Which song was written first... for all of the 16 albums

Iron Maiden - The 2 oldest songs are Iron Maiden (75) & Transylvania (75). Note: Early version of Transylvania still with some lyrics.

Strange World was also written around 1975/1976, if I'm not mistaken. Logic fact about Transylvania.
Killers - Wrathchild (74) & Innocent Exile (Endless Pit) (74).

Yep. Innocent Exile was written even before Maiden. But Wrathchild in 1974?..... according to this thread (click here) - Wrathchild/Another Life/Innocent Exile/Purgatory(then ''Floating'')/Drifter were all written around 1975/1976.
The Number Of The Beast - 22 Acacia Avenue (Countdown) (75) & Invaders (Early 81).

I think you're right here. 22AA was modified from an old Urchin song. Invaders is an updated version of the song ''Invasion'' (written around 1976/1977) and in Download 2007 Bruce said that COTD was one of the very first songs that he rehearsed with Maiden after he joined them in 1981 (*the first song recorded for TNOTB album was Gangland, though). Gangland is probably the first song written with Bruce (or is it RTTH or TNOTB?
Piece Of Mind - Flight Of Icarus (83) & Revelations (83) Note: The hymn at the beginning was written in 1906

Can I ask you for a source for Flight Of Icarus ?
Powerslave - Powerslave (83) & 2 Minutes To Midnight (84)

Somewhere In Time - Wasted Years (85) & Heaven Can Wait (86)

Powerslave (the song) was demoed back in 1983.

Wasted Years was written in 1985.
No Prayer For The Dying - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter (89) & 'Run Silent, Run Deep (86) Note: If we consider full songs it will be a tie between Run Silent, Run Deep, Holy Smoke & Tailgunner

I think the first one is Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter (written in 1989). Bruce wrote some the lyrics for Run Silent Run Deep back in 1986, but not the whole song. Steve had said that when he and Bruce met together for a writing session in 1990, they wrote Tailgunner, RSRD and Holy Smoke for one day - although we do not know if it was the first writing session.
Fear Of The Dark - From Here To Eternity (92) & Judas Be My Guide (92)

The X Factor - Lord Of The Flies (94) & The Aftermath (Late 93 - Early 94)

Source?
Brave New World - Blood Brothers (98) & Dream Of Mirrors (98)

+ The Nomad & The Mercenary (both in 1998). The Wicker Man was the first song that Maiden rehearsed for the BNW album.


I have to go thru all the interviews I have for the next albums and I would be incredibly grateful if someone can find that WWWB quote by Steve

I'll be happy if you share what info you gathered for the albums from these interviews. :) The quote by Steve about WTWWB is curious.... hope someone would share it.
 
No Prayer For The Dying - Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter (89) & 'Run Silent, Run Deep (86) Note: If we consider full songs it will be a tie between Run Silent, Run Deep, Holy Smoke & Tailgunner

Wouldn't Hooks in You be one of the first as well, as it's the only one with a credit from Sir Adrian Smith?

... Invaders is an updated version of the song ''Invasion'' (written around 1976/1977) ...

Is this really true? These two songs sound absolutely nothing alike. It's a similar name and theme, I think, but musically it's a completely different song.
 
