Live and Let Die (song)
Encyclopedia
"Live and Let Die" is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond
film Live and Let Die
and was performed by Paul McCartney & Wings
for the movie soundtrack and appears on the soundtrack album
. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point. Commissioned specifically for the movie and credited to Paul McCartney and his wife Linda
, it reunited McCartney with Beatles producer George Martin
, who both produced the song and arranged the orchestral break. It has been covered by several bands, with Guns N' Roses
' version being the most popular. Both McCartney's and Guns N' Roses' versions were nominated for Grammys.
had finished writing the screenplay to Live and Let Die
, producers Harry Saltzman
and Albert R. Broccoli
invited Paul McCartney to write the theme song. McCartney asked to be sent a copy of Ian Fleming
's novel
. "I read it and thought it was pretty good. That afternoon I wrote the song and went in the next week and did it... It was a job of work for me in a way because writing a song around a title like that's not the easiest thing going."
Originally, producer Harry Saltzman was interested in having an African American female artist perform it instead of Wings. Martin said that McCartney would only allow the song to be used in the movie if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits. Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce A Hard Day's Night
, decided not to make the same mistake twice and agreed. A second version of the song, performed by B. J. Arnau
, also appears in the film. Arnau's performance was originally meant for the group Fifth Dimension. The Arnau version of the song appears on the soundtrack album as a component in a medley that also contains two George Martin-composed instrumental pieces, "Fillet of Soul - New Orleans" and "Fillet of Soul - Harlem".
Wings recorded "Live and Let Die" during the sessions for the Red Rose Speedway
album. The single reached number 2 in the United States and number 9 in the United Kingdom The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
for sales of over one million copies. Although McCartney's previous single, "My Love", had been credited to "Paul McCartney & Wings", the label of the "Live and Let Die" single credited the performing artist simply as "Wings." On the soundtrack album, however, the song was credited to "Paul McCartney & Wings", and was credited as such in the opening titles to the film. "Live and Let Die" was the last Paul McCartney single on Apple Records
that was credited only to "Wings".
"Live And Let Die" was not featured on a Paul McCartney album until the Wings Greatest
compilation in 1978, and was included again on 1987's All the Best!
. The entire soundtrack was also released in quadrophonic.
"Live and Let Die" was the first James Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
(garnering Paul his second Academy Award nomination and Linda her first), but lost to the theme song
from The Way We Were
.
In Wings' live performances of the song, the instrumental break featured flashpots and a laser
light show. Paul has continued to play the song on his solo tours, often using pyrotechnics when playing outdoor venues. "Live And Let Die" is the only song to appear on all of McCartney's live albums (barring the acoustic-based 'Unplugged'.)
Following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the song was placed on Clear Channel
s list of inappropriate song titles.
big band in 1973. In 1986, it was covered by LA shock-rockers Lizzy Borden
. In 1991, it was covered again by Guns N' Roses
. Hank Marvin
did an instrumental version in 1993 on his album Heartbeat. The Mantovani
Orchestra performed an instrumental version in 1994 on the album, The Many Moods of The Mantovani Orchestra. Due to its status as a Bond theme, it was also covered by The Pretenders
and released on the album Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project. Geri Halliwell
, of the Spice Girls
, released the song as a b-side track for her solo number one single "Lift Me Up
", in November 1999. Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas
performed the song on Movies Rock 2007, a CBS
television special celebrating music in movies. A cover by singer Duffy
appeared on the War Child
charity's 2009 album Heroes
. In 2011, Céline Dion
has included the song as part of a James Bond Medley for her Las Vegas show.
Byron Lee and The dragonaires recorded a reggae version of the song that can be listened on youtube.
when he was going to parody one of his songs. A couple of years later, Yankovic asked for permission to put his parody "Chicken Pot Pie" on an album (as a courtesy; legally he did not need permission). McCartney denied the use because he is a vegetarian and didn't want to promote the eating of meat. Fellow vegetarian Yankovic said he respected the decision; however, he has performed the song live.
Christian parody band ApologetiX
performed a parody as "Didn't Just Die". It was released on their album ApologetiX Hits: The Road and was performed back-to-back with "Died and Rose," a parody of "China Grove
" by The Doobie Brothers
.
