Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, i… Read Full Bio ↴Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. The band have released 41 albums, including 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, four EPs and seven compilations. They have also released 47 singles and 20 video albums. Two electronic games have been released with Iron Maiden soundtracks, and the band's music is featured in a number of other video games.

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)

Quest for Fire
Iron Maiden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In a time when dinosaurs walked the earth
When the land was swamp and caves were home
In an age when prize possession was fire
To search for landscapes men would roam

Then the tribes they came to steal their fire
And the wolves they howled into the night
As they fought a vicious angry battle

To save the power of warmth and light

Drawn by quest for fire
They searched all through the land
Drawn by quest for fire
Discovery of man

And they thought that when the embers died away
That the flame of life had burnt and died
Didn't know the sparks that made the fire
Were made by rubbing stick and stone

So they ploughed through the forest and swamps of danger
And they fought the cannibal tribes and beasts
In the search to find another fire
To regain the power of light and heat

Drawn by quest for fire
They searched across the land
Drawn by quest for fire
Discovery of man

Drawn by quest for fire
They searched across the land
Drawn by quest for fire
Discovery of man

Drawn by quest for fire
They searched across the land

Drawn by quest for fire
Discovery of man

Overall Meaning

Iron Maiden's "Quest For Fire" is a story about the quest for the discovery of fire- an essential source of heat and light that helped mankind survive during prehistoric times. The song paints a picture of a time when dinosaurs walked the earth and humans lived in caves. During this time, the tribes fought over possession of fire, which was thought to be a valuable commodity. The lyrics describe how the tribes battled with wolves to save the power of warmth and light. The search for fire took them through forests and swamps of danger, where they had to fight cannibal tribes and beasts to regain the power of light and heat.

The lyrics also describe how the tribes believed that the flame of life had burnt and died when the embers died away. They did not know that the sparks that made the fire were made by rubbing stick and stone. Through their quest for fire, the tribes discovered the power of man's ingenuity, discovering the means to create fire by rubbing two sticks together. In conclusion, the song 'Quest For Fire' by Iron Maiden tells the story of the struggles and triumphs of early mankind in the quest for fire, a valuable source of survival during prehistoric times, and how the discovery also paved the way to gain more knowledge about our human abilities.

Line by Line Meaning

In a time when dinosaurs walked the earth
In a prehistoric era when gigantic reptiles still inhabited the planet

When the land was swamp and caves were home
When the terrain was mostly marshy and the only shelter available for humans were caverns

In an age when prize possession was fire
During a period when access to fire was crucial for survival and considered a valuable asset

To search for landscapes men would roam
Men would venture across unexplored territories in order to find new sources of fire

Then the tribes they came to steal their fire
Other groups of humans would try to steal the fire of a particular tribe

And the wolves they howled into the night
The sound of wolves' howling was a common occurrence in the darkness

As they fought a vicious angry battle
The confrontation was brutal and fierce

To save the power of warmth and light
To safeguard the ability to create heat and illumination

Drawn by quest for fire
Compelled by the need to find fire

They searched all through the land
They explored every inch of the area in search of fire

Discovery of man
This journey led to the discovery and evolution of humans

And they thought that when the embers died away
The assumption was that once the fire was extinguished, it was gone forever

That the flame of life had burnt and died
It was believed that the fire was synonymous with life and that once it was gone, life was over

Didn't know the sparks that made the fire
The understanding of the way fire worked was limited

Were made by rubbing stick and stone
The technique of creating fire by friction was not yet discovered

So they ploughed through the forest and swamps of danger
The search for fire took them through perilous territories such as dense forests and treacherous marshes

And they fought the cannibal tribes and beasts
They had to confront both vicious predator animals and savage human tribes

In the search to find another fire
The pursuit of locating a new source of fire was relentless

To regain the power of light and heat
The objective was to regain access to the benefits of illumination and warmth that fire provided

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Stephen Percy Harris

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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