June 1 marked the 50th anniversary of Paul McCartney and Wings' James Bond theme “Live And Let Die,” and the music legend is looking back on the track in the latest Q&A posted to his website.
McCartney says he can’t really believe it's been 50 years since the song's release, but admits “it's always very weird when you get these kind of anniversaries because I don't keep count.” He added, “It’s shocking really, but in a nice way. I think, ‘Where did the time go?’ It’s nice that the song has lasted though, and people still enjoy it.”
The song has become a staple in McCartney’s live set, complete with “big pyrotechnic explosions.” He says he loves “shocking people with the first bang,” but one time he thought that was going to be a problem.
Asked about his most memorable performance of the song, McCartney recalls an early performance where he saw a very old lady in the front of the audience.
“She was loving the show, and I'd started singing the opening lines of the song, ‘When you were young, and your heart was an open book…’ But then I looked at her and thought, ‘Oh God! We’re going to kill her! What do we do?'" he shares. “I carried on and got to the crucial bit, ‘Say live and let die’ and… BOOM! The explosions went off. I sheepishly looked over, expecting the worst, and she was going, ‘Yeah!’ She was loving it! So, we didn't kill her; we thrilled her!”
In honor of the anniversary, a new Dolby Atmos mix of "Live And Let Die" is out now. You can listen to it now via digital outlets.
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