Dickinson began his career in music fronting small pub bands in the 1970s while attending school in Sheffield and university in London. In 1979, he joined British new wave heavy metal band Samson, with whom he gained some popularity under the stage name "Bruce Bruce" and performed on two studio records (Head On and Shock Tactics. He left Samson in 1981 to join Iron Maiden, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and debuted on their 1982 album "The Number of the Beast. During his first tenure in the band, they issued a series of US and UK platinum and gold albums in the 1980s.
Dickinson quit Iron Maiden in 1993 (being replaced by Blaze Bayley) to pursue his solo career, which saw him experiment with a wide variety of heavy metal and rock styles between 1990 and 1998 ( Tattooed Millionaire, Balls to Picasso, Skunkworks, Accident of Birth, and The Chemical Wedding). He rejoined the band in 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, with whom he has released all subsequent studio albums. Since his return to Iron Maiden, he issued one further solo record in 2005, Tyranny of Souls. His younger cousin, Rob Dickinson, is the former lead singer of British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, while his son, Austin, fronted the metalcore band Rise to Remain.
Outside his career in music, Dickinson is well known for his wide variety of other pursuits. Most notably, he undertook a career as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, which led to a number of media-reported ventures such as captaining Iron Maiden's converted charter airplane, Ed Force One, during their world tours. Following Astraeus' closure, he created his own aircraft maintenance and pilot training company in 2012, Cardiff Aviation. Dickinson presented his own radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music from 2002 to 2010, and has also hosted television documentaries, authored novels and film scripts, created a successful beer with Robinsons Brewery and competed at fencing internationally.
Although Dickinson never received formal training, he still possesses a wide vocal range which was trademarked by his quasi-operatic tenor. Along with Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford, Dickinson is one of the pioneers of the operatic vocal style later to be adopted by power metal vocalists and regularly appears near the top in lists of the greatest rock vocalists/front-men of all time. Dickinson says that his style was influenced primarily by Arthur Brown, Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Ian Gillan (Deep Purple).
Dickinson's singing varied notably in the 1990s in the recording of albums such as No Prayer for the Dying, Fear of the Dark and his first solo work Tattooed Millionaire, making use of a much more raspy and unpolished sound, befitting their stripped down style. Since returning to Iron Maiden in 1999, his singing style has returned to much like it was in the 1980s, though his voice has lowered with age. According to a report published in the Daily Mirror, Dickinson has an estimated vocal range of 4.25 octaves. His voice led to the nickname "The Air Raid Siren", which Billboard states is "due to the ferocious power of his singing", although Dickinson claims it actually originated from a fan complaint.
In addition to his vocal ability, Dickinson is known for his energetic stage performances, which he delivers consistently despite his age. He considers including the audience "the essence of the Maiden experience" and that his role is to "shrink the venue ... to turn that football stadium into the world's smallest club". To achieve this, Dickinson insists on gaining eye contact with audience members and urges them to join in with the phrase "scream for me" (followed by the concert's location). He is critical of performers who do not connect with their fans, particularly those who "[hide] behind the amps" and use an autocue, remarking that "people pay good money and [they] can't even remember the sodding words".
Discogs with Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast (1982)
Piece of Mind (1983)
Powerslave (1984)
Somewhere in Time (1986)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Fear of the Dark (1992)
Brave New World (2000)
Dance of Death (2003)
A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
The Final Frontier (2010)
The Book of Souls (2015)
Senjutsu (2021)
For the UK guitarist of Little Angels, see Bruce John Dickinson.
Dracula
Bruce Dickinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
CHORUS:
My name is
Dracula, Come here, I've something for you
Dracula, I need a little life
Dracula, And you are gonna be my wife
Shadows everywhere, are you sure it's a trick of the light?
Fear is at your heal but you kick it away,
you're so sure theres nothing behind you
Thats a mistake you can make just one time
I bet you thought that I was a ficticous guy from the movie screen
Now its far too late for you to break this date, you missed your chance to scream
My only sense of humor's in a jugular vein
and your neck is on the menu tonight
Soon you will know what it's like to be mine
CHORUS
As long as you live
The Bride of Dracula
(x3)
As long as you live you'll be
Waiting, waiting for the midnight hour (x8)
The song "Dracula" by Bruce Dickinson tells a story about the infamous vampire who is on the prowl for his next victim. The lyrics are written from Dracula's perspective as he lures in his prey. The opening lines, "Waiting for the midnight hour," set the eerie tone of the song and give us insight into what he is waiting for - his next victim. The verses describe how he stalks through the streets, always looking for someone to claim as his own, and how the fear in the victim's heart only makes his job easier. Dracula speaks directly to his potential bride when he says, "My only sense of humor's in a jugular vein, and your neck is on the menu tonight."
