As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. After several lineup changes, the band went on to release a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's eponymous debut album, 1981's Killers, 1982's The Number of the Beast, 1983's Piece of Mind, 1984's Powerslave, 1985's live release Live After Death, 1986's Somewhere in Time, 1988's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, 1990's No Prayer for the Dying and 1992's Fear of the Dark. In 1982, the band released The Number of the Beast – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer – which was a turning point in their career, helping establish them as one of heavy metal's most important artists. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
Since the return of lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith in 1999, the band has undergone a resurgence in popularity, with a series of new albums and highly successful tours. Released in 2006, A Matter of Life and Death, their 14th studio album, reached top sales in dozens of countries, initiating the series of Iron Maiden's highest-ranked albums. Their 2010 album, The Final Frontier, peaked at No. 1 in 28 countries and received widespread critical acclaim. Their 16th studio album, The Book of Souls, was released on 4 September 2015 to similar success, debuting at No. 1 in the album charts of 24 countries with physical sales and summary in 43 territories with physical and digital sales. Most recently, their 17th studio album, Senjutsu, was released on 3 September 2021 and eventually reached No. 1 in 27 countries.
Iron Maiden have sold over 130 million copies of their albums worldwide, despite minimal radio and mainstream media support. The band's catalogue has sold over 200 million copies worldwide, including albums, singles, compilations and videos. By 2022, their releases have been certified Silver, Gold and Platinum around 600 times worldwide. Iron Maiden have become one of the most influential and revered rock bands of all time, and is credited with influencing countless bands and genres. Critics have stated that the band elevated heavy metal to an art form, proving that academic and musical inspirations can coexist. The band is also hailed as one of the greatest live acts of all time.
The band and its members have received multiple industry awards, including the Grammy Awards and its equivalents in other countries. Other accolades the band has received include Brit Awards, Silver Clef Award, Nordoff-Robbins Award, Ivor Novello Awards, Juno Awards, Guinness Book of World Records, Public Choice International, Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, ECHO Awards, Top.HR Music Awards, Žebřík Music Awards, honorary doctorates, State Prizes, sales recognition, marketing achievements recognition awards, charity and sport awards among many others. Iron Maiden were inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk, BPI Hall of Fame and Kerrang! Hall of Fame. The band is also a part of permanent exhibitions of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, British Music Experience, Rock in Rio Wall of Fame and Wacken Open Air Hall of Fame. Iron Maiden were honoured by Royal Mail UK with dedicated postal stamps and cards. The band as 'bona fide' rock legends belongs to an elitarian circle of British iconic bands honoured with an unique range of stamps, including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen and Iron Maiden as the fifth one.
Iron Maiden's lyrics cover such topics as history, literature, war, mythology, society and religion. Many of their songs are based on history, classic literature and film. As of October 2019, the band have played some 2500 live shows, performing for tens of millions of fans. For over 40 years, the musicians have been supported by their famous mascot, "Eddie", who has appeared on almost all of their album and single covers, videos and merchandise. Originally designed by Derek Riggs, Eddie became the main attraction of Iron Maiden live shows, which feature theatrical elements like coloured backdrops, inflatables, pyrotechnics, elaborate lighting rigs, props and stage sets.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden
Studio albums
Iron Maiden (1980)
Killers (1981)
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)
The X Factor (1995)
Virtual XI (1998)
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)
Fear Is the Key
Iron Maiden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a choking sweat of fear
In the heat of the night you can feel so much
In the heat of the night I scream
Don't touch
I remember a time when we used and abused
And fought all our battles in vain
In the heart of the night, bodies aflame
We live in fever
I hear your secret heartbeat
I can hear your silent cries
The kids have lost their freedom
And nobody cares till somebody famous dies
I remember a time when we used and abused
And fought all our battles in vain
I remember a time we thought that passion was free
In the heart of the night, bodies aflame
We live in fever
We live in fever
