The Man Of Sorrows

How good is The Man of Sorrows on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    16
Yes. It's a minor note played over a major chord, implying an F#7 chord. The song also happens to change keys from C minor to B minor during this phrase. Without getting too deep into the music theory stuff, F#7 is typically the chord that creates tension in this key and wants to resolve to B minor (the "home" chord). Of course that resolution does happen after stretching out the tension all the way into the chorus, which makes the chorus itself all that more satisfying. Amazing songwriting. There are a ton more details in that passage alone that make the song great, but I digress. "Worst Maiden song of the century" is a far more interesting topic anyway.
After relistening to the song a few minutes ago, everything about the song is so great. I don't know how much of the song Dave wrote, but he really shows of his talents quite a bit in the one. That part I was talking about in particular stands out. Definitely something Maiden has not done very much of. Far from the worst song of this century!
 
I started to appreciate this song more. Dave opens the song with his classic and essential intro (see Still Life, Deja-Vu, The Prophecy etc...) - which is amazing. The song has a very good verses and groove, the pre-chorus is great, but the actual chorus is beauty. Again, amazing riff and vocal delivery by Bruce. All three solos are very good - the whole album is full of amazing solos. At some point (just before the Dave solo starts) the guitar harmonies are like ''heaven'' - brutally good !!! The end of the song is a bit odd, but it's nice that a slow song ends calm and a bit of imagination and improvisation is thrown there. This song appeared to be the ballad of the album, but it was overshadowed by EOTC - and stuck between two slower songs.... I think it was not a good idea to end the album with 3 slow songs in a row (like end the TFF album with 3 epcis). But I'm sure a lot of Maiden fans like this song. It's the worst song from this incredible album and that's says a lot, because it is a beautiful song. Thank you Dave, for this diamond.... 6/10.
 
But your post was extremely positive, so where did that 6 come from?

Well I gave it a 6, because for me it's the worst song from this amazing album. I started to appreciate it more and more, but at the end, Maiden never disappoints with their albums and the quality of their music/songs - so it's hard. If I have to be honest, TBOS does not contain any bad song, so at that moment TMOS is the song that I listen the least from the album, but that no means that it is a bad song, and that's why my post was extremely positive. :)
 
This is the weakest track on the album. It's a collection of several different sections that don't really fit together. The intro solo, then verse, then heavier verse are all awesome, but the change to "Now we need to know the truth now" has an awkward rhythm where the arse drops out of the song completely. The rest of the sections are ok but don't really fit together, and the outro is brilliant. 7/10
 
This song grows on me in time. Parts of it are somewhat disconnected, but coupled with some of the darkest atmospheric elements that Maiden has ever had, Bruce's depressingly melancholic voice makes the song flow.

The quality of its recording is also excellent.
 
Been listening much to TBOS lately and this is truly a hidden gem and for me one of the best songs on the album.
Bruce vocal lines! And then pure Maiden magic starts at 3:17 followed by the guitar solo's...Man, I can listen to this song forever.
 
I really like Man of Sorrows. Sure, it's a bit formulaic as Murray songs go, but the leads throughout the song are so tasty and I love the moody buildup that takes place throughout. For such a short song, it feels like you're never quite sure where it's going, which is pretty refreshing when that sort of unpredictability is usually reserved for the longer tracks. Great chorus, great instrumental section. Dave finally comes through with a remarkable solo. Like Tears of a Clown, this one definitely feels like Steve had a bit more certainty in what he wanted to say in the lyrics and this song specifically stands as his best lyrical contribution. Well, either that or Book of Souls. 8.
 
Back
Top