, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Jimmy Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, Simon & Garfunkel, the Who, the Doors, the Animals, and Neil Young.  Mrs. McCartney is the only person to have a photograph featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone and to have been photographed for the magazine’s front cover herself.

 

Following the breakup of the Beatles, Paul taught Linda to play the keyboard and the duo formed the group Wings.  The group subsequently garnered several Grammy Awards and was one of the most successful British bands of the 1970s.

 

Paul and Linda McCartney had three children together, with Paul adopting a child from Linda’s previous marriage.  Linda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and died on April 17, 1998, at the McCartney family ranch in Tucson, Arizona.  She was cremated and her ashes were scattered in Sussex, England.

Sir George Henry Martin, born January 3, 1926, is an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, audio engineer, and musician, but it is his association with the Beatles that most people recognize.  Martin was extensively involved with all of the Beatles original albums, garnering him the title of the “Fifth Beatle.”

 

Martin graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1950, where he studied piano and oboe.  His career began with the BBC’s classical music department, but he soon joined the record label EMI.  His work with EMI included producing comedy and novelty records, where he worked with Peter Sellers and Peter Ustinov.

 

While at EMI, Martin signed the Beatles to a contract that resulted in its four members receiving a single penny to split for each record sold.  Following the band’s first number one hit, “From Me to You,” Martin requested EMI double the royalty rate, which did not sit well with the company.  Although the initial recording session did not go well, Martin liked the band members, which included Pete Best as drummer.

 

Martin went on to collaborate with the band for the duration of their time together, writing many orchestral arrangements and instrumental work.  He also arranged the score for the Beatles’ film, Yellow Submarine.  He also remixed music for the Beatles-inspired Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, Love.

 

Other artists Martin has worked with include Bond theme singer Matt Monro, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick, Elton John, Celine Dion, and Pete Townshend.

 

Martin has worked in music, film, television, and live performance for six decades.  He produced 30 number one hit songs in the United Kingdom and 23 number one hits in the U.S., as well as having produced number one records in four consecutive decades (1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s).  In 1996, Martin was made a Knight Bachelor, which is the lowest form of knighthood.

 

Award nominations and wins range from the Academy Awards and Grammys to the BRIT Awards.  He has received Honorary Doctorates in Music from Berklee College of Music and Leeds Beckett University and an honorary Doctor of Music degree from the University of Oxford, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Soundtrack Academy, and was awarded with the James Joyce Award by the Literary and Historical Society of University College Dublin.