In the video game Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone", there is a parody called "Live and Let Fry". This is because Spy Fox
is based on James Bond
.
In 2010, the Brazilian experimental music
group Pato Fu
recorded a version in which two children performed the back vocals and the band members played plastic slide whistle
s, a toy xylophone
and children-sized drum kit
, cavaquinho
and bass guitar
and two toy keyboards for their album Música de Brinquedo ("Toy music").
album and the fourth out of all the Use Your Illusion
singles. A music video was made in November 1991 featuring the band playing live on stage and showing old pictures. The video was also made shortly before Izzy Stradlin
's departure and it was the last video where he appears. It became a top 40 hit, peaking at 33 on the Billboard Hot 100
and it also charted at 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Additional musicians
James Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
film Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
and was performed by Paul McCartney & Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
for the movie soundtrack and appears on the soundtrack album
Live and Let Die (soundtrack)
Live and Let Die is the soundtrack of, and was written for, the 8th James Bond film of the same name.Taking a temporary hiatus from scoring Bond films, John Barry subsequently passed the baton over to George Martin. This was the first James Bond film of which Barry was, in at least some aspect, not...
. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point. Commissioned specifically for the movie and credited to Paul McCartney and his wife Linda
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
, it reunited McCartney with Beatles producer George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, who both produced the song and arranged the orchestral break. It has been covered by several bands, with Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
' version being the most popular. Both McCartney's and Guns N' Roses' versions were nominated for Grammys.
History
Even before Tom MankiewiczTom Mankiewicz
Thomas Frank Mankiewicz was a screenwriter/director/producer of motion pictures and television, perhaps best known for his work on the James Bond films and his contributions to Superman: The Movie and the television series, Hart to Hart.-Early life and career:Mankiewicz was born in Los Angeles on...
had finished writing the screenplay to Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
, producers Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman was a Canadian theatre and film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted in his co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R...
and Albert R. Broccoli
Albert R. Broccoli
Albert Romolo Broccoli, CBE , nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer, who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career, most of them in the United Kingdom, and often filmed at Pinewood Studios. Co-founder of Danjaq, LLC and EON Productions, Broccoli is most notable as the...
invited Paul McCartney to write the theme song. McCartney asked to be sent a copy of Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
's novel
Live and Let Die (novel)
Live and Let Die is the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1954, where the initial print run of 7,500 copies quickly sold out. As with Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die was broadly well received by the critics...
. "I read it and thought it was pretty good. That afternoon I wrote the song and went in the next week and did it... It was a job of work for me in a way because writing a song around a title like that's not the easiest thing going."
Originally, producer Harry Saltzman was interested in having an African American female artist perform it instead of Wings. Martin said that McCartney would only allow the song to be used in the movie if Wings were able to perform the song in the opening credits. Saltzman, who had previously rejected the chance to produce A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
, decided not to make the same mistake twice and agreed. A second version of the song, performed by B. J. Arnau
B. J. Arnau
B. J. Arnau is an American-born female singer and actor active in the UK and the US from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. She is also known as Brenda Arnau.- Biography :...
, also appears in the film. Arnau's performance was originally meant for the group Fifth Dimension. The Arnau version of the song appears on the soundtrack album as a component in a medley that also contains two George Martin-composed instrumental pieces, "Fillet of Soul - New Orleans" and "Fillet of Soul - Harlem".
Wings recorded "Live and Let Die" during the sessions for the Red Rose Speedway
Red Rose Speedway
-Additional tracks:-Original LP Recording:Originally planned as a double album, this is the tracklisting from the acetates of the early incarnation of the album dated 13 December 1972...
album. The single reached number 2 in the United States and number 9 in the United Kingdom The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for sales of over one million copies. Although McCartney's previous single, "My Love", had been credited to "Paul McCartney & Wings", the label of the "Live and Let Die" single credited the performing artist simply as "Wings." On the soundtrack album, however, the song was credited to "Paul McCartney & Wings", and was credited as such in the opening titles to the film. "Live and Let Die" was the last Paul McCartney single on Apple Records
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
that was credited only to "Wings".
