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)
Wasted Years '99
Iron Maiden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the seven seas
I'm traveling on
Far and wide
But now it seems, I'm just a stranger to myself
And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but someone else
I close my eyes
Another city goes by in the night
Ain't it funny how it is?
You never miss it 'til it's gone away
And my heart is lying there
And will be 'til my dying day
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years
Too much time on my hands
I got you on my mind
Can't ease this pain so easily
When you can't find the words to say
It's hard to make it through another day
And it makes me wanna cry
And throw my hands up to the sky
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years
So understand
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Face up, make your stand
And realize you're living in the golden years
In the song Wasted Years by Iron Maiden, the singer is a traveler who has journeyed far and wide across the seven seas. However, despite seeing many sights and visiting numerous places, he feels like a stranger to himself. He sometimes does things that he doesn’t recognize as himself. In the chorus, the singer advises listeners not to waste their time always searching for those wasted years. Instead, they should realize that they are living in the golden years and make their stand.
The lyrics highlight the importance of living in the moment and taking advantage of the time we have. The singer reminisces about his home and how he misses it now that he’s gone. He finds it amusing how one can never appreciate home until it’s gone. In the second stanza, the singer expresses his feelings for someone he loves. He cannot find the words to say to them and it’s hard to make it through the day without them. He wishes he could cry and throw his hands up to the sky to release the pain he’s feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
From the coast of gold
Starting from a rich and prosperous place
Across the seven seas
Having traveled far and wide
I'm traveling on
Continuing on a journey
Far and wide
To many different places
But now it seems, I'm just a stranger to myself
However, now I'm unsure of who I am as a person
And all the things I sometimes do, it isn't me but someone else
Sometimes, I act in ways that don't feel like me
I close my eyes
I take a moment of introspection
And think of home
I remember where I came from
Another city goes by in the night
I pass through another city in my travels
Ain't it funny how it is?
Isn't it ironic?
You never miss it 'til it's gone away
You don't realize the importance of something until it's gone
And my heart is lying there
My emotions are still attached to my home
And will be 'til my dying day
And will continue to be until I pass away
So understand
Therefore, comprehend what I'm about to say
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Don't spend your present dwelling on the past
Face up, make your stand
Make a decision and stick with it
And realize you're living in the golden years
Understand that you are in a good place in life
Too much time on my hands
Having an excess of free time
I got you on my mind
Thinking of someone special
Can't ease this pain so easily
It's difficult to alleviate the emotional distress
When you can't find the words to say
When you don't know how to express your feelings
It's hard to make it through another day
It's challenging to find the strength to continue living
And it makes me wanna cry
Which causes strong emotional reactions
And throw my hands up to the sky
To feel helpless in the face of adversity
So understand
Therefore, comprehend what I'm about to say
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Don't spend your present dwelling on the past
Face up, make your stand
Make a decision and stick with it
And realize you're living in the golden years
Understand that you are in a good place in life
So understand
Therefore, comprehend what I'm about to say
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Don't spend your present dwelling on the past
Face up, make your stand
Make a decision and stick with it
And realize you're living in the golden years
Understand that you are in a good place in life
So understand
Therefore, comprehend what I'm about to say
Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years
Don't spend your present dwelling on the past
Face up, make your stand
Make a decision and stick with it
And realize you're living in the golden years
Understand that you are in a good place in life
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adrian Frederick Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
iTube YourDadsMinge
Bruce’s voice is absolutely sublime here. Amazing!
Jaqueline Rocha
The music of my life,simply...MAIDEN: Powerful and immortal 🤘❤️
Mister Rhodes
No dislikes, as it should be
RalphCA
Bruce sounds way better than he did in 1993 prior to leaving Iron Maiden (search for the video). Much cleaner voice, better control. Amazing.
Nahuel equisde
Yeah, i think that the worst bruce in iron maiden was the bruce in the 90's before leaving maiden, he sounded so tired and it was like if he couldn't sing very well anymore
iTube YourDadsMinge
The end of Adrian’s solo is epic
Pablo Cuello
Always thought the same 🙌🏻
Marco antonio Mendoza niño
Para mí la mejor en vivo
fearofthedark88
God that solo
Miguel Ortiz García
El griterío de la muchedumbre cuando dice wasted peers (years), brutal