Only the Good Die Young

How good is Only the Good Die Young on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    12
This is an odd song to end an album on. It just doesn't feel like the typical IM album closer thus far. It feels like it belongs in the middle of the album. Nonetheless, it is a good song overall. Middle of the pack on this album. 9/10
 
First of all, the lyrics are beast!
"The moon is red and bleeding
The sun is burned and black
The book of life is silent
No turning back"
These, and of course the chorus lyrics, spokes to me. They are so great.

Then of course, the song is brilliant. Love the key change from Em on the verses to Dm in the chorus, unusual but sound cool!
The guitar solos are wild, and we even get a short bass solo. And the album feels complete when the song ends the same way as Moonchild started.

9/10
 
8. Strong ending to a very strong album.


Rankings:

Previous Albums:

Iron Maiden - 6.67

8 - Prowler
6 - Sanctuary
7 - Remember Tomorrow
6 - Running Free
9 - Phantom Of The Opera
7 - Transylvania
4 - Strange World
6 - Charlotte The Harlot
7 - Iron Maiden

Killers - 5.91

6 - The Ides Of March
6 - Wrathchild
6 - Murders In The Rue Morgue
5 - Another Life
5 - Genghis Khan
5 - Innocent Exile
8 - Killers
5 - Prodigal Son
8 - Purgatory
6 - Twilight Zone
5 - Drifter

The Number Of The Beast - 7.56

6 - Invaders
7 - Children Of The Damned
8 - The Prisoner
7 - 22 Acacia Avenue
9 - The Number Of The Beast
10 - Run To The Hills
6 - Gangland
5 - Total Eclipse
10 - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Piece Of Mind - 7.44

8 - Where Eagles Dare
9 - Revelations
9 - Flight Of Icarus
7 - Die With Your Boots On
8 - The Trooper
7 - Still Life
6 - Quest For Fire
6 - Sun And Steel
7 - To Tame A Land

Powerslave - 6.75

8 - Aces High
7 - 2 Minutes To Midnight
3 - Loss Fer Words
7 - Flash Of The Blade
5 - The Duellists
6 - Back In The Village
9 - Powerslave
9 - Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Somewhere In Time - 8.00

8 - Caught Somewhere In Time
9 - Wasted Years
8 - Sea Of Madness
8 - Heaven Can Wait
8 - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
7 - Stranger In A Strange Land
8 - Deja Vu
8 - Alexander The Great

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - 8.25

7 - Moonchild
9 - Infinite Dreams
9 - Can I Play With Madness
9 - The Evil That Men Do
10 - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
6 - The Prophecy
8 - The Clairvoyant
8 - Only The Good Die Young
 
I don't actually find this a particularly strong ending. I think it's a pretty average ending. Maybe on a less strong album, it would stand out more, but in this context I can't give it more than a
6/10
 
8/10

Strong closer, the chorus is excellent and I like a lot of the guitar work. Nice melodies.
 
9. Good chorus, great lyrics, awesome guitar melodies, top-drawer guitar solos, plus that brilliant little bass semi-solo..... Love it.
 
10/10

Only the Good Die Young is another melodic rocker with great vocals and guitar work. The chorus has a simplistic melody, but the vibrant production makes it all sound fantastic. The solos here are brief and intense, including a rare bass solo - not a lead, not a fill, an actual bass solo. It’s a brilliant way to close the album, looking back and forward on the inevitable repetition of history and man’s unwillingness to learn from his mistakes, bookended by a variation of the same acoustic theme that opened Moonchild.
 
Great chorus, great feeling, great closer. Again, I wish Bruce sounded a little more like his earlier-80s self here in places, but still a glorious romp that sums up the concepts of the album. 9/10.
 
A fantastic way to end (what is for me) the best album ever made. This song has all the makings of a MAiden classic, and I am absolutely sure (at least in my own mind) that had this song been played live, it would have been considered as such today. It has very catchy melodies, an incredibly catchy bridge/chorus and really just a general vibe that puts it way up there.

As for solos, even though I've always been a Dave fanboy, I think H wins this one. His solo is so cool, and just picks up the mood of the song so perfectly (which usually can be said about Dave's solos, as this is one of Dave's trademarks, but on this particular song, I've always felt Dave's solo could have been worked out a bit more. It sounds a bit too spontaneous).
 
A terrific song and could have been best song on the album except for the solos. Both solos are underwhelming for me, adding zero to the song and a little too bluesy for Maiden. fantastic song otherwise

8
 
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