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.
Sin City
Bruce Dickinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Poor man last, rich man first
Lamborghinis, caviar
Dry martinis, Shangri-la
I got a burnin' feelin'
Deep inside of me
It's a-yearning
But, I'm gonna to set it free
I'm goin' in to Sin City
I'm gonna win in Sin City
Where the lights are bright
Do the town tonight
I'm gonna win in Sin City
Oh, I'm gonna roll you, baby
Snake eyes, wouw
Ladders and snakes
Ladders give, snakes take
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
Ain't got a hope in hell, that's my belief
Fingers Freddy, Diamond Jim
They're gettin' ready, look out, I'm comin' in
So, spin that wheel, cut that pack
And roll those loaded dice
Bring on the dancing girls
And put the champaign on ice
I'm goin' in to Sin City
I'm gonna win in Sin City
Where the lights are bright
Do the town tonight
I'm goin' in to Sin City
The lyrics to Bruce Dickinson's song "Sin City" are about the allure and temptation of Las Vegas. The first few lines of the song set the scene with references to luxury goods and cocktails: "Diamonds and dust, poor man last, rich man first, Lamborghinis, caviar, dry martinis, Shangri-la." The singer then reveals a burning feeling inside of him, a yearning that he is finally ready to set free by going to Sin City. He's confident that he will win and describes the bright lights of the city, encouraging himself to do the town tonight. The chorus reinforces his message that he's going to win in Sin City.
The second verse of the song employs a metaphorical comparison of ladders and snakes, with ladders giving and snakes taking. The singer also comments on the inevitability of failure for some people regardless of their social status, with even the rich man not having a hope in hell according to his belief. He then refers to legendary gamblers Fingers Freddy and Diamond Jim, who are getting ready for the singer's arrival. The lyrics take on a more urgent tone, with the singer imploring for the wheel to be spun and the pack to be cut so that he can gamble his heart out. He wants the dice to be loaded and the dancing girls to come out, as he's going all in to Sin City.
Overall, the song is about the thrill and excitement of gambling in Las Vegas, with its bright lights and promise of winning big. The chorus is catchy and upbeat, propelling the listener to feel the sense of adventure that the singer is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
Diamonds and dust
The contrast between wealth and poverty
Poor man last, rich man first
The privileged receive preferential treatment
Lamborghinis, caviar
Luxury, extravagance and wealth
Dry martinis, Shangri-la
An exclusive, utopian lifestyle
I got a burnin' feelin'
A strong desire or passion
Deep inside of me
The feeling is intense and internal
It's a-yearning
The desire is persistent and unrelenting
But, I'm gonna to set it free
The artist will satisfy the urge regardless of the consequences
I'm goin' in to Sin City
The artist is travelling to a place of vice and indulgence
I'm gonna win in Sin City
The artist is confident and determined to succeed
Where the lights are bright
Sin City is a vibrant and alluring place
Do the town tonight
The artist plans to fully engage with the city's pleasures
Oh, I'm gonna roll you, baby
The singer will take risks and gamble to achieve success
Snake eyes, wouw
The throw of dice resulting in two ones; a bad result for the singer
Ladders and snakes
Random chance can lead to opportunities or misfortunes
Ladders give, snakes take
The potential for great gain is offset by the possibility of losing everything
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
Everyone is vulnerable to the whims of fortune in Sin City
Ain't got a hope in hell, that's my belief
The singer has a fatalistic outlook on success in Sin City
Fingers Freddy, Diamond Jim
References to famous casino players or gambling tactics
They're gettin' ready, look out, I'm comin' in
The artist is brash and self-assured
So, spin that wheel, cut that pack
The artist encourages the casino to continue playing
And roll those loaded dice
The artist suspects foul play or cheating but is willing to take chances
Bring on the dancing girls
The singer enjoys the spectacle of the city's hedonism
And put the champaign on ice
The artist seeks immediate gratification and celebration
I'm goin' in to Sin City
Repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's eagerness to engage with the city's pleasures
I'm gonna win in Sin City
The chorus is a statement of intent and confidence
Contributed by Cameron A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.