Strange World

How good is Strange World on a scale of 1-10?

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The Saint

The Saint

Powerslave
Staff member
It's been a while since I last read the maiden commentary. On some albums, meanings of songs are better explained than on other, referring I guess to band's interview and commentary.

However, I always wondered if anyone knew the origins of Strange World. Many people like to link it to Transylvania, since they are obviously overlapping musically on the album...

But to be frank, I never thought that this song had any meaning towards vampire whatsoever. Having 'plasma wine' as an explanation doesn't make the cut for me. Moreover, Transylvania was supposed to have lyrics at first, weakening further more that supposed link between the two songs.

Of course, one could say that the song is just about getting high, but it isn't enough either, since it doesn't say why the song seem so sad.

I would base the song on the "never grow old" lyric. It always came to me as an ideal: being able to get a grip on reality, trying to pause time and cheer the unique feeling of the moment you're living.

It's of course impossible since time runs wild and quick and no one can really grasp it.

That's why I've always believed the song to be about getting in a state of mind where one can believe he can pause time while still knowing at the same time somewhere in his mind that it's a pure temporary illusion, hence the depressed music.

Anyone ?

Cheers
 
Re: 'strange World'

Welcome The Saint! I hope you make many more posts like this and the ones on the Maiden BB in this forum, we need them!

But back to the question, I read an interview with Paul Day, who said he helped with the Strange World lyrics when he was in the band, which even further proves it's not related to Transylvania.

I think it can be interpreted in several ways, like a piece of poetry. It has no true meaning, but it is all down to how you view it. I personally think it's about dreams, but other people see it as something else.
 
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It clearly has that dream-like atmosphere, you're both right. But, that never satisfied me enough, since there's an added sad, depressed side on the music. Melancholy is the right word: it's at the same time positive and negative.

Anyway, I agree with you, it is all down to how you view it. I was just curious if Maiden ever gave their own explanation.

Interesting that Paul wrote it. Have you heard 'The Living Dead' by Paul Di'Anno on his Nomad album ? If you like Strange World, chances are you will definitively like that one too. It's a power ballad as well (the lyrics are clearer though [!--emo&^_^--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/happy.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'happy.gif\' /][!--endemo--] ) and I like when Paul shows he still has his clearer voice.

By the way, I had a chat with Paul by e-mail and he told me that his rendition of Strange World made in 2001 has no release plan as yet. Too bad, it really is interesting, along with the other (you can hear sound clips of them on pauldianno.com -] sounds).

Gosh, late here, I've got to get some sleep to be able to work correctly tomorrow. Signing off !

Cheers
 
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Yeah, it does sound quite sad. It's got quite a late 1960s feel to it if you get what I'm saying. The guitars have a very late 60s prog feel, which does give it that sad feel.

It may well be about time, but it could even be about Heaven not being so good after all-he's enjoying himself, he's never going to grow old, but gets bored of it quickly as there's nothing nasty or hateful at all-everyone is happy and jolly which gets boring quickly.
 
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[!--QuoteBegin-The Anceint Mairner+Nov 6 2002, 01:04 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(The Anceint Mairner @ Nov 6 2002, 01:04 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Yeah, it does sound quite sad.  It's got quite a late 1960s feel to it if you get what I'm saying.  The guitars have a very late 60s prog feel, which does give it that sad feel.

It may well be about time, but it could even be about Heaven not being so good after all-he's enjoying himself, he's never going to grow old, but gets bored of it quickly as there's nothing nasty or hateful at all-everyone is happy and jolly which gets boring quickly.[/quote]
That's a very interesting explanation ! Never heard it (and I asked many people, trust me). I can totally buy it.

As for the sound, I totally agree with you.

Cheers
 
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[!--QuoteBegin-The Saint+Nov 5 2002, 11:03 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(The Saint @ Nov 5 2002, 11:03 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]But to be frank, I never thought that this song had any meaning towards vampire whatsoever. Having 'plasma wine' as an explanation doesn't make the cut for me. Moreover, Transylvania was supposed to have lyrics at first, weakening further more that supposed link between the two songs.[/quote]
I *think* that Transylvania yes, was supposed to have lyrics, but they decided to turn it into an instrumental number before lyrics began to be written.... nor I think that the title dealt with what they were gonna write for the lyrics.... so this strenghten yout theory.
 