Now we live, in a world of uncertainty
Fear is the key, to what you want to be
You don't get a say
The majority gets its way
You're outnumbered by the bastards
'Til the day you die
I hear your silent heartbeat
I hear your silent cries
Oh your just in lies, lies and lies
The kids have lost their freedom
And nobody cares 'til somebody famous dies
Keep telling lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies
Ah, ah, ah
I remember the time when we used and abused
Ah, it was just lies
I remember the time we thought that passion was free
Ah, it was just lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies and lies
Hear the night, oh
We live in fever
We live in fever
We live in fever
Now we live in a world of insanity
Fear is the key to what you want to be
You don't get a say the majority gets it's way
You're outnumbered by the bastards 'til the day you die
Iron Maiden's song Fear Is the Key appears to reflect on the terror that pervades our modern society. The first verse sets the scene by describing how our lives are dominated by fear - "we live our lives in fever, in a choking sweat of fear". This fear is all-encompassing and can be felt in the "heat of the night" as the singer screams "don't touch". The fear seems to stem from a loss of control and a sense of helplessness in the face of external forces. The second verse delves deeper into this, with the singer describing how he can hear the "secret heartbeat" of those who are silently suffering under the weight of fear. The final verse is perhaps the most chilling, as the singer warns that we live in a "world of uncertainty", where fear is the only certainty. The majority will always get their way and the individual is outnumbered.
Despite the dark lyrics, Fear Is the Key is an impassioned cry for change. It highlights the toxicity of fear and how it can lead to a loss of freedom and a breakdown of society. The song implores us to break free from the chains of fear and take control of our lives. It is a call to arms for those who have been silenced or ignored, reminding us that we have a voice and that we should never be afraid to speak out against injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
We live our lives in fever
Our lives are consumed by a fervent passion, driven by our own fears and anxieties.
In a choking sweat of fear
Our fear is so overwhelming that it causes us to break out in a sweat, struggling to catch our breath.
In the heat of the night you can feel so much
Under the cloak of darkness, our senses are heightened and we are more acutely aware of our surroundings.
In the heat of the night I scream
The fear and anxiety of the night is so great that it causes us to scream out in terror.
Don't touch
We are so afraid that we don't want anyone to touch or get too close to us.
I remember a time when we used and abused
There was a time when we took advantage of our situation, but it was all for nothing.
And fought all our battles in vain
We engaged in conflicts that ultimately had no resolution or effect on our lives.
I remember a time we thought that passion was free
There was a time when we had the luxury of pursuing our passions without fear or consequence.
In the heart of the night, bodies aflame
In the midst of our passion and desire, our bodies are consumed by the night and all its unknowns.
I hear your secret heartbeat
I am so attuned to your fear that I can hear your heartbeat even when you're not speaking.
I can hear your silent cries
Your fear and suffering is so strong that it manifests itself as silent cries that only I can hear.
The kids have lost their freedom
The younger generations have lost their ability to be free and pursue their passions without fear.
And nobody cares till somebody famous dies
Society is so numb to the pervasive fear that it takes a famous person's death to bring attention to the issue.
Now we live, in a world of uncertainty
In the present day, we face an uncertain world that is rife with fear and anxiety.
Fear is the key, to what you want to be
Fear is the main obstacle standing in the way of us becoming who we truly want to be.
You don't get a say
Our fear has silenced our voice, leaving us without any say in what happens to us.
The majority gets its way
Those who are not afraid are the ones who hold the power and make the decisions.
You're outnumbered by the bastards
We are outnumbered by those who don't share our fear and are therefore free to do as they please.
'Til the day you die
Our fear will continue to haunt us until the day we die.
Ah, ah, ah
This is an expression of the pain and fear that we are experiencing.
We live in fever
Our fear and anxiety has caused us to live in a perpetual state of panic and agitation.
Now we live in a world of insanity
Our current state of fear and anxiety has driven us to a world of madness and chaos.
Hear the night, oh
We are acutely aware of every sound and movement in the night, as it fills us with an intense sense of fear.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Dill
on The Number of the Beast
kicking it