Still Life

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How good is Still Life on a scale of 1-10?

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    16
8/10. This might be one of Maiden's weirdest songs IMO. Very strange atmosphere through it. However it's still a very strong song on the album! I would like to see it performed live again like on Maiden England '88.
 
9/10. This is one where Maiden gets the storytelling thing right, both musically and lyrically. Not quite an A-lister, but heads the B-list.
 
8/10. This one was very hard for me to get into, but then I started to like it more and more (funnily enough just as my interest in the rest of the album was waning). Nowadays it's my 3rd/4th favourite, sometimes barely edging out Boots, sometimes not.
 
7. Decent song, nothing special. The point in the album where the amount of front loading this album has begins to show.


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 - 7.56

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
6 - Gangland
5 - Total Eclipse
10 - Hallowed Be Thy Name

1983 - Piece Of Mind

8 - Where Eagles Dare
9 - Revelations
9 - Flight Of Icarus
7 - Die With Your Boots On
8 - The Trooper
7 - Still Life
 
Another different track from what they usually did during this time. The beautiful tone on Dave's guitar during the intro, the haunting atmosphere works well, and another great solo. 9/10
 
9/10

Still Life is an oft-forgotten gem: a dark, atmospheric work with a rousing chorus. Davey’s intro solo is a thing of beauty. Bruce narrates the story of a demented man obsessed with ghostly figures in a pool of water, who eventually becomes so obsessed with his nightmares the he drowns himself and his lover in the murky waves. The major key pre-chorus is a bit jarring, but is only a minor distraction from a great song. Still Life’s abrupt ending is my favorite climax on the whole album.
 
Anonymous said:
Can someone tell me whats being said at the beginning of Still Life? It sounds like someone talking backwards, but i cant decide.
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I think he says "URP nastananaf weef weebadan noot. Snobesonez Anenoofnof Hmmfff Hmmmff!!" When I first heard it I though Nicko was trying to emulate aliens but of course I know he says "don't mess with the things you don't understand." Anyways Still Life is my favorite song in Piece of Mind
 
This is my favorite song on the album and was my favorite Maiden song overall for a long time. This shows the band really playing with more progressive tendencies and creating a mood. It's dynamic but in a different way from Revelations. Where Revelations plays with going from soft to loud and back again, Still Life starts out soft and then doesn't look back once it goes loud. But it really works for this song. I love the dramatic vocals from Bruce, everything about the vocals and riffing has a sense of instability outlined by the lyrics. The harmony before the solo is very cool with a definite classical influence. Two more great solos, but at this point you come to expect nothing less.
I also love the sudden ending. How many other Maiden songs end like that?
It's progressive and under 5 minutes.

10
 
They'd tried the bluesy intro before a couple of times (Prodigal Sun?), But I think they nailed it with this.

Great atmosphere then that powerful bridge and chorus. Not a classic but a very solid

7
 
Amazing song. love the moody intro, and the choruses. The solos are interesting too. It also features some killer backing vocals.

9/10
 
Take a look in the pool and what do you see
In the dark depths there, faces beckoning me...​

Oh god. This song took forever to get into, but once I did it very quickly climbed up my rankings. It ended up in the Top 45 in my list when I posted it. And then, about a month ago, I ended up staying up from 11AM on Sunday all the way until 12AM on Tuesday. My sleeplessness somehow caused me to listen to this song about three times in a row and then some. I ended up becoming as fascinated with this song as the singer is with the pool. And now it would be a good contender for my overall Top 10. Surely the best song off of Piece of Mind.

I've no doubt that you think I'm off my head
You don't say but it's in your eyes instead...​

I just love the topic of this song. Of course suicide is never a good thing, yet they crafted something here that is just incredible. Still Life is a beautiful masterpiece, I'd call it the Infinite Dreams of Piece of Mind. You can feel the emotions of the singer, you feel the madness that is floating around...

Oh I've never felt so strange
But I'm not going insane​

But of course, we know he kind of is. Wrapped up in a world of illusion. Unable to break the chains that bind him to the spirits of the pool. But he doesn't even want to break free anyway. He must go down, down into the pool below and there everything will be alright...

Now it's clear and I know what I have to do
I must take you down there to look at them too
Hand in hand, then we'll jump! right into that pool
Can't you see, not just me - they want you too!
​
But the singer isn't the only one who must enter the pool to find what lies beyond. His beloved is being called by the spirits as well. What are her thoughts? Will she go with him willingly? Is there any fear? Or does she have the same obsession he has?

Oh we'll drown together
It will be forever
Nightmares! - forever calling me!
Nightmares! - now we rest in peace!
​
I can't go on. I could listen to this song on repeat ad infinitum. It's utterly perfect, utterly beautiful, utterly one of Maiden's greatest songs. Still Life is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

10/10
 
Uwe said:
'still Life'

A great song with very intriguing lyrics and one of my favourites on the album. I really like the beginning of the song, it just conveys such a lot of feeling. Then the song gets heavier, as if the person is slowly drifting into madness. Just great.
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I agree, an awesome song indeed and a real jem.
 
One of my favorites from the album. Lyrics are creepy as hell and the main riff kicks ass. Enough to give it a 9.
 
Great song. I love the riff that is repeated through the verses, together with the lyrics it provides the good kind of creepyness. 9/10
 
9/10 The lyrics really make the song, you don't really see the beauty in it until you pay attention to them I think. I love the album title drop. However, I do get the intro but I feel it doesn't fit this song much. Could've been better for Sun and Steel or so.
 
Should we talk about how Bruce messed up the last chorus of this song on Maiden England? I had never noticed this before this very moment, but now I can't ignore it, and it's really bothering me. It doesn't even rhyme...
 
Number 6 said:
Should we talk about how Bruce messed up the last chorus of this song on Maiden England? I had never noticed this before this very moment, but now I can't ignore it, and it's really bothering me. It doesn't even rhyme...
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Yup, it's a bit disturbing little issue, but doesn't bother me that much, since the performance is otherwise amazing. It's actually one my favourite vocal performances from that particular particular release; especially the verses sound great! Might have something to do with the fact that Bruce's voice was a bit shot at the time and I suppose Still Life was rather comfortable and not that straining song to sing.
 
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