Re: 'strange World'

Now you can read other visitors' comments on '[a href=\'http://www.maidenfans.com/imc/index.php?url=album01_ironmaiden/commentary01_ironmaiden〈=eng&link=albums#track7\' target=\'_blank\']Strange World[/a]' as well as post your own. Any contribution to the commentary will be much appreciated, may it be cultural references relevant to the song (links to related websites, interpretations that may have been overlooked in the Commentary, and the like) or personal essays related to the topic of the song. Just be aware that messages that are either off-topic or too wacky may be deleted.
 
Re: 'strange World'

Excellent idea, The Saint, to start a Strange World discussion.
One of my favourite Maiden songs.
Such excellent track!!. I had days that I listened to that track 5-6 times in a day, it's just one of the most beautiful songs Maiden ever did.
Well, that's my opinion about it. I think it deserves the highest rate, the one I gave it, 'cause it's really an amazing song.

About the possible meanings of the song:
Well, everyone has it's own explanation. I'll write mine (I think it's different than yours, but has some connection between):

"The only place where you can dream,
Liven here it's not what it seems...".

Just from reading this, I see the pain and sadness the person feels here.
I think this person was taken away from his home land, and feels very sad because of it.
The idea of the high situation might fit in the song, maybe because of the atmosphere that the guitars create, the effects they used.
I think that those 2 lines begin the story of the song, and all the rest is the developement, but I'll have to give it another listen, so I analyze it better, along with the lyrics.

I know it doesn't belong to the topic, but... STEVE IS A GENIUS!!.

Bye
 
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Another one of those few which I do not like so much.

I do prefer much more the Soundhouse Tapes version. The album version has some too much sharp guitars that for me sound like detuned guitars.

However, its got Dave´s name on it and has Dave´s solos. In this song maiden got very close to blues music I think. Here is where we can feel the weakness of the production.
 
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My least favourite on the album. It's not a bad song, but I like the others much better. The very bluesy guitars make it different and quite interesting.
 
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I have a very different opinion to you Uwe, i love this song! It is in my top 3 on the album, it perhaps even comes in at 2nd behind Phantom.
 
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I think it's a great, song but it's not one of the best on the album. I don't really like the vocals on this track, though...sounds too 70s, and not very Maiden-like.

(Kind of Ironic, because it was made in the 70s...)
 
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another one of my favourites of the debut. Very mellow, a bit "spaced out", it's a great song to chill out to... Nice wah sounds [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
I wouldn't want to hear it live though, as it would take alot of energy out of the show.
4 stars
 
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[!--QuoteBegin-The Saint+Nov 7 2002, 12:44 AM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(The Saint @ Nov 7 2002, 12:44 AM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]That's a very interesting explanation ! Never heard it (and I asked many people, trust me). I can totally buy it.

As for the sound, I totally agree with you.

Cheers
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strange world is one of my favs actually because to me it really delivers the feeling straight into my mind. I agree with what you said and if a video would have been made for the song, i would imagine di-anno sitting by himself at a table having a drink in a bar, with all the people/surroundings moving really fast n flashy while his motion and that of the table/drink ect remains normal. That really would explain the contrast of someone who is capable of taking sometime to think about whats really going on in his life with the superfast and careless world of today.
 
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For me, psychedelic message and sound, almost art-rockish. Sheer beauty and poetry. Love it, love it.
 
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This is one of my absolute favourite Iron Maiden tracks. I just love this kind of slow and relaxing song, and, as good as the later work by H and Dave may be, this one also has my favourite guitar solos.

Anyway, I've got a personal interpetation of the lyrics, based upon my own experience. Don't we all sometimes want to escape from this world, which is quite an ugly place sometimes? Do we really want to read all those newspaper headlines which seem to try and outdo each other in how many deaths there are to report, what dirty scandals there are and at how stupid, ignorant and egoistic people are?
Isn't it also because of precisely that reason that people try to flee to other places? Many take refuge in more spiritual worlds, which exist at many different levels.
Some take drugs, because it is the easiest way.
Some get themselves involved in strange Science Fiction and Fantasy worlds. There is no prize for guessing why books and films of that genre, particularly those that build up a precisely detailed parrallel world, such as Middle Earth or the Star Wars galaxy, are so successful.
Let me elaborate this a bit further. Fantasy worlds are nothing new, they have been around ever since mankind exists. They represent the ideal worlds which we would like to live in (at least when you make one up yourself). The Bible or Homer's Odyssey are basically nothing but ancient fantasy tales, told to give lost souls some point of fixation. All (or at least most of) these fantasy tales tell of noble, strong and glorious heroes who are ready to sacrifice themselves for higher goals. When we hear/read/see medieval tales, for instance, we are told of noble knights slaying dragons to save and marry the princess. No matter how realistic these tales may be told, they are fantasy. These glorious heroes have never existed. It is make-believe so we have someone to look up to, to identify with and to imitate. We crave for something or someone ideal to identify with and to compete with.
In addition, some people make up their own Fantasy worlds. There is always some sort of competition between those people who make up their own worlds and those who dive into a prefixed fantasy world and learn all the details, some eventually knowing the made-up world better than the one they physically live in.

