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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    16
It's historically important to the band and a great live experience, but in comparison to their whole repertoire isn't so remarkable on the album. 7/10 (though 8 live).
 
10/10, and my first one. This song is an absolute masterpiece. I understand some people may be tired of it but the reason they are is because it's such a popular tune in the first place. I genuinely cannot see a thing out of place in this song and it has more than stood the test of time. The drum intro is perfect, the gallop is perfect, the chorus is killer and the solo is great.

Rankings:

Previous Albums:

1980 - Iron Maiden - 6.67

8 - Prowler
6 - Sanctuary
7 - Remember Tomorrow
6 - Running Free
9 - Phantom Of The Opera
7 - Transylvania
4 - Strange World
6 - Charlotte The Harlot
7 - Iron Maiden

1981 - Killers - 5.91

6 - The Ides Of March
6 - Wrathchild
6 - Murders In The Rue Morgue
5 - Another Life
5 - Genghis Khan
5 - Innocent Exile
8 - Killers
5 - Prodigal Son
8 - Purgatory
6 - Twilight Zone
5 - Drifter

1982 - The Number Of The Beast

6 - Invaders
7 - Children Of The Damned
8 - The Prisoner
7 - 22 Acacia Avenue
9 - The Number Of The Beast
10 - Run To The Hills
 
Another classic song, great live song and a song that always give me a good mood. Run to the hills must have been a unique song when it came out, no one had that kind of tempo and galloping rytmn. 9/10
 
10/10

Another I initially disliked quite a bit, Run to the Hills would almost be hilarious if it wasn’t so freakin’ catchy. Who are these British folks in spandex and why are they singing about raping Indians?! It’s an iconic song, but overplayed for sure. Nevertheless, the chorus is gigantic (probably the biggest in Maiden’s history) and Clive drums his ass off. Murray’s solo and Bruce’s wails during the bridge are fantastic.
 
This song deserves recognition for a few reasons:

  • It's arguably the most famous Maiden song.
  • It is probably our first real showcase of the classic Maiden gallop.
  • The chorus
  • The lyrics, they're well written and work great within the framework of the song.
This one really suffers from being overplayed though, I'm enjoying it as I listen to it but that's probably because I haven't heard it in a long time. It always feels a bit tired to me when they do it live and it is seriously overplayed on Metal radio shows and such. Good song, but it has lost some of its power for me, unfortunately. Still has a great buildup in the middle.

6
 
I've got to be honest here, "Run To The Hills" is and will always be my favorite Maiden song.

It was one of the first Maiden songs I heard, yes, but I love it for more than just how cool it was when I first heard it. This is what made me fall in love with Maiden. Before I heard RTTH I just thought of them as a metal band. Then I heard it and wow. The chorus is, in my opinion, amazing, as is everything else about the song.

I can see why many would say it's overrated, but too be honest, I'd almost rather here people say, "Oh yeah, 'Run To The Hills' is my favorite Maiden song," even if they don't know any other Maiden song, than seeing "Hallowed Be Thy Name" top every single list. (Not that there's anything wrong with the song, I love it too.)

But yeah, "Run To The Hills" is Maiden's finest hour in my opinion.
 
Yes it's a bit over familiar but if you remove that perception and just concentrate on the music, it's bloody brilliant.

The music matches the lyrics so well, the gallop is brilliant and the chorus is probably the strongest of all the early Maiden albums.

An easy 9
 
Another classic. The signature gallop. I feel I have not given Clive enough praise, so this is the track where he should be praised for the drum work he did on it. It is a great song.

8/10
 
I don’t think this song deserves to be Maiden’s most popular, but that’s just because they have put out a large number of incredible songs. It’s still a great song. 9/10
 
6. Not a bad song by any means, but it's pretty simple and a little bit monotonous, not up to Maiden's (high) standards. The lyrics are great, though, and the intro kicks ass!
 
...why do I feel like people liked this song but eventually decided they thought it was so overplayed and that was why they started to dislike it? Disregarding that it really hasn't been played all that much in the last few years, it just feels weird that this is the one people are so sick of. Sure, you may hear the chorus and that opening section every time you tune into the classic rock radio channel, but I don't think that should really distract away from what is a blazing, furious song with a massive chorus which sticks in your head for a big reason. This song became a classic for a reason and it's the pounding, angry gallop, the fantastic solo which make this a joy to listen to.

It's not quite 9 or 10 material, in my opinion, but it's the highest 8/10 I can possibly give to a Maiden song.
 
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