Sea of Madness

How good is Sea of Madness on a scale of 1-10?

  • Total voters
    36
gor

gor

Ancient Mariner
I was reading a BNW era dickinson interview in which this was mentioned. If the lyrics are about someone who is going insane, could they be about hamlet? I haven't read the play so I wouldn't know, but anyway, its a cool fact that i didn't know. the title is a direct quote from Hamlet, III, i, 59.
 
'sea Of Madness'

Many titles have been inspired by Shakespeare's quotes. 'The Evil That Men Do' comes to mind...
 
'sea Of Madness'

Knowing Maiden it is very likely that it was inspired by Hamlet. They have other songs making refrence or based on literature. It's a safe bet in any case.
 
'sea Of Madness'

Now, you can read other visitors' comments on 'Sea Of Madness' as well as post your own. Any contribution to the commentary will be much appreciated, may it be cultural references relevant to the song (links to related websites, interpretations that may have been overlooked in the Commentary, and the like) or personal essays related to the topic of the song. Just be aware that messages that are either off-topic or too wacky may be deleted.
 
'sea Of Madness'

My vote: 4 stars. A very good song, and another one that I like more now than when it first came out. I think Bruce was great on this song: something about his verse melody really does sound like madness to me.
 
'sea Of Madness'

This is one of the few songs that I don´t like at all. It lacks heaviness and the drumming gets my mind and my ears very confused.

Maybe I should listen to it a bit more, I don´t know really...
 
'sea Of Madness'

I don't know, Bruce sounds very strained and superficial on this track, but reading some of the comments here, it seems that this was intentional to give it an element of madness. Any comments on this?
 
'sea Of Madness'

A somewhat weird song to my ears, it definitely has something to it which is interesting, but at the same time makes listening to it quite difficult. It's not among my favourites on the album, but it's still a good one.
 
'sea Of Madness'

A great song, really, but it starts off a little rocky. When you first start listening to it, everything seems to be...out of place for some reason. When the solos kick in, everything seems to come together. I'm not sure if that was the mood that H was trying to set, but that's what seemed to happen. After the solos, and when the music picks up again, it just a seems a lot better. The song's underrated, really.

5 stars.
 
'sea Of Madness'

Another "lighter" sounding beauty. I disagree that Bruce sounds superficial, to me it's quite the contrary.
The slow middle section is nice, it reminds me of Def Leppard. And Adrian's solo, as many a time, sends me all the way up. [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--] Four and a half.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

This song is my 2nd favourite Maiden song, thus second favourite song overall :)

I think it's one of the key elements of the futuristic time travel theme of the album. A lot of 80's SF movies depict the apocalyptical future, with mayhem and anarchy going on...IMHO, this song is about that.

Out in the street somebody's crying
Out in the night the fires burn
Maybe tonight somebody's crying
Reached the point of no return
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First two verses describe the typical scenario...street gangs, brutality, that sort of stuff. Second two verses would depict a person that has been pulled into that world, and he/she can't go back.

Oh – my eyes they see but I can’t believe
Oh – my heart is heavy as I turn back and leave
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This could be releated to time travel. The traveller warps to the futuristical world, and he cannot believe what kind of world he saw. He left, depressed, with a "heavy heart", knowing what future will look like.

Like the eagle and the dove
Fly so high on wings above
When all you see can only bring you sadness
Like a river we will flow
On towards the sea we go
When all you do can only bring you sadness
Out on the sea of madness...
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The chorus would describe an need for something "larger than life" in that new world. Because all you see will only bring you sadness, however, there's no escape, hence the "on towards the sea we go".

Somewhere’s I hear a voice that’s calling
Out in the dark there burns a dream
You’ve got to hope when you are falling
To find the world that you have seen
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The traveller senses that somebody is praying to escape the "sea of madness" eg. the world, the person dreams of an better world. The person is falling, eg, the new world is assimitaling him, and his only hope is to find that better world some day.

It’s madness...
The sun don’t shine
On the sea of madness
There ain’t no wind to fill your sails
Madness when all you see can only bring you sadness
On towards the sea we go....
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First two verses...another depiction of the new world. Second two verses...nothing will push you to progress in that world, you're stuck in it, your hopes and goals are lost, no wind to fill your sails.

This is how i see that song. Altrough someone mentioned that it could be about psychological madness, i think that this explanation is more logical, and generally fits into the album theme. Musically fits also...the intro riff represents something chaotical...pre-chorus riff, "oh..my eyes they see" part, from an minor scale with the creepy synth in the background, totally fits into the depressive, but energetic mood when the traveller saw what the world looks like.

The slow part is simply beautiful...H's solo is a killer one, also. Masterpiece.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

Interesting thoughts on the lyrics, Zare. The slow part of the song is really beautiful, actually that's the side of the song that I have enjoyed most. But when you think of it, the lyrics are good, too - meaningful and a little hard to get into if you look for the deeper meaning of it.