The chorus, "My name is Dracula, come here, I've something for you," is a chilling reminder that his intentions are not pure. He needs the victim's blood to survive and is not above using any means necessary to get it. The following line, "And you are gonna be my wife," adds a disturbing element to the song. It suggests that he wants to create more vampires and is looking for a companion to share his eternal life with.
Overall, "Dracula" is a classic rock song that tells a story of horror and suspense in a way only Bruce Dickinson can. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the vampire's world and the fear he instills in his victims.
Line by Line Meaning
Waiting for the midnight hour
Anticipating the witching hour with bated breath
Waiting, waiting for the midnight hour (x8)
Endlessly, obsessively hooked on the prospect of the hour of the night where strange things happen
My name is
Introducing oneself
Dracula, Come here, I've something for you
Addressing the person with the infamous name, luring them towards a trap
Dracula, I need a little life
Expressing a desire for sustenance
Dracula, And you are gonna be my wife
Claiming a victim as one's own
Walking through the town when the streets are bare in the night
Strolling through a deserted city after dark
Shadows everywhere, are you sure it's a trick of the light?
Questioning whether obscured apparitions could be deceptive mirages
Fear is at your heal but you kick it away,
Ignoring the creeping sense of dread that's growing more palpable by the minute
you're so sure theres nothing behind you
Feeling too self-assured for their own good
Thats a mistake you can make just one time
warning the listener not to drop their guard even once
I bet you thought that I was a ficticous guy from the movie screen
Speculating that his reputation may have misled them into unrealistic expectations
Now its far too late for you to break this date, you missed your chance to scream
Announcing that the victim has erred by trusting the singer and forfeiting their chance to avoid the inevitable outcome
My only sense of humor's in a jugular vein
Indicating a macabre and morbid way of deriving amusement
and your neck is on the menu tonight
suggesting that their listener is to be the next course of a predatory feast
Soon you will know what it's like to be mine
Threatening the soon to be captive to expect their impending bondage and slavery
As long as you live
Signifying the duration of a curse that the victim will endure for the rest of their life
The Bride of Dracula
Labeling the captive as a trophy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAMON ALBARN, JAMIE HEWLETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Wilder Side of Bruce
It's cool to hear a 19 year old Bruce Dickinson's very first studio recording. You can clearly hear, that he already had an incredible voice here! And now he's the greatest vocalist of all time in the greatest heavy metal band of all time!!! Up the Irons!!! ⚒🤘🤘
The Wilder Side of Bruce
@Eddie The Head I think that is false, because Bruce didn't meet the other band members of Speed before 1977. And they only did a few gigs in some pubs, before the band split up. Although I read somewhere that Bruce recorded the song with Speed in 1980, when Bruce had already joined Samson. But I don't know if it's true.
Eddie The Head
@The Wilder Side of Bruce interesting, thanks for telling me.
If you check the description of the video it does say it was most likely recorded in '76.
The Wilder Side of Bruce
@Eddie The Head Bruce said in both his book and the "Voice of Crube" (from the second cd of the "Best of Bruce Dickinson" album) that this was the first ever studio recording that he ever made.
Eddie The Head
There is one slightly older from the first band he was in-speed- the song was called 'on the road' if you look that up you should find it!
Edit: i found it, here:
https://youtu.be/mjaZmWGy6DE
Svetlana Andrášová
19 years old...unreachable voice
Kujakatti75
I'm reading biography of Iron Maiden. I just got to a part where Dickinson records this song with Shots and I'm so glad I found this song here. Thanks for the upload! The more I listen the more I begin to like this. It's actually a very good song.
brendon fuoco
Bruce is the bomb, every iron maiden song that he sing sis great....not one bad one(in my opinion) and his solo career is also amazing. It all started with this master piece!!!!!!!!
JAVIER MB
Esta canción estaba en su doble recopilatorio de hace unos años. Tiene su encanto, es Dickinson inconfundiblemente.
The Wilder Side of Bruce
A lot of you say that Bruce's book "What Does This Button Do" brought you here. But I came here from Bruce's album "The Best of Bruce Dickinson". It's the last song on the second disc.