Iron Maiden lyrics tournament final: Empire of the Clouds rises above all

Pick the song with the best lyrics from each pair

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .
I find The Assassin (both lyrics and music) more haunting than most songs in this list. I like the way Harris dove into the villain's perspective. The lyrics give a look into the mind, we're reading the thoughts of this obsessed assassin. There's a thrill of excitement described well in these lyrics and not unimportant: portrayed well by Bruce.

There is a good vocal with music relation: The couplets have suspenseful music (way more than Phantom IMO), fitting well to the lyrical content. On top of that Janick's guitar interacts neatly with Bruce in every last verse before the choruses.
 
Last edited:
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this. I think the performance of the song is really awful by Maiden's standards.
 
Yes I guess we'll have to indeed. I love this song a lot, but I tried to keep my post to a minimum, just lyric related.
 
The Assassin has a very good atmosphere, almost a James Bond feel to it, that is until we get to the chorus...

"Better watch out!" x20
 
If the assassin was about a specific assassin or historical figure (and the song chronicled some memorable kill/incident), then the song could have been quite interesting. As it stands written, the lyrics feel a bit sophomoric to me...which is a shame because I do agree with @Forostar and @Collin that the atmosphere/suspense is good.
 
Most of these lyrics are fine, so this round is forcing me to be a bit more critical. I'm not going to comment on everything I voted for, since I ended up going with pretty much everything that was less than excellent. With some songs it just came down to whether or not I connected with the subject material.

A few I do want to comment on:

Phantom - I find the Assassin comparisons interesting because these two lyrics aren't all that different, at least in what they're trying to accomplish. I think the effect of the lyrics is mostly enhanced by the music behind it, so the "fit" criteria is certainly met. However, where this song really falls flat is, once again, the "poetry" criteria. If this game has shown me anything, it's that Steve is really good at coming up with interesting ideas with songs and you can usually get the big picture. Once you start dissecting the individual lyrics they often have a lot of flaws. I've never been big on the word choice with this song. The very first verse almost feels like word vomit. It's wordy, but it doesn't say all that much. It's a good idea and definitely one of the better lyrical moments of the early albums, but it still desperately needed an editor.

Innocent Exile - More lazily written lyrics with a regurgitated theme.

22 Acacia Avenue - This is one that I nearly didn't vote for. They are good lyrics for what they are, but frankly I have a difficult time connecting with its subject matter. That doesn't make it bad, but it also doesn't make it a lyric that is particularly special to me.

The Alchemist - Another one I almost didn't vote for. The sheer creativity of the song's subject gives it points in my book, but I had to vote for something.

When The River Runs Deep - There are a few songs on TBOS with lyrics that seem a bit aimless. They're all from Steve and it feels like he's going through the motions. Revisiting old topics in a way that's too vague for my liking. Mystery is great, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it seems like even the author doesn't know what they're writing about. Now does every song need to have a meaning? Definitely not. But it is a bit more important in a game like this.

And to defend a few:

Death or Glory - The side effect of pushing for a more visceral and progressive musical and lyrical direction is a fan base that forgot how to have fun. Death Or Glory really hearkens back to the 80s war themed lyrics where they were almost romanticizing the subjects. Lyrics like Aces High or The Trooper. There's nothing there about the long term affects of war on soldiers, no criticism of politicians who sent them there, and no terrifying descriptions of a bloody battle. Yet, these lyrics are still just as effective at painting a picture in your head. If "climb like a monkey" is the most appropriate simile (straight from the pilot's own words), why go with anything else.

Honestly I'm more surprised that the whole monkey thing got more backlash than the cliched title.

Ben Breeg isn't in danger but I want to point it out as an example of mystery and vagueness done right, since that is a criticism I've thrown at a couple other songs. You learn enough about this character that you're intrigued and the lyrics seem focused to the point that it feels like Steve gave a certain amount of thought to the backstory. By the end of it you come out of the song wanting to learn more about this mysterious Benjamin Breeg. Or at least I do. One of the more interesting lyrics in the Maiden canon.
 
soundwave said:
If the assassin was about a specific assassin or historical figure (and the song chronicled some memorable kill/incident), then the song could have been quite interesting. As it stands written, the lyrics feel a bit sophomoric to me...which is a shame because I do agree with @Forostar and @Collin that the atmosphere/suspense is good.
Click to expand...
Songs can also be interesting for psychological reasons.
http://www.ironmaidencommentary.com...ommentary08_npftd&lang=eng&link=albums#track6

Some other Maiden songs also don't have historical figures specifically/clearly mentioned. Only interviews or introductions on stage have helped us. Unfortunately I haven't found much on The Assassin apart from that short comment by Bruce. The motivation behind the song would be interesting. Was there a certain historical figure, something in the news, or was it inspired by a film that led Steve to delving into the subject? Without these answers, we still have the execution(!) and how it works in the music. And that is interesting enough for me to enter the game.
 
Sounds more like a random Hollywood thriller that inspired them.
 
The Apparition

The lyrics of this song are interesting when you put them in context of Maiden's career, because we hear a positive advise -uttered by some kind of ghost or spirit (which could even be Steve himself, advising himself- about life and the road one can take.

... Live your life with a passion
Everything you, do well
You only get out of life what you put in ...

and check this out:

... can the soul live on through space and time? ...

... You don't be alarmed now, if I try to contact you
If things go missing or get moved around ...

... We'll meet up again some place, some way, one day ...

