Public Enema Number One

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How good is Public Enema Number One on a scale of 1-10?

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    17
A title derided by many, but I actually like the pun and implications here. "Public Enema" is a pretty cool song with some interesting lyrics and a great chorus and solos. Not very Maiden-esque, but here it works quite well. 7
 
Nice intro, great riffs and good verses. The chorus is not that good (slows the song). Very good solo from Dave. The verses are the best part. 6/10
 
The title is a pun in English.
The normal meaning of the word "enema" is "enema", but because of the sound
of resemblance to the word "enemy", is used ironically to
describe someone living at the expense of society.
The song opens with a McBrain exclamation point and closes again with
to say "Fwat Ho!", which means "Hello!" in the Cockney dialect
(see "Losfer Words (Big‘ Orra) ").
The phrase "California Dreaming", which is used in the lyrics
is an English idiom established by the song
"California Dreamin '" (untranslated) by The Mamas And The Pappas, from
album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears"
According to Dickinson, the lyrics of the song summarize him
modern way of life in big cities, which is based on
individualism and indifference to fellow human beings and to what is taking place
destruction of the natural environment.
 
Cool dual guitar before waves of heaviness roll in for a rocking verse, and then the chorus comes in and it’s a really nice melodic piece. Bruce’s rasp sounds so good on this song (“guns and RIOTS!”). Love that tasty solo of Dave’s. Just about everything in this one works. Excellent rocker from ‘90s Maiden. 9/10
 
I do like this song, and the whole album, but what I Really don't understand was the writing process behind the whole Album. Like some of the songs sound more like Punk Rock songs than Metal Songs, almost as if Iron Maiden are trying to be edgy while still revisiting their early 80s roots when Paul Di Anno was the lead singer. Something must have happened that really set Harris or Dickinson off, but I don't know what, this song, alongside Holy Smoke and the Titular Track "No Prayer For The Dying", seem to be very misanthropic in lyrical content and I don't understand why it got so Misanthropic. I don't know what triggered Harris or Dickinson but the world was extremely volatile circa 1989-1990, The Soviet Union was collapsing and fully collapsed the year after this album was made, The Berlin Wall had Fallen, which I reckon is another reason why "Mother Russia" was made. It's not a bad album, and I know this is gonna sound a bit picky but I do think the lyrical content in it is a bit misanthropic, and the album sounds more like a Punk Rock album than a proper metal album at parts. It's no wonder they never play songs from this album live anymore.
 
This one was a bit of a sleeper hit for me. Never really disliked it, but my appreciation for it grew immensely over the years. Yeah, the title is a childish pun (though it took me years to learn that. I previously thought it was some kind of typo) but the actual lyrics work pretty well and the music is stellar.

We start out with a dual lead and some fun bass playing by Steve. The verses feature a Bruce perfectly between melodic and fierce. The chorus slows down for a bit, but we also get some vocal harmonies. The song trucks along as we go into the next verse and chorus.

We get multiple fun key changes throughout the song and the instrumental section features one as well. Nothing much to say about the solo. It might not be the most interesting solo in the world, but it is a perfect fit for the song.

The final chorus features a second repetition in double time and some added lead guitar, which is a pretty fun touch and welcome variation. Another 9 overall!
 
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