Run to the Hills

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How good is Run to the Hills on a scale of 1-10?

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Stardust said:
Sure, you may hear the chorus and that opening section every time you tune into the classic rock radio channel,
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The only time I’ve heard this song on radio is via SiriusXM, and even then it’s the heavier channels that play it. Otherwise, the only Maiden song I have ever heard on radio has been Flight of Icarus. Of course this may have to do with the fact that we live in different places.
 
"Fear of the Dark" used to be played all over when I was little. I remember even some non-metal radio stations played it once in a while. It was a very popular song here in Brazil. Other than that, I can't really think of any.
 
Younger Bruce uses his voice to full effect here. The drum intro, the riff, the chorus, everything is perfect.

My Top 5 is really tight, but damn, this may just remain #2 after all. 10/10.
 
A drum groove introduces a screechy but melodic lead and a strong intro vocal. This breaks into a driving, galloping verse and a brief, tension-building pre-chorus before breaking into a bright, cheesy chorus.

Another round of verse through chorus and we break into an excellent solo, which leads into an ascending bridge with "yeahs" and "ahs" that build into a great scream that bleeds back into the chorus, before finishing on a soaring scream over a big rock ending.

The lyrics and chorus are cheesy (and maybe even mildly racist by 2018 standards :blink:), but the music and vocals are great, and this song clearly has something special going on. 9/10.
 
Jer said:
this song clearly has something special going on. 9/10.
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Jer said:
and maybe even mildly racist by 2018 standards :blink:
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To be fair, I think they intended that. The white men aren't exactly the heroes of the song....
 
Diesel 11 said:
To be fair, I think they intended that. The white men aren't exactly the heroes of the song...
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No, I mean the word choices for the lyrics from the perspective of the Native Americans are a little cringey in modern times, but would've been totally fine in 1982.
 
Jer said:
No, I mean the word choices for the lyrics from the perspective of the Native Americans are a little cringey in modern times, but would've been totally fine in 1982.
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Those words were chosen when the lyrics come from the place of the piece's villain. I prefer to think of it as "calling it how it was".
 
Killer said:
'run To The Hills'

Run to the hills was the first song I ever heard from Iron Maiden. It hooked me coz of the topic of the song itself. All the idea about the indian wars, the energy of the song... I was about eight years old when I heard it the first time and I've liked Maiden since.
Musically, it's interesting (energetic, great drums, great bass line), but I agree with those who state that is not the best of maiden.
However, I'd like to point out the theme of the song. Most of the internet sources I've seen about this particular song, in my opinion, miss the most important part of it, the indian wars, its topic. Being from a country where the europeans invaded and murdered the indigenous population, makes me quite fond of this song, and it was what called my attention upon it.
I feel that even today, there has been no proper dignification of these original population of the continent. Out here, in Latin America, we are all decendants of them, aztecs, mayas, zapotecas, toltecas, incas, moche, charruas, etc., and we feel so proud of their civilizations and of the fact that we have their blood runing in our veins. However, the few pure breed indians left, live in awful conditions and not many care about them.
Just as Run to the Hills lyrics say, white men came from europe, took their lands, murdered and raped (specially the spaniards seem to be very fond of raping the women) for decades and centuries (302 years in the case of the spaniards). They where trough hell, just as the cover of the single, where eddie fights the devil in hell, they fought to almost extermination. So what I love of this song is that it makes me feel the bravery of their warriors, the angst of their people and reminds me that they (the ones that still live in my country) should be regarded as mexicans, peruvians, chileans, etc., and not as it happens, as "brute indians". And that we should fight with them for equal opportunities as any other citicen of the free countries they inhabit.
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Technically, I believe that Run to the Hills was mainly written about the Lakota and the "hills" are likely the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. The song also mentions "soldier blue" which is a reference to the calvary uniforms worn by soldiers of the indian wars in the 1870's
 
An anthem if there ever was one, "Run to the Hills" opens with Clive Burr's drumbeats before we head into a fantastic riff that starts Bruce off with lyrics from the perspectives of Indians who are beaten off their land by the white man. Things change and we enter the perspective of the whites themselves, dastardly knaves who just want land and gold. The verses are great and the chorus is fantastic, one of the best things they've ever done. This is the song that made me become an Iron Maiden fan, and it works better live today than it ever has. It's perfect. 10
 
Trivia

Although it does feel this song is WAY over played it is Maiden's fifth most played song.

During the first Gulf War, one of the Queen's regiments played the song as they were going into battle.

Bruce revealed that parts of the song are based on the "rising sixth", inspired by a documentary he watched which explored why 'My Way' was one of the most popular recorded songs.

Would you like to know more stuff like this from EVERY Maiden song? Subscribe here https://www.subscribepage.com/luisma666 to buy my ebook
 
Eternal classic! One of the essential Maiden songs. Awesome intro, great drumming, verses and the chorus is even better. Very good solo from Dave and bass playing from Steve. The part before the first scream is so good. The end of the song is brutal. This song introduced the galloping style, which became a trademark for Maiden. The song is perfect for a concert closer. 10/10
 
That intro is so fucking cool. Clive’s drumming, that fantastic guitar riff, and Bruce really showing everyone how it’s done. Man. And then the break into the gallop which perfectly brings to life the song’s subject. Soaring chorus. Great solos. This song really has it all. It’s catchy, it’s classic, and it’s the track that made me fall in love with the band. Still great (and the lyrics are still relevant today just as they were in 1982). 10/10
 
The next of the big classics. I enjoy the vocal harmonies in the chorus, but all in all this one is even more overplayed than the title track for me. It's a fantastic vocal showcase for Bruce (must've been fascinating to see the first impressions back when it first released) but other than that I'm simply not a big fan of it. TNOTB was a high 6, this one's is barely a 6, almost gave it a 5.
 
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