Some info

Influence
Drifter was probably written around April 1974 and rehearsed with Influence as Drifting and also played by Smiler
Endless pit was probably written around July 1974 and rehearsed with Influence
Gypsy's Kiss
Burning Ambition was probably written around September-late 1974 and played live at the Cart & Horses with Gypsy's Kiss
Smiler
Transylvania was probably written early 1975 and played by Smiler with lyrics
Endless pit was rewritten in 1975 to Innocent Exile or Innocents in Exile and played by Smiler
Highway Road In Time was probably written in 1975 and played by Smiler
Pre-Iron Maiden
Charlotte was written around October 1975 and played by ?, Not Smiler....Ash Mountain someone called the band before Maiden....who knows
Iron Maiden with Paul Day, Terry Rance, Dave Sullivan, Steve Harris & Ron Matthews
Unreleased track 1 was probably written in the first 3 months of 1976
Strange World was probably written in the first part of 1976 and played live in August 1976 by Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden was probably written in the first part of 1976 and played live in August 1976 by Iron Maiden
Wrathchild was probably written in the first part of 1976
Another Life was probably written in the first part of 1976
Floating was probably written in the first part of 1976
Iron Maiden with Dennis Wilcock, Terry Rance, Dave Sullivan, Steve Harris & Ron Matthews
Burning Ambition played live first with Den in 1976 or 1977
Prowler probably written between September-November 1976
Transylvania played at least once with lyrics (rehearsal or live) in second half 1976
Iron Maiden with re-written lyrics second half 1976
Iron Maiden with Dennis Wilcock, Dave Murray, Bob Sawyer, Steve Harris & Ron Matthews
Charlotte the Harlot, rewritten/reworked late 1976
Sanctuary written in 1975 and played by Nitro and probably played the first time live in December 1976 with Iron Maiden
Invasion probably written late 1976 / early 1977
Prodigal Son was probably written in the first part of 1977 or first part of 1978 may have been played live in June 1977
Iron Maiden with Dennis Wilcock, Terry Wapram, Steve Harris, Thunderstick & Tony Moore
The Ides of March (No title before Killers) probably written late 1977 / early 1978 (November 1977-February 1978)
Parts of Phantom of the Opera probably written late 1977 / early 1978 (November 1977-February 1978) - Edit
Iron Maiden with Dennis Wilcock, Dave Murray, Steve Harris & Thunderstick
Prodigal Son was probably written in the first part of 1977 or first part of 1978 may have been played live in 8th of April 1978
Iron Maiden with Paul Di'Anno, Dave Murray, Paul Cairns, Steve Harris & Doug Sampson
The Ides of March (No title before Killers) played live the first time between February-April 1979
(recorded at the Ruskin Arms as a rehearsal before a gig in April 1979 and the sound was improved in January 1980 (19 & 20) when they recorded Running Free. This version was used as an intro tape later on)
Phantom of the Opera probably played live around March/April 1979 for the first time
Iron Maiden with Paul Di'Anno, Dave Murray, (Tony Parsons), Steve Harris & Doug Sampson
Remember Tomorrow probably written in the second part of 1979
Running Free probably written in the second part of 1979
Paul Di'Anno, Dave Murray, Dennis Stratton, Steve Harris & Clive Burr
Killers written in January 1980
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't Hooks in You be one of the first as well, as it's the only one with a credit from Sir Adrian Smith?



Is this really true? These two songs sound absolutely nothing alike. It's a similar name and theme, I think, but musically it's a completely different song.
I think it is the continuation of the song Invasion, a part 2
 
Is this really true? These two songs sound absolutely nothing alike. It's a similar name and theme, I think, but musically it's a completely different song.

I think I've read it somewhere (probably Steve had said about that) - I could be terribly wrong though.

Can someone confirm this ?
 
Strange World was also written around 1975/1976, if I'm not mistaken. Logic fact about Transylvania.


Yep. Innocent Exile was written even before Maiden. But Wrathchild in 1974?..... according to this thread (click here) - Wrathchild/Another Life/Innocent Exile/Purgatory(then ''Floating'')/Drifter were all written around 1975/1976.


I think you're right here. 22AA was modified from an old Urchin song. Invaders is an updated version of the song ''Invasion'' (written around 1976/1977) and in Download 2007 Bruce said that COTD was one of the very first songs that he rehearsed with Maiden after he joined them in 1981 (*the first song recorded for TNOTB album was Gangland, though). Gangland is probably the first song written with Bruce (or is it RTTH or TNOTB?


Can I ask you for a source for Flight Of Icarus ?


Powerslave (the song) was demoed back in 1983.

Wasted Years was written in 1985.


I think the first one is Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter (written in 1989). Bruce wrote some the lyrics for Run Silent Run Deep back in 1986, but not the whole song. Steve had said that when he and Bruce met together for a writing session in 1990, they wrote Tailgunner, RSRD and Holy Smoke for one day - although we do not know if it was the first writing session.


Source?


+ The Nomad & The Mercenary (both in 1998). The Wicker Man was the first song that Maiden rehearsed for the BNW album.




I'll be happy if you share what info you gathered for the albums from these interviews. :) The quote by Steve about WTWWB is curious.... hope someone would share it.

You're correct about Strange World. Actually, the song started around 75 but it was finished in 76.

I just recently discovered about Wrathchild mate, and yes, 1974 is the correct year. It sounded more like it was played in Metal for Muthas than the version of Killers.

Invasion IS a continuation of Invaders, however they're, as stated above, completely different songs. However, by the end of 1981 (around september) the song was already finished.