"Live And Let Die" was not featured on a Paul McCartney album until the Wings Greatest
Wings Greatest
Wings Greatest is a compilation album by the band Wings and is their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's 10th since leaving The Beatles. It is notable as being the first official retrospective release from Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career...
compilation in 1978, and was included again on 1987's All the Best!
All the Best!
All the Best! is the second official compilation album of Paul McCartney music, after 1978's Wings Greatest and was released in 1987. The album contains tracks from the beginning of his solo career in 1970 up to the newly recorded "Once Upon a Long Ago." The track inclusion and running order...
. The entire soundtrack was also released in quadrophonic.
"Live and Let Die" was the first James Bond theme song to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
(garnering Paul his second Academy Award nomination and Linda her first), but lost to the theme song
The Way We Were (song)
"The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand...
from The Way We Were
The Way We Were
The Way We Were is a 1973 American romantic dramatic film co-starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay by Arthur Laurents was based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee.A box...
.
In Wings' live performances of the song, the instrumental break featured flashpots and a laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
light show. Paul has continued to play the song on his solo tours, often using pyrotechnics when playing outdoor venues. "Live And Let Die" is the only song to appear on all of McCartney's live albums (barring the acoustic-based 'Unplugged'.)
Following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the song was placed on Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
s list of inappropriate song titles.
Covers
It was covered by the Stan KentonStan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
big band in 1973. In 1986, it was covered by LA shock-rockers Lizzy Borden
Lizzy Borden (band)
Lizzy Borden is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. Lizzy Borden is also the name of the band's lead vocalist.-History:Lizzy Borden specializes in the shock rock style originated by artists such as Alice Cooper and Kiss...
. In 1991, it was covered again by Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
. Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
did an instrumental version in 1993 on his album Heartbeat. The Mantovani
Mantovani
Annunzio Paolo Mantovani known as Mantovani, was an Anglo-Italian conductor and light orchestra-styled entertainer with a cascading strings musical signature. The book British Hit Singles & Albums states that he was "Britain's most successful album act before The Beatles .....
Orchestra performed an instrumental version in 1994 on the album, The Many Moods of The Mantovani Orchestra. Due to its status as a Bond theme, it was also covered by The Pretenders
The Pretenders
The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...
and released on the album Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project. Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
, of the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
, released the song as a b-side track for her solo number one single "Lift Me Up
Lift Me Up (Geri Halliwell song)
"Lift Me Up" is a song by Geri Halliwell, the third single from her debut solo album Schizophonic. It was released on 1 November 1999, and debuted and peaked at number-one in the United Kingdom, winning the battle against Emma Bunton's "What I Am" by 33,000 copies.-Chart performance:Geri released...
", in November 1999. Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
performed the song on Movies Rock 2007, a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television special celebrating music in movies. A cover by singer Duffy
Duffy (singer)
Aimée Ann Duffy , known as Duffy, is a Welsh singer-songwriter. Her 2008 debut album Rockferry entered the UK Album Chart at number one. It was the best-selling album in the United Kingdom in 2008 with 1.68 million copies sold...
appeared on the War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
charity's 2009 album Heroes
Heroes (2009 album)
War Child Presents Heroes is a 2009 charity album devoted to the War Child charity's aid efforts in war-stricken areas, such as Iraq, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo...
. In 2011, Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
has included the song as part of a James Bond Medley for her Las Vegas show.
Byron Lee and The dragonaires recorded a reggae version of the song that can be listened on youtube.
Parody
In 1984, McCartney asked "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
when he was going to parody one of his songs. A couple of years later, Yankovic asked for permission to put his parody "Chicken Pot Pie" on an album (as a courtesy; legally he did not need permission). McCartney denied the use because he is a vegetarian and didn't want to promote the eating of meat. Fellow vegetarian Yankovic said he respected the decision; however, he has performed the song live.
Christian parody band ApologetiX
ApologetiX
ApologetiX is a Christian parody band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The band was founded in 1992, and since then, has played in 44 states, released 17 studio albums, and built up a fan club that includes 45,000 people. The band is currently composed of J...
performed a parody as "Didn't Just Die". It was released on their album ApologetiX Hits: The Road and was performed back-to-back with "Died and Rose," a parody of "China Grove
China Grove (song)
"China Grove" is a song from The Doobie Brothers' 1973 album The Captain and Me. It was written by original lead singer Tom Johnston, before he fell ill in 1975 and was replaced by Michael McDonald. The song is based on a real town in Texas with the same name. The connection is obvious given its...
