Stranger in a Strange Land

How good is Stranger in a Strange Land on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    37
A

Anonymous

Guest
Here, you can read other visitors' comments on 'Stranger In A Strange Land' 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.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

My vote: 4.5 stars

I really like how Maiden brings in the bridge ("What became of the men that started...") before the second chorus, giving us something unexpected. It's a great bridge, and I think repeating it after the solo sounds great here. I also think that the slow part of Adrian's solo is some of the best, most melodic work he's ever done. Steve's bassline in that part is great too; it's almost contrapuntal in the way it stands out so distinctly from the solo.

The lyrics make me chuckle, in light of a later song:
1986: "No brave new world, no brave new world..."
2000: "In a brave new world, in a brave new world..."
Sounds like Maiden changed their mind! [!--emo&:D--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

Note to Mav: The Commentary lyrics are incorrect. They only have the bridge once, after the guitar solo. They should also appear before the 2nd chorus.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

I am a great fan of this song, probably because it has a feel about it that takes you to a totally different place.(Stranger in a strange land!) but also, because it is very different from the signature Maiden songs, and i love it when they do something out of ordinary. But what i am curious about the most is, weather this song deals with "time travel" as the theme of the album seems to be revolving around time. Some help on that, anyone?
I think Maiden songs DO have many levels, and some of them are worth contemplating over, like this one. What do others say?
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

Quoting the Commentary:
"'Stranger In A Strange Land' is about a man trapped in the arctic and whose frozen body was eventually discovered years later. It is apparently based on a real expedition, and Adrian Smith was inspired to write the song after talking to one of the survivors (who ended up becoming an Iron Maiden fan)."
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

thanx, SMX!
looks like i read a bit too much into it. anyway, superb song!
[!--QuoteBegin--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]Adrian Smith was inspired to write the song after talking to one of the survivors (who ended up becoming an Iron Maiden fan)[/quote]
well, ofcourse!
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

This song is absolutelly awesome, has a very dark and altough melancolic mood. Bruce vocals are excelent, not even god could sing better [!--emo&:D--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

The bass lines are very variated and creative. And also H´s solo is one of the best in this world !!! Has lots of feeling. I do prefer Dave´s solos, but when H decide to amaze he surely do it !!!

SMX, if you can add some words about this great solo would be great ! Is it hard or easy to play ? Not that will make to much difference for me (since I´m not a musician). However I think that would be interesting.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

I posted this one on the official BB a while ago, but I think that this forum is just perfect for it: My review of Stranger In A Strange Land.

When I first heard through the album "Somewhere In Time" the first verse of this song was enough to convince me to buy the album- and it became better from that point.

The vocals are Bruce at his very best. There is a certain touch of mystery in the verses, and the chorus is typically Maiden- simple, effective and exciting.

It comes to no surprise that this song was written by a guitarist (Adrian Smith). The song begins with bass guitar (and does well at that), but is soon joined by one of the most majestic guitar riffs I have ever heard. Bruce kicks in with his vocals, and shivers run down my spine.
The guitar solo is one of the best Maiden have ever done. Very much like the song, it is somewhat melancholic, yet sweet and beautiful.

That brings us to the lyrics. The song was inspired by the story of an expedition to the North Pole, of which H met one of the survivors. The title is borrowed by a science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein, but the song has nothing to do with the book. Yet, it gives the song a special touch that makes it somewhat universal. It fits perfectly into the theme of the album, which is about time, and therefore inevitably has a science-fiction atmosphere.

In conclusion, "Stranger In A Strange Land" is, after "The Evil That Men Do", Maiden's best single.

Honourable mention goes to the B-Sides "That Girl" (on the 7" and 12" singles) and "Juanita" (only on the 12" single), both cover versions, which nevertheless fit perfectly to the A-Side.

Rating: 5
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

A great song, interesting lyrics, a good mix of complexity while remaining a very compact type of song and among the best singles they ever did. Ah well, and that guitar solo is just... well, I'm lost for words to describe its greatness. But I think it wouldn't be half as good with a different bass line.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

am I the only one to remember an obscure smith interview in which he said that one source of inspiration for this song was Sir Ranulph Fiennes (born in 1944, the greatest living expeditioner accorrding to the Guiness Book)?

It's driving me crazy because I never was able to find that interview again and it's been so long that I'm starting to doubt the existance of a reliable source. It makes sence too, because he was a person very much in the british public awareness in the first half of the 80's because he crossed the north pole with no mechanical means of trasportation or transportation animal. He was also given Sir status, he was quite a big deal.

The thing that ensures me that I have read this somewhere, is that I remember it being commented on the same interview that Fiennes later became a "big Maiden fan" when he heard of the song that was inspired by him.