About Flight Of Icarus. Bruce stated in an interview 1983 (and he comments in his book) that Adrian used to play a sequence of chords in the bathroom in his house in Jersey (Bruce had the house next to Adrian) and that he (Bruce) started singing to this chords and the song was born.

@Kalata can you post the source for Wasted Years being written in 85 please?

About the songs of FOTD the source is Kerrang Magazine (seem to remember is late 1991 or early 92). The interviewer gets to listen the first songs, some of them are not completed, but the 2 I mentioned were ready.

About The X Factor. A Blaze Bayley interview.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention. Transylvania with lyrics was never played live, only in rehearsals.
 
Last edited:
About Flight Of Icarus. Bruce stated in an interview 1983 (and he comments in his book) that Adrian used to play a sequence of chords in the bathroom in his house in Jersey (Bruce had the house next to Adrian) and that he (Bruce) started singing to this chords and the song was born.

He also stated during band intros in 2010 (during Running Free) that Adrian wrote that riff in a toilet in North America backstage During beast On The Road using his Les Paul Goldtop.

Somehow, the backstage story is more believable for me... However, they could have rental apartments next to eachother in Jersey during POM rehearsals.
 
About the songs of FOTD the source is Kerrang Magazine (seem to remember is July or September 1992). The interviewer gets to listen the first songs, some of them are not completed, but the 2 I mentioned were ready.
The album was released in May '92
 
You're correct about Strange World. Actually, the song started around 75 but it was finished in 76.

I just recently discovered about Wrathchild mate, and yes, 1974 is the correct year. It sounded more like it was played in Metal for Muthas than the version of Killers.

Invasion IS a continuation of Invaders, however they're, as stated above, completely different songs. However, by the end of 1981 (around september) the song was already finished.

About Flight Of Icarus. Bruce stated in an interview 1983 (and he comments in his book) that Adrian used to play a sequence of chords in the bathroom in his house in Jersey (Bruce had the house next to Adrian) and that he (Bruce) started singing to this chords and the song was born.

@Kalata can you post the source for Wasted Years being written in 85 please?

About the songs of FOTD the source is Kerrang Magazine (seem to remember is July or September 1992). The interviewer gets to listen the first songs, some of them are not completed, but the 2 I mentioned were ready.

About The X Factor. A Blaze Bayley interview. I quote him in my book (you can buy via PayPal for 40 USD)

Oh! I almost forgot to mention. Transylvania with lyrics was never played live, only in rehearsals.

A Preview from my book https://issuu.com/luismarianorodriguezrojas/docs/detailed_discography_of_the_beast__preview_

My source for Wasted Years being written in 1985 is this comment: click here

So, let's recap: for POM (is Flight of Icarus), for FOTD (are FHTE and JBMG) and for TXF (is The Aftermath (late '93) ). - Thanks for that info, mate.

I'll be happy if you share info about which song was written first for the VXI, DOD, AMOLAD and TFF albums.
 
About Flight Of Icarus. Bruce stated in an interview 1983 (and he comments in his book) that Adrian used to play a sequence of chords in the bathroom in his house in Jersey (Bruce had the house next to Adrian) and that he (Bruce) started singing to this chords and the song was born.

If I remember correctly, Bruce mentions in his book Adrian playing the chorus in a toilet backstage somewhere in 1982 and him asking H to keep on playing so the very first version of the song was born.
 
Thanks,

Have you heard Highway Road in Time and if so does it have an connection to Black Bart Blues?

It has no connection to Black Bart Blues. And about who wrote Charlotte, you get the answer... You know where ::)
 
If I remember correctly, Bruce mentions in his book Adrian playing the chorus in a toilet backstage somewhere in 1982 and him asking H to keep on playing so the very first version of the song was born.

He doesn't mention that it was in 1982 and doesn't mention it was in a toilet backstage. Here's what he says:

"'Flight Of Icarus' began life in a toilet. Adrian was fond of playing guitar in bathrooms – he liked the ambience from the tiles – and, while he was noodling away, I heard a sequence of chords and started singing along to them. The chorus of 'Flight Of Icarus' just started flying like an eagle as a result."

Also, it must be noted that this comment is in the chapter "New Battery" and in the part where he comments about the days in Jersey '83 while writing Piece Of Mind.
 
I've been wondering for years why the fuck Iron Maiden flew to New Jersey to write albums sometimes. I've never been there personally, but I've never heard anything nice about it. Then I just Googled their earlier stuff, apparently there is also a Jersey in England, on the Island of Mankind? I'm thinking they probably went to that one.
 
Back
Top