# Paul McCartney Once Took on a Bond Theme With the Help of This Familiar Collaborator in 1973

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/paul-mccartney-once-took-on-a-bond-theme-with-the-help-of-this-familiar-collaborator-in-1973/
- Published: 2026-11-07T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T16:20:45+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/remembering-when-paul-mccartney-took-on-a-bond-theme-with-the-help-of-a-familiar-collaborator-in-1973/
- Topics: Americas, Business, Markets, World

## Key points

- McCartney first turned down a Bond theme in 1971.
- George Martin produced Wings’ “Live and Let Die”.
- The song earned an Oscar nomination and boosted the band.

## Summary

Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” brought together the singer, Wings and Beatles producer George Martin for the 1973 James Bond film. The collaboration produced one of the best-regarded Bond themes and gave Wings a timely boost when its first two albums had received a lukewarm response.

McCartney had declined an earlier offer to write a theme for 1971’s *Diamonds Are Forever*, as he was forming Wings. He wrote the new song after reading the book in a day, with his wife Linda contributing its reggae middle section; Martin produced the band and orchestra recording at his London studio. Film producers initially mistook the finished track for a demo, and the song later earned an Academy Award nomination, though it lost to “The Way We Were”.

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