Some songs on SIT has a bit one-dimensional lyrics that are simply a story-line or a description of something. Sea of Madness is one exception.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

Here's interview of Bruce prior to SIT release;

I suppose that everything around us has an influence, but I think that books or films are pretty much determinant. This time, each of us wrote the lyrics to his music. Steve has written great songs, with really beautiful choruses, beautiful melodies. You know, he was so scared that it would sound "mainstream" that, when he played the tapes to us, we were all in stitches... It was almost Speed Metal! Adrian writes song on a much more medium tempo. His lyrics are pretty much... say... traditional, mixed with a Bad Company kind of style, very open, but also based on personal experiences and feelings. There's a song that deal with the way you feel when you reach the top with your band. It's the best time of your life, you have to enjoy it, to live intensely every moment of it. There's another one about violence in the large cities, and the fear it generates. Steve has written more "Maiden-tradition" songs. His songs are about a Greek warrior, about a man who sells his soul to the devil. Oh yes, there's also one about the thoughts of a dying man who sees his soul leave his body, but who simply refuses death...
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It's clear that first song is Wasted Years, second Sea Of Madness. Thus, my view of the song could be more closer to H's intention than official commentary (speaking of a man that's slipping into madness or the state of mankind).
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

From the Commentary:

Sea Of Madness' is another psychological sort of song, which might be about someone who is slowly slipping into madness, although the lyrics are fairly ambiguous. Its start is a little rocky, but the great chorus and guitar solos rescue it and make it another excellent song.

It seems that the "Sea of Madness" is some sort of metaphor of the current state of Mankind, although it can be argued that things have always been like this since the dawn of humanity and that they will quite unfortunately remain this way for many centuries to come. Fires are burning, people cry, and the character describing all this simply turns his back and leaves. Confronted to so much violence and misery, it is sometimes hard to do anything at all and the best is sometimes quite simply to walk away from it all...

This song has always reminded me of Hieronymus Bosch's painting called The Ship Of Fools, which is also an allegory of Mankind's often appalling condition. This seems to indicate that, already in the late 15th Century, when the painting was made, artists were representing our civilisation as a ship with a crew of fools set adrift on a sea of madness.

Judging by this in particular, it does seem like Maverick was talking about "violence in cities".  External madness (city violence) does pre-suppose some sort of internal madness.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

Judging by Harris' interview i've read, this song doesn't releate to time at all. He said that Adrian wrote about city violence in present time.

GK, Maverick's commentary entry leaves this explanation as a last resort, and basically one should know what to look for in order to find it in his text. His main premise is the cataclysmic state of Mankind, furtherly elaborated by the Bosch's painting.

Maybe we are sometimes trying to find a true meaning of the song deeper than the author's one. However, i cannot escape the overly futuristic sound of this song. This song sounds most futuristic on the whole record, together with harmony parts of Deja Vu.

Again, a lot of people seem unconfortable with the rocky intro. I did once too...when i first got SIT, it blew me away as a record, but i always seemed to skip this track. It did grew on me eventually, and now it's among my favourite songs ever.

Imagine stepping into a time-portal. One second you're here, second after you're in the middle of the futuristic megalopolis, people are killing themselves on the streets around you. This rocky start, for me, perfectly projects the very moment, your first second in that environment.

Also, the album cover, the intro track on the tour...Blade Runner. Blade Runner depicts that type of cities.

I can agree with Maverick, that the lyrics are fairly ambigous. And, that's not typical for Adrian Smith. I'd say that this is his most untypical work. However, i think that music in the song speaks even more than the very lyrics.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

I can't get enough of this song.  The second Maiden album I bought was SIT.  Er, that was Tuesday, believe it or not.  I only started listening to Maiden a week ago.

When I got to this song, I had to put it on track repeat to hear it again and again.  Spent about 2 hours doing that while I was working.

The vocal harmonies and the guitar work are incredible.  The drums are tight and accent everything perfectly.  But it's that chugging bass line...holy crap.  It comes stomping in like a monster and growls around behind everyone until the solo, where he runs all up and down the fretboard.  Incredible.

I dig the hell out of this entire record, but Sea of Madness is the song I keep wishing I could hear just one more time.  I'll be laying in bed trying to get to sleep, and going nuts because it's not playing.  So I get up and play it one more time.

I need to check into the Betty Ford Clinic for Maiden Addicts, I think.
 
Re: 'sea Of Madness'

See, the beauty of Maiden songs is they get their hooks in pretty fast, pretty hard.  I guarantee that over time, your enjoyment of this song won't fade, but you will be able to move onto other songs, and let them get their hooks in as well, you'll listen to that song a thousand times...and then another...
 
Daily Song: Sea of Madness

Welcome to the Daily Vote Thread! Rules are here.

Remember, only a decent review will count towards the contest.

Today's song: Sea of Madness

Yesterday's song remains open for voting! You can find it here.
I always did like this track. The guitars have an insane sound, and Bruce isn't too bad on it. The chorus is great, and the guitar solos are pretty good too. It's not as good as Wasted Years, but I still like it a lot. 8/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: Sea of Madness

I've grown to like this track a lot more than I used to. I'm still not overly fond of Bruce in this one, and the riff is not very exciting, but I really love the instrumental section. 7/10.
 
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