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| Top 15 Favorite Iron Maiden Songs
Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands, and is probably one of the best heavy metal bands of all time, if not the best. These are my 15 favorite songs by them. Some of them are metal classic, others are hidden gems. Even if your Top 15 is different, all Maiden fans can agree that this is one stacked list, as you really can't go wrong with Iron Maiden. Up the Irons! | | 1 | Iron Maiden
Paschendale
The king of all Maiden war songs, this song is a truly wonderful and moving tribute to one of the bloodiest battles of all time, and a call for one the likes of it never to happen again. Powerful lyrics along with a thumping bass, drums and guitar make for a very memorable Maiden classic that leaves teary eyes and quite an impression of the hell that is war on the listener. It took 25 years for Maiden to come up with a song as great as this; if they ever do record one better, it'll probably be another 25 years. | | 2 | Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Until Paschendale came out, Rime of the Ancient Mariner was the king of all Maiden songs. A very accurate retelling of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem, it's also their longest song, clocking in well over 10 minutes, but it's definitely worth it for any listener who dares. Like the epic poem, the song sways with the ocean, telling the sad tale of the Ancient Mariner and offering a vital lesson to all who hear. | | 3 | Powerslave
The title track of Maiden's best album, Powerslave tells the tale of a power-mad Egyptian pharoah who longs for immortality but at last concedes to the fact that he is merely a man. Like much of the Powerslave album, the title track steadily rumbles along, and then the seamless instrumental bridge takes the listener into a state of earphoria that probably has never been equaled in any other Maiden song. And the best part is that Rime of the Ancient Mariner follows immediately after, making for the best closing of an album perhaps in music history. | | 4 | Hallowed Be Thy Name
Iron Maiden always tries to save their best for last, and that sure proved true on their classic Number of the Beast album when they saved Hallowed Be Thy Name for the final cut. Voted the best Maiden song of all time on a website poll Maiden conducted a few years ago, Hallowed Be Thy Name contains some deep lyrics and one of the greatest vocal performances of Bruce Dickinson's career. Following the narrative of a man about to hang, Hallowed Be Thy Name is an excellent psychological piece into the mind of a damned man, a man not afraid to die, yet wants very much to live at the same time. | | 5 | 2 Minutes To Midnight
One of Maiden's most well-known songs in the metal community, 2 Minutes To Midnight is regarded as one of the all-time metal classics. While to the first time listener Midnight may seem to promote war and violence, it is actually a very pointed anti-war song at it's core. Midnight harshly criticizes the governments for starting wars and endangering the lives of millions of people for economic gain, as well as the blind patriotism that allows these governments to exploit its people - as evidenced in the sober but true line "We oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies." | | 6 | Remember Tomorrow
One of Maiden's mellowest songs, Remember Tomorrow is eerie, hypnotic, and surreal, and is truly the masterpiece of the brief Paul Di'Anno years. Tucked between a couple of punkish-type songs on the band's debut album, Remember Tomorrow is a truly memorable tune that changes tempo several times and displays amazing bass and guitar work. According to Paul Di-Anno, the song's lyrics were originally written in tribute to his grandfather, and like Blood Brothers, which Steve Harris would later write in tribute of his late father, the song is one of Maiden's most spiritual and reflective songs. | | 7 | Brave New World
Another song based on a literary classic, Brave New World takes the perspective of of John from Aldous Huxley's futuristic novel. In the song, the narrator shows his reaction of horror to the controlling World State and how the common people of society are helplessly manipulated and exploited by the higher powers. Brave New World, the title track of Iron Maiden's first album with Bruce Dickinson back at the helm after an 8 year absence, starts of slowly and melodically before roaring onto the scene, symbolically announcing to the metal world, "We're back, and we're here to stay!" | | 8 | The Trooper
Inspired by Lord Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade, based on the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 during the Crimean War, The Trooper was an instant classic that has been praised as an all-time metal anthem that boasts Iron Maiden's most memorable harmonized lead guitar riff as well as a trademark galloping rhythm that is instantly identifiable. The lyrics tell the tale of a soldier who is caught in the worst military mistake in British history, which was caused by a rash decision by a general after a miscommunication with one of his men. The Trooper expertly describes the fears and emotions going through the soldier's head before he meets his untimely yet inevitable fate, as Maiden once again make a statement about the danger and futility of war. | | 9 | The Man Who Would Be King