" by The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
.
In the video game Spy Fox 3: "Operation Ozone", there is a parody called "Live and Let Fry". This is because Spy Fox
Spy Fox
Spy Fox is a series of software for five to ten year old children from Humongous Entertainment starring a fictional anthropomorphic fox of the same name. The characters live in a world of anthropomorphic animals who live like humans...
is based on James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
.
In 2010, the Brazilian experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group Pato Fu
Pato Fu
Pato Fu is a Brazilian rock band from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The band was formed by lead singer Fernanda Takai, guitarist John Ulhoa and bassist Ricardo Koctus, in 1992. Their drummer, Xande Tamietti, joined the band in 1996, as did keyboardist Lulu Camargo in 2005...
recorded a version in which two children performed the back vocals and the band members played plastic slide whistle
Slide whistle
A slide whistle is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwinds, but varies the pitch with a slide. The construction is rather like a bicycle pump...
s, a toy xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
and children-sized drum kit
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, cavaquinho
Cavaquinho
The cavaquinho is a small string instrument of the European guitar family with four wire or gut strings. It is also called machimbo, machim, machete , manchete or marchete, braguinha or braguinho, or cavaco.The most common tuning is D-G-B-D ; other tunings include D-A-B-E...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and two toy keyboards for their album Música de Brinquedo ("Toy music").
Guns N' Roses version
"Live and Let Die" was released as the second single from Use Your Illusion IUse Your Illusion I
Use Your Illusion I is the third studio album by the American rock band Guns N' Roses. It was the first of two albums released in conjunction with the Use Your Illusion Tour, the other being Use Your Illusion II. The two are thus sometimes considered a double album. In fact, in the original vinyl...
album and the fourth out of all the Use Your Illusion
Use Your Illusion
Use Your Illusion is a Guns N' Roses compilation album that is mixed from the Use Your Illusion I and II albums. It has only been released in the United States, consisting entirely of songs without profanity . However, not all songs without profanity were chosen to appear on this compilation...
singles. A music video was made in November 1991 featuring the band playing live on stage and showing old pictures. The video was also made shortly before Izzy Stradlin
Izzy Stradlin
Jeffrey Dean Isbell , known by his stage name Izzy Stradlin, is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of its fame in 1991. Following his departure, he led his own band Izzy...
's departure and it was the last video where he appears. It became a top 40 hit, peaking at 33 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and it also charted at 20 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Personnel
Guns N' Roses- Axl RoseAxl RoseW. Axl Rose is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he enjoyed great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before disappearing from the public eye for several years...
- lead vocals, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - SlashSlash (musician)Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, production - Izzy StradlinIzzy StradlinJeffrey Dean Isbell , known by his stage name Izzy Stradlin, is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and former rhythm guitarist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, which he left at the height of its fame in 1991. Following his departure, he led his own band Izzy...
- rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals, production - Duff McKaganDuff McKaganMichael Andrew "Duff" McKagan is an American musician and writer. He is best known for his twelve-year tenure as the bassist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals, production - Dizzy ReedDizzy ReedDizzy Reed is a contemporary rock musician, and occasional actor. He is best known for his tenure as the keyboardist & pianist for the rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has played, toured and recorded since 1990...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, backing vocals, production - Matt SorumMatt SorumMatthew William Sorum is an American rock drummer and percussionist. Sorum is most famous for his 7-year stint in Guns N' Roses and supergroup Velvet Revolver , which is comprised in part of former Guns N' Roses members Duff McKagan and Slash .-Early career :Matt Sorum was born Matthew William...
- drums, production
Additional musicians
- Shannon HoonShannon HoonRichard Shannon Hoon was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He was the frontman and lead singer of the band Blind Melon until his death from a cocaine overdose in 1995.-Early life:...
- backing vocals - Johann Langlie - synthesiser
- Jon Thautwein - hornHorn sectionIn music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
- Matthew McKagan - horn
- Rachel West - horn
- Robert Clark - horn