Origins of Hallowed Be Thy Name

Welsh Phantom

Welsh Phantom

Ancient Mariner
I found out the other day that Hallowed is actually based on a song by Beckett from 1974.

Not only is the mood very similar, but even a verse is lifted straight from the Beckett song!!

Is it just me who didn't know this, or has Steve kept this very quiet?

The full Beckett song is here (and it's very good too!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNjbkYi6 ... re=related

Spot the lyric!  ;)
 
No offense, but that is old news. It is even mentioned in the Commentary. Also, the instrumental section was copied in The Nomad.
 
Perun said:
No offense, but that is old news. It is even mentioned in the Commentary. Also, the instrumental section was copied in The Nomad.
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No offence taken, but this was definatley news to me.  Quite suprised that this was not more 'commonly' known. I don't remember reading it in any Maiden biographies.
 
I don't recall the connection to Hallowed being in the IMC. I know Mav mentioned the Nomad connection, but this is the first I've heard about Hallowed.

Which obviously means I never heard the song until I clicked on the link above, since Steve obviously lifted those lyrics straight from Beckett. And that in turn is extremely disappointing. That's the best lyric in the entire Maiden catalog, and I just now learned Steve didn't write it himself.

However, saying that Hallowed is "based on" this song is dead wrong. Steve did write a bunch of his own lyrics to go with the lines he stole, and he deserves all the credit for writing lyrics which set up those lines well. Or in other words: Steve stole the lyrics, but perhaps he can be forgiven because he used them better. And the rest of Hallowed is its own song, with no other similarities to this Beckett song.
 
Yeah, I watched that video too. Interesting, if those facts are correct. Especially interesting that Smallwood was Beckett's agent.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
However, saying that Hallowed is "based on" this song is dead wrong. Steve did write a bunch of his own lyrics to go with the lines he stole, and he deserves all the credit for writing lyrics which set up those lines well. Or in other words: Steve stole the lyrics, but perhaps he can be forgiven because he used them better. And the rest of Hallowed is its own song, with no other similarities to this Beckett song.
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Of course all credit to Steve for his writing input.

I suppose what I mean by 'based on' is that Steve used some ideas as a 'basis' for his creation (such as the opening mood of the song, with the low single bass notes ringing out, and the overall lyrical feel of 'moving on' to the next life)

Interestingly (if my memory is correct!), the printed lyrics on the inner sleeve of the vinyl version of TNOTB, read:

'Life down THERE is just a strange illusion'

which is the actual lyric sung by Beckett. Doesn't Bruce sing 'Life down HERE is just a strange illusiion'?
 
I don't mind artists/bands taking lines or verses from other songs, but they should make a reference to the original artist. I found about this some time ago, but I'm still surprised how little this is discussed compared to other things.
 
Reumeren said:
I don't mind artists/bands taking lines or verses from other songs, but they should make a reference to the original artist. I found about this some time ago, but I'm still surprised how little this is discussed compared to other things.
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There is an indirect reference in the fact that Maiden covered Rainbow's Gold by Beckett on the Two Minutes to Midnight single. To me that means that they never intended to make a secret out of it.
 
I don't think that's any kind of reference, Per. Should we also then assume that Maiden stole a verse from "Aqualung" because they covered "Cross-Eyed Mary"?

Or: because they stole lyrics from Genesis (you know where, right?*) should we expect them to cover a Genesis song?


* For those who don't know, since I'm sure Perun does:
Some lines in "Sign Of The Cross" are taken from the Genesis song "Supper's Ready".
 
Note:  this very connection between Iron Maiden and Beckett is addressed in the FAQ page for this bulletin board here:

"Even Maiden have lifted some pieces of their work from other artists. The most obvious example is some lyrics from the song Hallowed Be Thy Name and parts of the instrumental section of The Nomad, both taken from songs of a band named Beckett. The band have, however, covered a song from that band as a B-Side. This song even contains some lyrics that were re-used for "Hallowed", so it can't really be said that they wanted to keep it a secret and gave everybody who was interested a very strong hint (which hasn't been quite understood until very recently, though)."

  I also recall reading somewhere -- maybe a member can point out where -- that Rod Smallwood managed Beckett before managing Iron Maiden.  So, I think it's fair to assume that this is a friendly tribute rather than a cynical rip-off.  That they did it twice only reinforces that assumption.  Finally, given that there hasn't been litigation over this, the assumption must be that Maiden got permission to use the lyrics and melody -- and may even have paid Beckett for such use!

So, just enjoy, and don't be too disappointed.  Think of it as a literary allusion in Joyce.   
 
I guess I can understand both sides on this one. The lyrics are almost always pointed out as the best part of the song, but I'm not too bothered with this. I was more shocked when I heard the riff from Midnight Chaser xD

Perun said:
There is an indirect reference in the fact that Maiden covered Rainbow's Gold by Beckett on the Two Minutes to Midnight single. To me that means that they never intended to make a secret out of it.
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That's most likely the case, but I still think they should have referenced it somehow, considering how few fans are aware of this. Maybe ''inspired by...'' or something like that - I have seen other bands do that.
 
This link takes you to an interesting YouTube video noting all the connections between Maiden and Beckett -- there are many.  Unfortunately, the link to the remastered Beckett album doesn't work.
 
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