Paul McCartney Recalls Worrying He'd 'Kill' a 'Very Old' Woman During Raucous 'Live and Let Die' Performance
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The former Beatle said he was concerned for a "90-year-old woman" standing front-row as he performed the 1973 James Bond theme
Even mid-performance, Paul McCartney looks out for his fans.
On a new episode of his A Life in Lyrics podcast, the former Beatle recalled worrying about a "very old" woman at one of his band Wings' concerts during a raucous performance of the 1973 James Bond theme "Live and Let Die" — thinking the pyrotechnics might kill her.
According to NME, the 81-year-old British rock icon spoke about feeling concerned upon seeing a "90-year-old woman" standing front-row at the concert, knowing there would be on-stage "explosions" during "Live and Let Die."
"In the early days we did it and there was an explosion. I noticed when we started it there’s like a 90-year-old woman, very old, in the front row," McCartney reportedly said. "I suddenly go, ‘Oh, s---, we’re gonna kill her.'"
"Live and Let Die" marked a "big song" in Wings' setlist at the time, and McCartney enjoyed watching audiences appear "shocked" by the pyrotechnics, per NME. But he didn't necessarily want to shock the elderly woman.
"I can’t stop the song and go, ‘Cover your ears, love’, [so] I look away and ‘boom,'" the Grammy winner reportedly continued.
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Paul McCartneyLuckily, everything turned out okay. "I look back to her," McCartney said, per the outlet, "and she is loving it!"
The full "Live and Let Die" episode of his A Life in Lyrics podcast will be released on Nov. 15.
Last week, Beatles fans were treated to the release of the band's final song "Now and Then" — the first previously unheard work featuring all four members of the legendary band — McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr — to come out in nearly three decades.
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The BeatlesThe song's release came alongside a short film titled The Last Beatles Song featuring archival footage and the living members — McCartney and Starr as well as Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son Sean Lennon, discussing the making of the song.
The track's origins date back to the late 1970s, when Lennon recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York City. In 1994, his widow Ono gave the recording to Harrison, McCartney and Starr, and the trio recorded new parts and made a rough mix with help from producer and Electric Light Orchestra rocker Jeff Lynne.
Despite their efforts, Lennon's vocals and piano couldn't be separated due to a lack of advanced technology, which meant the project had to be shelved.
Harrison died in 2001 — but when filmmaker Peter Jackson made the 2021 docuseries Get Back, he managed to de-mix the film's mono soundtrack, which meant the instruments and vocals were isolated. Eventually, surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr realized they could use this same technology to bring "Now and Then" to light.
Featuring lyrics like, “I know it's true / It's all because of you / And if I make it through / It's all because of you / And now and then / If we must start again / Well, we will know for sure / That I love you,” the song makes for an especially touching final release from the legendary rock band.
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