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)
The Apparition
Iron Maiden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'cause I'm out on my own
When the room goes cold tell me
You can feel me
Cause I'm here
Here I am, can you see me
Passing through, on my way
Dreams before
In a world of delusion
Never turn your back on a friend
'cause you can count your
Real true friends on one hand
Through life
There are those that deceive you
There are those that'll let you down
Is there someone out there that would
Die for you
Thought not
Live your life with a passion
Everything you do, do well
You only get out of life what you put in
So they say
In a world of confusion
People never say what they mean
If you want a straight answer
Go look for one
Right now
In a room full of strangers
Do you stand with your back to the wall
Do you sometimes feel like you're
On the outside
Looking in?
You can make your own luck
You create your destiny
I believe you have the power
If you want to
It's true
You can do what you want to
If you try a little bit harder
A little bit of faith goes a long way
It does
Are we here for a reason?
I'd like to know just what you think
It would be nice to know what
Happens when we die
Wouldn't it?
There are some who are wise
There are some who are born naive
I believe that there are some that must
Have lived before
Don't you?
As for me, well I'm thinking
You gotta keep an open mind
But I hope that my life's not an
Open and shut case
Extrasensory Perception
Life after death, telepathy
Can the soul live on and travel through
Space and time?
You know I feel so elated
'cause I'm about to find it out
And when I know all the answers
Maybe then I'll come back
To fill you in
You don't be alarmed now
If I try to contact you
If things go missing or get moved around
It's me
And don't disbelieve it
No matter what your "friends"
Might say
We'll meet up again someplace
Some way
One day
The song "The Apparition" by Iron Maiden is a reflection on existential themes such as life, death, friendship, and the human experience. The lyrics speak of a person who is out on their own and trying to make sense of the confusing world around them. The singer contemplates the nature of existence and the possibility of life after death. They express a desire for answers to the mysteries of the universe and hope that they will someday come back to enlighten others.
The song also touches on the importance of friendship, urging listeners to never turn their backs on a true friend. The singer acknowledges the existence of those who deceive and let people down but notes that there are still those who are willing to die for others. The lyrics suggest that true friends are hard to come by but worth holding onto.
In addition, the song encourages listeners to live their lives with passion and to always strive for success. The singer emphasizes the importance of hard work and implies that success is proportionate to the effort put in. They remind listeners that they have the power to create their destiny and that a little bit of faith can go a long way.
Overall, "The Apparition" is a thought-provoking song that encourages listeners to make the most of their lives, cherish their friendships, and search for answers to the big questions.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I'm here can you see me
Here I am, can you see me
'cause I'm out on my own
Passing through, on my way
When the room goes cold tell me
To a place I'd been to only in my dreams before
You can feel me
In a world of delusion
Cause I'm here
Never turn your back on a friend
Through life
There are those that deceive you
There are those that'll let you down
There are those that'll let you down
Is there someone out there that would
Is there someone out there that would
Die for you
Live your life with a passion
Thought not
Everything you do, do well
You only get out of life what you put in
So they say
In a world of confusion
People never say what they mean
If you want a straight answer
If you want a straight answer
Go look for one
Right now
In a room full of strangers
In a room full of strangers
Do you stand with your back to the wall
Do you stand with your back to the wall
Do you sometimes feel like you're
Do you sometimes feel like you're
On the outside
On the outside
Looking in?
Looking in?
You can make your own luck
You can make your own luck
You create your destiny
You create your destiny
I believe you have the power
I believe you have the power
If you want to
If you want to
It's true
It's true
You can do what you want to
You can do what you want to
If you try a little bit harder
If you try a little bit harder
A little bit of faith goes a long way
A little bit of faith goes a long way
It does
It does
Are we here for a reason?
Are we here for a reason?
I'd like to know just what you think
I'd like to know just what you think
It would be nice to know what
It would be nice to know what
Happens when we die
Happens when we die
Wouldn't it?
Wouldn't it?
There are some who are wise
There are some who are wise
There are some who are born naive
There are some who are born naive
I believe that there are some that must
I believe that there are some that must
Have lived before
Have lived before
Don't you?
Don't you?
As for me, well I'm thinking
As for me, well I'm thinking
You gotta keep an open mind
You gotta keep an open mind
But I hope that my life's not an
But I hope that my life's not an
Open and shut case
Open and shut case
Extrasensory Perception
Extrasensory Perception
Life after death, telepathy
Life after death, telepathy
Can the soul live on and travel through
Can the soul live on and travel through
Space and time?
Space and time?
You know I feel so elated
You know I feel so elated
'cause I'm about to find it out
'cause I'm about to find it out
And when I know all the answers
And when I know all the answers
Maybe then I'll come back
Maybe then I'll come back
To fill you in
To fill you in
You don't be alarmed now
You don't be alarmed now
If I try to contact you
If I try to contact you
If things go missing or get moved around
If things go missing or get moved around
It's me
It's me
And don't disbelieve it
And don't disbelieve it
No matter what your "friends"
No matter what your "friends"
Might say
Might say
We'll meet up again someplace
We'll meet up again someplace
Some way
Some way
One day
One day
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Janick Gers, Stephen Percy Harris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Dill
on The Number of the Beast
kicking it