What I think is that in the song, the narrator takes refuge in such a strange world of his own where he finds ideal conditions, with stalks of light and love. In the first verse, he describes his life in the real world, where he is unhappy; people don't reason why, he does not find very many smiling faces... so, he invites whoever might listen to his own world ("let's walk in deepest space"), in which he is actually already deeply engaged, with only his physical body still remaining in the real world ("Here I am, I'm not really there").
In the second verse, he is describing his strange world in detail, with all its miracles and wonderful things, anything he might want to dream of. Perhaps the "girls drinking plasma wine" are an implication that his engagement in his world is sucking his energy out of the real world so that in time, his real self will be nothing but a physical body, with his mind and soul locked in the strange world forever (this makes me think of the line "All my life's blood is slowly draining away
And I feel that I'm weaker every day" from Still Life). It doesn't seem to bother him, however, as he is "happy in [my] new strange world" (which, in order to contradict The Saint, I believe to be the key phrase of the song).

The last line, "Don't you hear me call?" could mean two things. Either, he is calling all people to come with him and join him in the better world. Maybe it could also be a silent cry for help, because he realizes that he is trapped in a world of fantasy and has lost all connection to the real world, which would mean that he is at best a ghost in our world, and he has found that it doesn't work this way either. This could make sense considering the line "When I cry there isn't a sound".
 
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This is a more down-to-earth analysis. I think this song/poem is about getting high. Rather than sad, to me the song has a slowed-down and distorted feel. Like things might seem under the influence of drugs.

The only place where you can dream,
a state of mind
Living here is not what it seems
where things are different from reality. Or rather they are real compared to the world we think is real.
Ship of white, light in the sky,
A ship of white can either be a cloud of smoke (light in the sky) or a metaphore for thought. A cloud is in some works of art traditionally interpreted as a vehicle. In this case for getting somewhere where there is
Nobody there to reason why
that is, everything is peaceful and complacent.
Here I am, I'm not really there,
another mention of overlapping dream and reality
Smiling faces ever so rare
in real life there is not enough kindness among people, and therefore
Let's walk in deepest space,
Living here just isn't the place

Now comes a description of the Strange World, which has some images that remind of reports about the influence of narcotica. Seeing light, not hearing one’s own cry, happiness, exuberant feelings, illusions of love, of being immortal. An interesting thing is seeing all sorts of funky colours,
Girls drinking plasma wine
which may refer to the green colour of mineral called plasma.
The last line,
Don't you hear me call?
is either a cry for attention or for help. In this case, both would be appropriate.
 
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[!--QuoteBegin-charlotte+Jun 28 2005, 07:27 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(charlotte @ Jun 28 2005, 07:27 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]      Girls drinking plasma wine
which may refer to the green colour of mineral called plasma.
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A biologist would see "plasma" as a blood product, a physicist as a state ot matter.

I've never heard of a mineral called that though... [!--emo&:blink:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/blink.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'blink.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
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[!--QuoteBegin-Maverick+Jun 28 2005, 09:42 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(Maverick @ Jun 28 2005, 09:42 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]I've never heard of a mineral called that though...  [!--emo&:blink:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/blink.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'blink.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
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"Plasma

in mineralogy, semitranslucent, microgranular or microfibrous, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral chalcedony. Its colour, various shades of green, is due to disseminated silicate particles of different kinds—e.g., amphibole or chlorite."
Encyclopaedia Britannica
 
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"Plasma

in mineralogy, semitranslucent, microgranular or microfibrous, semiprecious variety of the silica mineral chalcedony. Its colour, various shades of green, is due to disseminated silicate particles of different kinds—e.g., amphibole or chlorite."

Right, I learned something today [!--emo&^_^--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/happy.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'happy.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

[!--QuoteBegin-charlotte+Jun 28 2005, 07:27 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(charlotte @ Jun 28 2005, 07:27 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]      Girls drinking plasma wine
which may refer to the green colour of mineral called plasma.
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Where's the reference to green in the lyrics, though? And how can you make wine out of a mineral? [!--emo&:blink:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/blink.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'blink.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
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