20 Things You Didn’t Know About Live And Let Die (1973)

4. Just A Little Musical Extravaganza...

John Barry was not available to score Live And Let Die and, once Paul McCartney & Wings had been hired to perform the title track, the musical budget for the film had been significantly depleted. Lacking the funds to hire a big name composer, the producers followed McCartney’s suggestion to retain the services of former Beatles manager, George Martin.

Martin had previously signed Matt Monro to EMI Records mere months before he provided a romantic song for From Russia With Love and had also produced Dame Shirley Bassey’s powerhouse theme song for Goldfinger (1964).

Martin’s score to Live And Let Die is a true highlight of the film, although he noted that director, Guy Hamilton practically told him bar-for-bar how to compose the cue “If He Finds It Kill Him”, which accompanies the scene in which Double-0 Seven and Solitaire discover Dr. Kananga’s camouflaged poppy fields on San Monique.

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.