Instead, I always bump across that Harris interview in which he states that the source of inspiration was the frozen body of a long gone expeditioner, the one that is featured in the commentary as well. Mav, hope you have some info on this...
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

Unfortunately, I currently do not have any more info...
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

First of all, I'm not very fond of the "galloping bass" from the beginning of this song. But that's about the only thing I'm not fond of.
The synths work well for the 80s vibe. Bruce, at almost his best, sings as if from underneath the ice. The best part of course is the typical Smith solo as we love it. The slow part is cold and beautiful, the quick is deeply satisfying. Great!
All in all, four and a half. [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]

By the way, I wonder if there's evidence that Brave New World is called that partially as a tribute to reunion and thus, along with Huxley, really connected to this song.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

I had an intresting revelation. I was listening to Bruce's audio interview from the "On Their Own Words" japanese vinyl. During his commentary on the sources of inspiration for "Stranger In A Strange Land", he says that H drew his inspiration from a newspaper article about a mummified body that had recently been found in a protection hut in the antartica. Well, those weren't his exact words, but anyway...

After some research, I found out about the Scottish National Antartic Expedition, which took place from 1902 to 1904. According to [a href=\'http://www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz/resources/handbook/vol2/2-6-3-3.html\' target=\'_blank\']this[/a] site, which lists monuments of the Antartica and "the MUSEOANTAR Program, the objective of which was to restore, preserve and maintain historical Antarctic monuments and to recover, restore and preserve utensils and other items abandoned by Antarctic expeditions" during 1985-1986, the Scottish expedition left behind a "...stone hut built in 1903 by the Scottish Expedition led by W. S. Bruce...". The first facts I found about the expedition were these:

The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition had landed on Saddle Island in the South Orkneys on February 3, 1903. After a brief foray into the Weddell Sea, the Scotia, under William Bruce, returned to the South Orkneys to set up a winter camp at Scotia Bay on Laurie Island. The Scotia became frozen into the bay and wasn't freed until November. During the winter, crew members built the first station for scientific research, a stone hut meteorological laboratory called Omond House. The following season, Bruce and the crew of the Scotia made another foray into the Weddell where they discovered Coats Land. The Scottish Expedition conducted more science and collected more unknown specimens than any previous expedition.

(taken from [a href=\'http://www.antarcticaonline.com/antarctica/history/history.htm\' target=\'_blank\']here[/a])

After some more googling, I found a [a href=\'http://www.70south.com/resources/history/chapters/chapter11\' target=\'_blank\']chronicle[/a] on the Scottish Expedition, which, intrestingly enough, mentions:

Six men stayed behind on Laurie Island to keep things going in the meteorological station and to study the penguins which came to breed in large numbers in the spring time.


A paragraph later, and without having reffered to any deaths, the article continues:


The five men on Laurie Island were only picked up by a ship, the Uruguay, on 31 December 1904.


I think I found our Stranger [!--emo&;)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/wink.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'wink.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

The party survived during the long winter months until the URUGUAY arrived on New Year's Eve.

This I found [a href=\'http://www.south-pole.com/p0000093.htm\' target=\'_blank\']here[/a] and it might indicate that the difference in numbers in the other source might just be a mistake (no mention of deaths either).
Nevertheless, a fascinating discovery and detective work [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

well, imo, the facts are overwhelming:

-Bruce surely reffers to this expedition. It is the only scottish one and it took place at the start of the century
-The Museoantar program was in 1985/86 and Bruce says H saw the info in the paper
-I don't think mentioning five survivors instead of six could be a typo.
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

my joy of discovery didn't last too long....

[a href=\'http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/scotia/vserm/vserm050305.htm\' target=\'_blank\']http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/scotia/vserm/vserm050305.htm[/a]

looks like I'm going to have to relisten to the interview without being sleepy [!--emo&:unsure:--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/unsure.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'unsure.gif\' /][!--endemo--]. Maybe Bruce doesn't say he was found in the hut...
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

[!--QuoteBegin-gor+Nov 13 2005, 10:11 PM--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE(gor @ Nov 13 2005, 10:11 PM)[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--QuoteEBegin--]my joy of discovery didn't last too long....
[snapback]123001[/snapback]​
[/quote]That's the fate of all researchers and expeditions, isn't it? Sometimes you're on the wrong track, other times on the right one [!--emo&:)--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/smile.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'smile.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

how true [!--emo&:D--][img src=\'style_emoticons/[#EMO_DIR#]/biggrin.gif\' border=\'0\' style=\'vertical-align:middle\' alt=\'biggrin.gif\' /][!--endemo--]
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

Nevertheless, I will continue my search, I'm sure I'm in the right direction. Right now, I can think of 2 possibilities:

-One, they unburried the body and it was found intact because of the cold.
-Two, the body found belonged to one of the argentinian scientists who populated the small island for many years after the scottish team left.

I like detective work, and it looks like some more has to be done...
 
'stranger In A Strange Land'

oh, and by the way, Henlein nicked the title from the bible:

Exodus 2:22, “And she bare [Moses] a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
 
Back
Top