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 Man Who Would Be King
Iron Maiden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moving up along the mountainside
As he gazes looking down the valley
No regrets but his pride
As he journeys across mountain passes
Insignificance sweeps over him
His reflection of the beauty 'round him
Feeling empty inside
He is running from his everything
He is looking now to find something
Hoping he could be saved
He's searching for the answer now
It's something that he's managed to avoid up 'til now
Real conviction that he craves
He needs to find the answer sooner than later
Pushed himself to the limits
He had to strive for all the harder things in life
But what the cost of give in now?
His life and his time are the only things that he has
Life is is not a rehearsal
All he has is the one chance to get it right
Leaving really is the only way to know
Maybe one day they'll forgive him what he's done
But now the pain of lying too early in the grave
Destiny, no good to hide away
Penance now will be his only way
Understand, no good to run away
Penance now will be his saving grace
He tries to make his peace with God
All is forgivable but it's left a little late
Trying something that he's not
Is it possible to change such a lot?
He's taken someone's life away
There's not a day goes by he regrets what he's done
He should have found another way
But the good book says, an eye for an eye
In reflecting on decisions that were made
On the judgments that will haunt him 'til his grave
No one has the right to take another life
But in his mind he had no choice, so be it
Destiny, no good to hide away
Penance now will be his only way
Understand, no good to run away
Penance now will be his saving grace
Destiny, no good to hide away
Penance now will be his only way
Understand, no good to run away
Penance now will be his saving grace
Far, far away, the man wo would be king
Far, far away, the man wo would be king
So far away, the man who would be king
So far away, the man who would be king
Far, far away, the man wo would be king
Iron Maiden's song The Man Who Would Be King tells the story of a man who is on a journey and trying to find meaning in his life. He is travelling on the beast of burden, moving up along the mountainside, looking down the valley with no regrets but his pride. As he journeys across mountain passes, he feels insignificant and empty inside, running away from his wildest thoughts, everything, and hoping to find something that can save him. The lyrics present him as someone who has pushed himself to the limits, striving for all the harder things in life, but now faced with the reality that life is not a rehearsal and he only has one chance to get it right. He is searching for the answer, the real conviction that he craves, and needs to find it sooner than later.
The song's core message is that we all have to bear the consequences of our actions, and we must accept that our past decisions shape our present and our future. The singer of the song has taken someone's life away, lamenting that there's not a day goes by he regrets what he's done. He realizes that he should have found another way, and that no one has the right to take another life. Still, in reflecting on his decisions, he believes he had no choice, so be it. He tries to make his peace with God, understanding that all is forgivable, but it's left a little late.
Overall, the song details the inner conflict of a man who is trying to come to terms with his past, present, and future. It tells the story of how our actions can shape our destiny and highlights the importance of seeking redemption for our mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
As he travels on the beast of burden
He rides on an animal and journeys away
Moving up along the mountainside
He is slowly going up the mountain
As he gazes looking down the valley
He looks down the valley as he passes by
No regrets but his pride
He has no remorse, only pride in his actions
As he journeys across mountain passes
He crosses the mountains by going through the passes
Insignificance sweeps over him
He feels insignificant in the grand scheme of things
His reflection of the beauty 'round him
He observes the beauty around him and reflects on it
Feeling empty inside
He feels hollow and unfulfilled
He is running from his wildest thoughts
He tries to escape from his innermost fears
He is running from his everything
He runs from everything that bothers him
He is looking now to find something
He seeks to find something meaningful
Hoping he could be saved
He wishes for salvation from his troubles
He's searching for the answer now
He is looking for a solution to his problems
It's something that he's managed to avoid up 'til now
He has been avoiding this issue until now
Real conviction that he craves
He desires a genuine belief in his actions
He needs to find the answer sooner than later
He must find the solution soon
Pushed himself to the limits
He has pushed himself beyond his limits
He had to strive for all the harder things in life
He had to work harder for what he wanted in life
But what the cost of give in now?
What is the price of giving up now?
His life and his time are the only things that he has
He only has his life and time
Life is not a rehearsal
You only get one chance at life
All he has is the one chance to get it right
He has one chance to do things correctly
Leaving really is the only way to know
You must leave to find out what is out there
Maybe one day they'll forgive him what he's done
He hopes to be forgiven for his actions
But now the pain of lying too early in the grave
He is pained by the thought of dying too soon
Destiny, no good to hide away
You cannot hide from your destiny
Penance now will be his only way
He must seek penance to move forward
Understand, no good to run away
You cannot run away from your problems
Penance now will be his saving grace
Seeking penance will save him
He tries to make his peace with God
He hopes to make amends with a higher power
All is forgivable but it's left a little late
Forgiveness is possible, but it may be too late
Trying something that he's not
He is attempting something beyond his abilities
Is it possible to change such a lot?
Can he really change his situation?
He's taken someone's life away
He is guilty of killing someone
There's not a day goes by he regrets what he's done
He regrets his actions every day
He should have found another way
He should have tried a different approach
But the good book says, an eye for an eye
The Bible teaches about retributive justice
In reflecting on decisions that were made
He thinks about choices he has made in the past
On the judgments that will haunt him 'til his grave
He is haunted by the consequences of his actions
No one has the right to take another life
No one has the right to kill someone else
But in his mind he had no choice, so be it
He felt he had no other option but to kill
Far, far away, the man wo would be king
The man who dreamed of being a king, far away
So far away, the man who would be king
The man who aspires to be a king is distant
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: David Michael Murray, Stephen Percy Harris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Dill
on The Number of the Beast
kicking it