Jer
A window to the west, a blazing star above
Well, the clean guitar bit under the verse is lifted straight from “Son Of A Gun”, so...yes, sort of?
Eliot1988
Educated Fool
The lyrics of the song, according to him, were inspired by
Dickinson from his love affairs with fans during the first
Maiden tours in the US, which he later described as “relationships
mutual exploitation ". By extension the lyrics refer to isolation
which accompanies the multiple superficial relationships, which are direct
result of life in the modern big city and the fear of being unsuitable
emotional investment that characterizes it.
According to Dickinson, after he and Gers had written it
piece, hesitated to present it to Harris, believing that he would
considered very slow and foreign to the Maiden style, which obviously does not
done. In fact, Shay Baby, a sound engineer with whom he worked
Dickinson during the recording of the anecdotes “Keith Olsen
Sessions ", he has stated that the Maiden had sent him this piece to
give it a "different mix".
However, eleven years after the release of this unusual for
Maiden track data, McBrain said that move
was a product of compromise at the urging of the record company with
aspirations of commercial success, something that he had indirectly pointed out in the past
Harris. This, in addition to being expensive (due to the video clip and the promotion),
proved unsuccessful. Maybe also in those words of McBrain
hides the reason why, although it was his third single
album (and this without Eddie on the cover), was quickly withdrawn from
the market and has not been mentioned in the official Maiden discography since.
Dickinson from his love affairs with fans during the first
Maiden tours in the US, which he later described as “relationships
mutual exploitation ". By extension the lyrics refer to isolation
which accompanies the multiple superficial relationships, which are direct
result of life in the modern big city and the fear of being unsuitable
emotional investment that characterizes it.
According to Dickinson, after he and Gers had written it
piece, hesitated to present it to Harris, believing that he would
considered very slow and foreign to the Maiden style, which obviously does not
done. In fact, Shay Baby, a sound engineer with whom he worked
Dickinson during the recording of the anecdotes “Keith Olsen
Sessions ", he has stated that the Maiden had sent him this piece to
give it a "different mix".
However, eleven years after the release of this unusual for
Maiden track data, McBrain said that move
was a product of compromise at the urging of the record company with
aspirations of commercial success, something that he had indirectly pointed out in the past
Harris. This, in addition to being expensive (due to the video clip and the promotion),
proved unsuccessful. Maybe also in those words of McBrain
hides the reason why, although it was his third single
album (and this without Eddie on the cover), was quickly withdrawn from
the market and has not been mentioned in the official Maiden discography since.
Belshazzar
Yer Mum Can't Come
It holds a special place for me, as it was the first Maiden song I learned on the guitar completely, including the solo, when I was about 19.
Diesel 11
As you scream into the web of silence...
Maiden’s bona fide power ballad is a dark beast about emptiness in sex, although you can’t tell that from the incredibly enigmatic lyrics. And they’re a solid set of lyrics. Bruce really goes hard on this one, one of his best performances on the album. That chorus soars. It maybe runs a bit long in parts, but it’s a good song that I enjoy, mostly for the vocals. 7/10
TheTalisman
Ancient Mariner
Over 70 million streams on Spotify now, making it the 7th most popular Maiden track on that platform at the moment.
Surprised by this. Was it featured in some "Rock ballad" playlists made by Spotify's staff and then it just took off?
Surprised by this. Was it featured in some "Rock ballad" playlists made by Spotify's staff and then it just took off?
DJMayes
Ancient Mariner
I'm not sure what caused its original surge in popularity, but nowadays I think it's largely self-perpetuating - the algorithm plays the most popular songs first, thereby making them more popular, and so on.
TheTalisman
Ancient Mariner
Nothing wrong with the band gaining some attention with more casual rock listeners.
On a sidenote, Afraid to Shoot Strangers (31 million streams) and Be Quick or Be Dead (23 million streams) have also been top 10 tracks on Spotify in the past.
On a sidenote, Afraid to Shoot Strangers (31 million streams) and Be Quick or Be Dead (23 million streams) have also been top 10 tracks on Spotify in the past.
srfc
Ancient Mariner
Absolutely not, of course! The more Maiden tracks that get picked up and played for people is the better.
My only issue is with treating the numbers as some sort of accurate ranking of what Maiden fans listen to.
Vaenyr
Ancient Mariner
And here we have it, arguably Maiden's only proper power ballad. And I love it. I wouldn't want many songs like that, but as a one-off Wasting Love works amazingly well. Funnily enough, despite having been all but forgotten and neglected by the band, it still sees massive success with streaming services.
The song starts out with some beautiful guitar harmonies, before transitioning to the verse with the acoustic guitars. Bruce sounds great once again, the lyrics are brilliant. The chorus has some soaring vocals and the hints of phrygian here and there spice up the music some more. I also like how each repetition of the chorus riff ends differently.
We get the beautiful intro harmonies again before getting a distorted variation of the arpeggiated acoustic motif. It sounds badass like that! After that, maybe one of Janick's best solos. He showed just enough restraint to deliver a gorgeous, slow and melodic solo. Then, we get the chorus once again, but it gets repeated with some additional lead playing over it and a more urgent drum rhythm. We hear the main motif one last time and the song ends with a final strum of the acoustic guitar.
I wish it would find its way in a setlist again, but this will never happen. Before re-listening to it to properly write this review I was thinking of giving it an 8, but now I have to go with a 9. It's a fantastic song with essentially no downsides. Giving it an 8 would be unjustified, given my feelings for the track, but it's not brilliant enough for another 10.
The song starts out with some beautiful guitar harmonies, before transitioning to the verse with the acoustic guitars. Bruce sounds great once again, the lyrics are brilliant. The chorus has some soaring vocals and the hints of phrygian here and there spice up the music some more. I also like how each repetition of the chorus riff ends differently.
We get the beautiful intro harmonies again before getting a distorted variation of the arpeggiated acoustic motif. It sounds badass like that! After that, maybe one of Janick's best solos. He showed just enough restraint to deliver a gorgeous, slow and melodic solo. Then, we get the chorus once again, but it gets repeated with some additional lead playing over it and a more urgent drum rhythm. We hear the main motif one last time and the song ends with a final strum of the acoustic guitar.
I wish it would find its way in a setlist again, but this will never happen. Before re-listening to it to properly write this review I was thinking of giving it an 8, but now I have to go with a 9. It's a fantastic song with essentially no downsides. Giving it an 8 would be unjustified, given my feelings for the track, but it's not brilliant enough for another 10.