1973 Classic, Ranked the ‘Best James Bond Movie Theme' of All Time, Was a Hit Twice
In 1973, Wings had a massive hit with the song "Live and Let Die." The song, written by Paul McCartney and his wife Linda, was the theme for the James Bond film of the same name. Fifty years later, on his A Life in Lyrics podcast, McCartney said, "It was always a sneaky ambition to write a Bond song." And boy did he ever.
Wings' "Live and Let Die" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Aug. 11, 1973, making it one of the most successful 007 songs ever.
Esquireranked "Live and Let Die" as the best James Bond theme song of all time, noting that it was "unlike any other Bond theme song (or really like most songs), and that's precisely why it earns the top spot."
"It starts off as a soothing ballad, then takes on what sounds like a rock opera cast-off, before evolving into a full-on funk jam," the outlet shared, adding that the song's "big orchestrations and the freewheeling compositions" made it feel epic. "That it works as a standalone song proves this track is bigger than the movie franchise for which it was written," Esquire added.
The team at NME agreed, ranking "Live and Let Die" as the greatest on their list of 25 Bond songs. "McCartney's superlative Bond theme is the best of the bunch because it captures the dynamism, intrigue and menace of the franchise in three minutes of pure orchestral rock pyrotechnics. Plus 12 random seconds of reggae," the music outlet declared.
RELATED: 1967 Movie Theme Became a Timeless Classic in Its Own Right
The song was a hit again 20 years later
"Live and Let Die" became a rock radio classic and never really died, but it got a new life in 1992 when hard rock band Guns N' Roses recorded a Top 40 hit cover of the song. The GNR version, which appeared on the Use Your Illusion I album, peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Feb. 8, 1992. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal the following year.
Lead singer Axl Rose once admitted to MTV that he wasn't sure Guns N' Roses would be able to cover the Wings classic. "I thought about it once a long time ago, but just thought you would never be able to get that the way it sounds, that well," the rocker said, per Ultimate Classic Rock. "We didn't think we were good enough to get it done right, but Slash is doing most of the string arrangements on guitar with a harmonizer. To me, it's Tom Waits meets Metallica. It's the way I sing it, so rough and scratchy. It's working out really good, it sounds like us."
In a 2016 interview with The New York Times, McCartney said he was happy with Guns N' Roses' version of the song. "It's funny, because when their version came out, my kids were in school, and they had a lot of defending to do, because all the kids said, ‘Great song, ‘Live and Let Die,'" the Beatles legend recalled. "They said, ‘My dad did that!' ‘No way, it's Guns N' Roses.'"
"I was happy they did it," McCartney added of the "Live and Let Die" remake. "I thought it was a nice little nod. I'm glad to hear our pyro is bigger and better."
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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 6:02 AM.