Unlike the other songs on this list, it took a while for this gem to grow on me. The tale of a man who is trapped in his own mental purgatory, asking God for forgiveness but not able to forgive himself, the song explores the feeling of deep regret over past sins and wrongdoings. The man described in the lyrics is evidently a man of great privilege and honor, but because of a past mistake - evidently he killed someone - he has been exiled, whether by his own people or by his own mind is unclear, but either way, this is yet another great psychological piece in Maiden's canon and a true gem. | | 10 | Blood Brothers
Originally written by Steve Harris as an ode to his late father, Blood Brothers has become Iron Maiden's anthem for global unity. A very moving and emotional song, Bruce Dickinson screams some of his best vocals ever recorded, and a middle string section allows the listener to relax and contemplate, an effect I find very similar to Changes/FX from Black Sabbath Volume 4. Since it was first debuted, Blood Brothers has been dedicated to many natural disasters and catastrophic events, reminding us that we are all "Blood Brothers" on this planet, and we need to learn to be united and peaceable with all of our fellow men. | | 11 | When the Wild Wind Blows
When the Wild Wind Blows is the second longest song in the Iron Maiden canon, and it definitely is worth every second. A tale of an apocalyptic false alarm, the song tells of the unreliability of the news media and the anxious people who are willing to believe it. When the Wild Wind Blows is also one of Maiden's mildest songs, never meandering too far off into heavy riffs or thrashing, but keeping a steady rhythm throughout its 11 minutes, slowing down to a crawl at the end as it tells the tragic tale of a couple that "both mistook an earthquake for the fallout". | | 12 | Phantom of the Opera
Based on the classic French novel, Phantom of the Opera is one of Steve Harris' personal favorites, and it certainly is one of Maiden's most interesting musical and lyrical pieces. Paul Di'Anno spits out the lyrics both rapidly and precisely, not missing a beat, telling the tale of a psychopath terrorizing a beautiful actress. In between the final two verses, the listener hears something truly remarkable, very likely the best harmonized guitar solo in all the vast Maiden musical canon. | | 13 | Where Eagles Dare
Based on the novel of the same name by Alistair MacLean and the ensuing movie, Where Eagles Dare tells the tale of the very first fighter pilots in World War I. Where Eagles Dare, being the opener on Piece of Mind, also marks the debut of drummer Nicko McBrain on a Maiden album, and he passes with flying colors, as this song just might be his finest work as a drummer. Aside from McBrain, the rest of the cast is also in top form, as Steve Harris bangs out the bass, Adrian Smith and Dave Murray play excellent guitar, and Bruce Dickinson wails hit every note on the scale; really, this song may be the tightest this band has ever been on a recording, and it definitely was a sign of things to come for the boys. | | 14 | To Tame a Land
Yet another smart Maiden song based on a literary classic, this time the novel Dune by Frank Herbert, who did not give the band permission to write a song about his novel, which is why it is cleverly titled To Tame a Land. This epic starts off with an excellent instrumental, and then Bruce Dickinson comes in with his well-synced wailing, spewing lyrics about a distant, alien world that is rife with chaos and anarchy. Along comes a leader who rights the ship with an iron fist and the support of the people, and we are left to wonder if he accomplished all that he set out to do, because from there the song slowly begins to fade out, with an excellent outro guitar that truly makes the song feel as if it has blown away in the sand. | | 15 | Face In The Sand
Another song written about the perils of putting too much faith in the news media, with a very passionate vocal performance from Bruce Dickinson. Written about the news coverage surrounding the Iraq War in 2002, Face In The Sand criticizes the glorification of violence in our modern society, and how the violence in our entertainment has led us to become modern day Romans taking delight in watching the gladiators kill each other. The song criticizes modern culture for being hypocritical; hoping for life everlasting but doing nothing to combat upcoming death, praying and wishing for peace, yet contributing to and supporting the war machine that kills innocent people every day. | |
InbredJed
01.14.14 | thanks for sharing, nice writing. | CheapPurple
01.14.14 | Thanks, that's the confidence boost I need. I wrote two album reviews, but they kind of sucked and the feedback was very negative. I think I'm a better writer now - I wrote those two reviews for another site several years ago - so I'll probably start writing album reviews again. | frigyourgenre
01.14.14 | Where eagles dare is balls ya | manosg
01.14.14 | Yeah, even though I'd have a completely different list, it's a good write-up so props for that. No Somewhere in Time though? | emprorzurg
01.14.14 | Yeah great writing and choices, the reason why the feedback for your reviews was negative was because you did a track-by-track review, don't do those, instead look at the album as a whole and make comments | Muisc4Life26
01.14.14 | Awesome list.. |
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