Your favourite Iron Maiden song and why?

Siddharth

Siddharth

Long Distance Trooper
Enough with the lists!

Yes, I know its tough to pick just a single song but I want you to mention that one Maiden track which you absolutely love. If possible, do post a write-up/essay on it. You may mention your own interpretation to the song, popular/cultural references to it, related live performances etc.
 
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I'll go first. One Maiden track I absolutely love is Infinite Dreams. I love it not just because it's a great song but I love that it has all the elements of Maiden in one single track. Slow beginning and build up with really nice instrumentation, breaks into the classic gallop, has the twin guitar harmonies, Steve's galloping bass, the Bruce scream, great lyrics. This song just has everything in it that makes Maiden great. It's a damn shame it's only been played live on one tour.
 
There are some aspects I can use to decide: ''Powerslave'' (because it has everything we love about Maiden), ''Rime Of The Ancient Mariner''/''Hallowed Be Thy Name''/''The Talisman'' (because of the epic structures, intros, lyrics, instrumentals and the unmatched storytelling vibe), ''The Wicker Man''/''The Evil That Men Do''/''Out Of The Silent Planet''/''Stratego''/''Rainmaker''/''Aces High'' (the melodic classic metal hit songs) or a song like ''Hell On Earth'' (a song that brings so many and different emotions).

They all complement each other perfectly, but I will choose - Hell On Earth. The emotion that combines other aspects too! This is very important and special for me. I just love this song and there aren't many songs that can bring such emotions from me or the listener. A near perfect Maiden song.
 
Powerslave... Rime Of The Ancient Mariner :ninja:

(It counts as one in Megadeth's style and fashion)

Edit: Great lyrical topic, great music, great middle section, great production. Match made in heaven or hell. Simply put, perfectly created and executed heavy metal songs.
 
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Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger.

Yes, a big part is nostalgia. Not even gonna deny that. But we are talking about "favorite" not "best", so even if the song has its issues and problems, it can still be one's favorite.

The production on VXI sucks. That's not a surprise to anyone. The performances are a bit inconsistent. There's a single failed palm muted note right before the frantic instrumental section. The lyrics aren't particularly exciting. Those are the issues.

Everything else is fantastic in my eyes. It's one of the times Maiden has used a G#minor key and it sounds great with Blaze. The song starts with a mysterious atmosphere, goes into a rocking section, crashes back down to a chorus before going in a long and atmospheric section building up the energy. I absolutely adore that part. The melody is great, the dynamics getting more intense really gets the hype building up and it all explodes into one of the strangest and most unique instrumental sections we've ever heard in a Maiden song. The melodies are brilliant (though they could've used harmonies. Fun Fact: The first cover I ever recorded was a cover of this song and I obviously added the harmonies :D ) and the solos are absolutely phenomenal.
The song structure is quite interesting as well and I wouldn't change a thing about it, nor would I cut a single second of the song.
Also, the hilariously off-beat Blaze in the ending is the perfect mix of funny and endearing.
 
Vaenyr said:
the dynamics getting more intense really gets the hype building up and it all explodes into one of the strangest and most unique instrumental sections we've ever heard in a Maiden song.
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I will say Innocent Exile and Drifter from Killers and Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger have some of the most 'danceable' instrumentals by Maiden. It's intro also has a nice atmosphere.
Vaenyr said:
we are talking about "favorite" not "best"
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EXACTLY
 
Azas said:
Favorite may be also The Best.
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Of course. It can be but doesn't have to be. With music it's a bit difficult to illustrate since there's little that isn't subjective, so I like to take video games as an example: A game can have objectively better graphics in the sense that they are higher resolution and have more details. That doesn't mean that a "worse" game can't be more fun and thus qualify for favorite more than the better one.

Same thing with paintings or visual media in gerenal. Just because something is technically better doesn't mean that it'll elicit the same emotional response.
 
My favorite 'assembled' Iron Maiden album would be (no more than 10 songs per album):

01. ACES HIGH
02. 2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
03. RUN TO THE HILLS
04. THE TROOPER
05. HALLOWED BE THY NAME

06. THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST
07. REVELATIONS
08. POWERSLAVE
09. RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

A. Side about war (more or less) B. Side about paranormal/mystic/occult experiences.
 
Rime. It's perfection, really - and Iron Maiden have a bunch of perfect songs - but after a bit of pondering regarding "what sole Iron Maiden song would I want to preserve for the afterworld", I landed with Rime.
 
It´s too hard to pick just one so I´ll pick 3 from every era. :D

Early Days (Debut - POM)
Phantom Of The Opera
Hallowed Be Thy Name
Revelations

Golden Years (Powerslave - SSOASS)
Powerslave
Alexander The Great
Infinite Dreams

The 90´s (No Prayer - Virtual XI)
Childhood's End
Sign Of The Cross
The Clansman

Reunion Era (BNW - Senjutsu)
Dance Of Death
The Talisman
The Parchment
 
Ooooh, I like the "3 from every era", let me quickly plagiarize borrow the idea :D

Early Days (Debut - POM)
Still Life
Quest For Fire
Die With Your Boots On

Golden Years (Powerslave - SSOASS)
The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
The Evil That Men Do
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

The 90´s (No Prayer - Virtual XI)
Childhood's End
The Educated Fool
Don't Look To The Eyes Of A Stranger

Reunion Era (BNW - Senjutsu)
Dream Of Mirrors
Dance Of Death
For The Greater Good Of God
 
Very hard to pick just three of them in each era... :facepalm:

Early Days (Debut - POM)
Killers
Hallowed Be Thy Name
The Trooper

Golden Years (Powerslave - SSOASS)
Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Infinite Dreams

The 90´s (No Prayer - Virtual XI)
Afraid To Shoot Strangers
The Aftermath
The Clansman

Reunion Era (BNW - Senjutsu)
The Nomad
For The Greater Good Of God
The Parchment

Now, you know : I prefer longer songs. :D
 
Phantom Of The Opera from the debut. I just like the way it gallops along and the vocals are great. I have been known to put the song on repeat and listen to it on a loop for hours at a time. Yes, I know I need help.

Just as a way to show where I put the song here is my top ten song list:

01 Bob Dylan - It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
02 Neil Young - Ambulance Blues
03 The Velvet Underground - I Heard Her Call My Name
04 Iron Maiden - Phantom Of The Opera
05 The Beatles - It's All Too Much
06 Tool - Rosetta Stoned
07 Metallica - Leper Messiah
08 Death - Beyond The Unholy Grave
09 Meatloaf - For Crying Out Loud
10 Radiohead - Pyramid Song
 
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