It also, in my opinion, was James Paul McCartney's real return to form following the breakup of The Beatles. (I don't count the cute-but-disposable single "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey." Or, if we're talking album tracks, the highly overrated "Maybe I'm
To me, "Live and Let Die" captures both his penchant for balladry and ability to rock out like a madman when he feels so inclined. The sentimental verses with their plaintive, cocktail lounge piano are the perfect foil for the crunch of Henry McCullough's guitar on the instrumental choruses. And the brief bridge, which cleverly tosses in a little reggae flavor as a nod to the tropical setting of the film, provides a funky respite in the midst of the rock fire.
It is the perfect, dramatic opener for the only decent Bond film of the entire Roger Moore era. (I mean, what the hell were they snorting when they made Moonraker?)
Story goes, ex-Beatles producer George Martin was asked to score the 1973 film Live and Let Die, so he offered the gig of writing the main theme to McCartney. To get in composing mode, McCartney got a copy of the 1954 Ian Fleming paperback upon which the script was based, read it in an evening, and then wrote the song the next day.
In an article posted on the site of St. Louis radio station KHITS 96.3, there's a great quote from Wings drummer Denny Seiwell about how the song came together at McCartney's home studio.
"And we were up at the house one day, and he had just read the book the night before, and he sat down at the piano and said, 'James Bond...James Bond...da-da-dum!', and he started screwing around at the piano. Within 10 minutes, he had that song written."
Just goes to prove what I've always suspected: McCartney can write some amazing music when faced with a challenge and/or has a fire under his ass.
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