Some way indeed! When listening to The Final Frontier Steve's input shows a continuation of this positive message, but now in a more reflecting way.
Space and time return, plus an attempt of contact.

... I think of my life, reliving the past
There's nothing but wait 'til my time comes
I've had a good life, I'd do it again
Maybe I'll come back some time, my friends

For I have lived my life to the full
I have no regrets
But I wish I could talk to my family
To tell them one last goodbye ...

... If I could survive to live one more time
I wouldn't be changing a thing at all
Done more in my life than some do in ten
I'd go back and do it all over again ...

... There isn't much time, must say my last rites
Nobody is here to read them to me
Must say my goodbyes, if only a line
A message to tell them in case they might find ...

The perspective might be different, but I see The Apparition's lyrics as an integral part of the positive aura circling above the band, and its motivator, Steve Harris.
I think this is not portrayed so well (in this manner) in any other song. The circle is round with The Final Frontier.

A. In The Apparition an advice is told to someone
B. That someone lives his life
C. And in The Final Frontier he reflects on that life, and surely shows that he has followed the advice.
One might even imagine that this someone (which is Steve of course) has again contact with the same spirit, but now Steve talks, and the Apparition "listens".

So I do find the lyrics important, and very uplifting. I can imagine that they even can support people who have lost a friend or a dear family member.

Musically the band ventures into the realm of "hotspaces". We hear short sudden silences in the couplets, because all the musicians and Bruce, play and sing and stop in sync, and continue together again. The lyrics gel well in these moments.

When Bruce sings "it's true!", the song suddenly continues in a different key, and the synth comes in, creating a different mood (like a sudden realization of the message).

Also note the last chord which is chosen very well (I bet it's no coincidence), because the next song starts with the same chord. During that moment Bruce sings his last line of the song, like he means to say: "to be continued!":
a prophetic line.
 
Forostar said:
The Apparition

The lyrics of this song are interesting when you put them in context of Maiden's career, because we hear a positive advise -uttered by some kind of ghost or spirit (which could even be Steve himself, advising himself- about life and the road one can take.

... Live your life with a passion
Everything you, do well
You only get out of life what you put in ...
Click to expand...
I think The Apparition is somewhat of a paradox. The lyrics state "Everything you do, do well," however this song is awful and pretty much completely unlistenable. Steve really should have followed the advice of his own lyrics...
 
The Apparition is one of my least favourite Maiden songs.
But the lyrics are solid.
 
Virus is another one that is not too popular that people need to read before voting.
 
Twilight Zone - I don't mind the subject matter, the connection to Purgatory is cool. These lyrics aren't very well written. Again, they read more like a first draft. Also double negatives in lyrics are a pet peeve of mine. It's sometimes fine if they're going for a certain effect (I've seen arguments that the double negative "we don't need no education" in Another Brick In the Wall is meant to be taken literally), but in most cases it just seems lazy. Little things like that make this a cut below the rest.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Moves the half baked plot along, but nothing special beyond that.

Fates Warning/Childhood's End - I spent some time trying to decide what it is about the more socially conscious early 90s lyrics that doesn't work for me. It wasn't until this game that I gave it much thought, but I find these among the first that are clearly not at the level of the other lyrics. I think the biggest problem is they, like many other things on these albums,. come off as contrived. They consciously avoided continuing down the path of the late 80s albums and forced themselves to do something different. There's nothing wrong with that, but if the inspiration to do so isn't really there then the results aren't going to come out quite right. The result is a very surface level look at these issues by a lyricist who probably read something in the paper and quickly scribbled out a song about it. I know they're better at more serious subjects because you can easily compare these lyrics to the much superior X Factor which deals with deeper topics at a deeper level.

The Fugitive/The Pilgrim - These lyrics both have that surface level problem. They are written fine but don't really inspire much interest in the subject matter.

The Apparition - I think some people have already used the "guy in a bar rambling" criticism for some lyrics in earlier rounds, that's the vibe I get from this lyric.

When Two Worlds Collide - Decent concept that is executed fine, but it doesn't really give that sense of urgency and drama that you would expect from the subject.

The Red and the Black - It's a cool idea and there is some decent imagery there, but it is much less adventurous than the other Harris epics. I think he wanted to let the instruments do the talking for this song.

Shadows of the Valley - File this one under "aimless TBOS lyrics".
-
 
Fuck the nineties. Crap lyrics, Steve.
upload_2016-9-11_19-21-1-png.4960


You too Bruce.
hqdefault.jpg
 
Strange World & Twilight Zone & Fates Warning - amateurish rhymes.

Childhood's End - broad questions and amateurish rhymes.

The Fugitive - "A stop to look about, then off again."

The Apparition - fragments upon fragments upon Steve's social commentary.

Look for the Truth - awkward phrasing.

Virus - "Back in my day, kiddies, we weren't terrible people and here's why!"

When Two Worlds Collide - because...ugh, it's so bad.

New Frontier - because I actually like the chorus here, but the verses are so jumbled it hurts me.

The Red and the Black - I truly dislike the meter and rhyme scheme. Too many words, too many forced rhymes.
 
Forostar said:
:facepalm:
Click to expand...

"In a world of delusion
Never turn your back on a friend
'cause you can count your
Real true friends on one hand"

"In a world of confusion
People never say what they mean
If you want a straight answer
Go look for one
Right now"

I get the overall point, but it sounds like another one of Steve's, "Here's my thoughts on things about everyday life" songs that he's just justifying with a metaphoric supernatural theme.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top