Live and Let Die (song)

"Live and Let Die"
Song
B-side	"I Lie Around"

"Live and Let Die" is a song originally performed by Paul McCartney and Wings, which was written for the soundtrack of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point. Credited to Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, it reunited McCartney with Beatles producer George Martin, who both produced the song and arranged the orchestral break.

History

After George Martin was hired to score the new James Bond film, the producers of the film asked Paul McCartney if he would be willing to compose the theme song. However, the producers were interested in having another artist perform it. McCartney said that he would be interested, but only if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits themselves, and the producers agreed. A second version of the song, performed by Brenda Arnau, also appears in the film's soundtrack, but it is not included in the movie's soundtrack album.

Wings recorded "Live and Let Die" during the sessions for the Red Rose Speedway album. The single reached #2 in the U.S. and #7 in the U.K. However, the song made its first album appearance on the soundtrack album, which otherwise featured George Martin instrumentals.

"Live and Let Die" was the first James Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (which gave Paul his second Academy Award nomination and Linda her first), but it lost to the theme song from "The Way We Were".

The song's instrumental break featured flashpots and a laser light show that became a highlight of Wings' live performances.

Although the most famous version of the song remains Wings' original recording, it was later covered by Guns N' Roses and, due to its status as a Bond theme song, by The Pretenders (the latter released exclusively on the album Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project). Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas performed the song on Movies Rock, a CBS special celebrating music in movies.

Parody

In 1984, McCartney asked "Weird Al" Yankovic when he was going to parody one of his songs. A couple of years later, Yankovic asked for permission to put his "Live and Let Die" parody "Chicken Pot Pie" on an album (as a courtesy; legally he did not need permission). McCartney denied the use because he is a vegetarian and didn't want to promote the eating of animal flesh. Fellow vegetarian Yankovic said he respected the decision; however, he has performed the song live.
Christian parody band ApologetiX performed a parody of "Live and Let Die" as "Didn't Just Die". It was released on their album, ApologetiX Hits: The Road, and was performed back-to-back with "Died and Rose," a parody of "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers.

In popular culture

The song was played in an episode of King of the Hill, during a high school flashback scene involving Hank, Dale and Bill accidentally driving Boomhauer's car into a quarry, it was used at the opening of the second episode of the BBC series Life on Mars and was the theme of the hit reality show The Rebel Billionaire. An abridged version of the song is also featured in the movie Shrek the Third, shown as sung by a chorus of frogs.

Malajube, a band from Québec, sings the famous opening line "When you were young and your heart was an open book..." at the end of their song "M Pupille" on the single of "Étienne d'aout".

On the ESPN program NFL Live anchor Chris Berman refers to Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai jokingly as "Joseph Live and Let Addai". Also on The Bob and Tom Show, Tom Griswald, in his Dick Mango personality, sings a song called "Joseph Addai", played in a parody form of Live and Let Die.

References

Preceded by Shirley Bassey Diamonds Are Forever, 1971

James Bond title artist Live and Let Die (song), 1973

Succeeded by Lulu The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974