Iron Maiden Song Ranking Thread (Currently Ranking: Mister Gold)

[TAC]

Right. Context. He's actually trying to save her.

[wolfking]

Right. Context. He's actually trying to save her.

Indeed.  Those lyrics I pointed out though I guess I like the extreme graphic visions you get from the words like 'beat' and 'molest.'  Being the character that Charlotte is, I like those lyrics because they are not afraid to really exploit the full nature of what her character is and what she does.  The lyrics aren't sugar coated which is great from a band like Maiden that don't have swearing or offensive language in their music.  The moralo f the stroy is indeed as you say a good one with the protagonist trying to save Charlotte.  it's chessy but a cool story.  The story following on from the original song is a nice touch too.  I wish they weren't further with the story.  Hooks and Eternity just don't cut it referencing 22 and Charlotte.  They should have done much more if you ask me.

[TAC]

At the end of the day, 22 rules because of the amazing music. It's a Top 10 Maiden song for me easy.

[wolfking]

At the end of the day, 22 rules because of the amazing music. It's a Top 10 Maiden song for me easy.

We all knew where I put it, but yeah, musically it's just fabulous.  The chugging rhythm guitars are just excellent, even UFO stylings in the rhythms?  Everything is like a mix of UFO and Sabbath in that departement of that song, it's glorious.  The outro is one of Maiden's best.

[TAC]

At the end of the day, 22 rules because of the amazing music. It's a Top 10 Maiden song for me easy.

We all knew where I put it, but yeah, musically it's just fabulous.  The chugging rhythm guitars are just excellent, even UFO stylings in the rhythms?  Everything is like a mix of UFO and Sabbath in that departement of that song, it's glorious.  The outro is one of Maiden's best.

Yeah, it totally finds another gear.

[The Realm]

No doubt 22 rules. One of my all time favourites for sure, however the lyrics 'out of context' probably aren't the greatest message in this day and age (although they are great lyrics! If you know what I mean....) I have 3 daughters - aged 15, 13 and 11 and I kind of feel it isn't appropriate to play that song around them if that makes sense...

But apart from that, a brilliant song. Awesome arrangement and really interesting musically, continues to build, amazing vocals and solos. Just an epic song.

[wolfking]

No doubt 22 rules. One of my all time favourites for sure, however the lyrics 'out of context' probably aren't the greatest message in this day and age (although they are great lyrics! If you know what I mean....) I have 3 daughters - aged 15, 13 and 11 and I kind of feel it isn't appropriate to play that song around them if that makes sense...

But apart from that, a brilliant song. Awesome arrangement and really interesting musically, continues to build, amazing vocals and solos. Just an epic song.

Totally get that, but some of the modern crap I've heard and the lyrics kids are exposed to these days makes the 22 lyrics sound like a nursey rhyme.

[Mister Gold]

Nice batch.

I will say and I've said it before, but I've never understood all the love for BTATS.  It's good but never understood the high praise of it.

Definitely a fair take. Like I said, it's a great epic IMO, but it's not even my top three off the album. But we'll get back to that later.

This is a brilliant set of songs. All but Wasted Years are top 25 for me. Wasted Years is one that I love but somehow did not have on my list at all because of how insanely deep this discography is.

Going back to your last post, which I neglected to comment on, I definitely agree with your choices of Aces High and The Clansman. Rainmaker is a very solid song that also made a strong impression on me early on, but it just isn't quite in the upper echelons for me. Children of the Damned and 22 Acacia Avenue are two songs that I like, and which I understand why people love, but that ultimately don't quite strike me the way they do for others. I also am not crazy about the lyrics of 22.

Yeah, there's bound to be a few great Maiden songs that aren't in my list because of the sheer size and scope of top notch Maiden songs out there.

And I concur; I'm not particularly keen on 22's lyrics either. But the song is pretty great musically!

[Stadler]

No doubt 22 rules. One of my all time favourites for sure, however the lyrics 'out of context' probably aren't the greatest message in this day and age (although they are great lyrics! If you know what I mean....) I have 3 daughters - aged 15, 13 and 11 and I kind of feel it isn't appropriate to play that song around them if that makes sense...

But apart from that, a brilliant song. Awesome arrangement and really interesting musically, continues to build, amazing vocals and solos. Just an epic song.

Totally get that, but some of the modern crap I've heard and the lyrics kids are exposed to these days makes the 22 lyrics sound like a nursey rhyme.

So some of you know I actually LIKE Harry Styles' music.  I got that from my now-19-year-old daughter.  I was singing "Watermelon Sugar" and I was playing my guitar and singing it to my kid and she says "Um, don't sing that in public".  And I'm like why?  And she says "Don't look up the lyrics".   So of course I did, and I looked up the "urban dictionary" definition of "watermelon sugar" - there wasn't one that predated Harry's use - and I looked at the rest of the lyrics and there was only one phrase I didn't quite get.  Sure enough, looked it up and WOW.  I'm... WOW.      If I ever sing this song in public again, I'll be changing THAT line!

So, yeah, while I get the sentiment and respect it, I think it's got to be in context. 

[Mister Gold]

Sorry again for yet another delayed update! Life has been getting rather hectic, but I figured that I should try to at least squeeze in a new update before Election Day!

25. "Isle of Avalon" - While I don't personally rank this particular epic off of The Final Frontier as high as others, it is absolutely a banger and more than earns its spot in my personal Top 25 Iron Maiden Songs!

24. "Lord of Light" - I feel a bit odd putting "Lord of Light" twenty spots lower than I originally did years ago in my first Top 25 Iron Maiden Songs list. It's still an absolute monster of an epic from the band and features one of Bruce's single greatest vocal performances as a singer. But I suppose my head's in a different space now than it was then, because I'm just not as compelled to revisit it as often as I used to.

23. "Blood On The World's Hands" - Now here's a bit of a funny story about this particular song; I initially placed "Blood On The World's Hands" very low in the first draft of my Top 50. But, as I kept revisiting my list and making adjustments with each new update, I found myself loving the song more and more- and recognized that it was going to inevitably end up somewhere in my Top 25. I'm actually rather surprised that the band's never played this particular song live, because I really do feel like it'd shine all the brighter with Bruce on the mic. It's a rather unique song in the band's catalogue in my humble opinion and represents one of the band's heaviest moments ever musically. I could totally see this song breaking into my Top 15 or higher next time around.

22. "Alexander the Great" - Ahh, "Alexander the Great." One of Iron Maiden's finest compositions musically, while simultaneously one of its most awkward lyrically. What can else I say though that hasn't already been said before? Adrian is on fire on this particular song!

21. "Revelations" - While I will always prefer "Powerslaves" over "Revelations" as a whole, it's hard to deny just how great a first try Bruce Dickinson gave on for his first entirely self-composed song for the band. Lyrically, I might even say that Bruce has only matched "Revelations" a few times since in his career both in Maiden and as a solo artist!

[wolfking]

Blood on the Worlds Hands is a great choice.  A unique, heavy song for Maiden.  They did play it live though on the X Factour.  There's even a great quality live recording on one of the versions of The Angel and The Gambler single and is on the Best of the B Sides too.

[Mister Gold]

Blood on the Worlds Hands is a great choice.  A unique, heavy song for Maiden.  They did play it live though on the X Factour.  There's even a great quality live recording on one of the versions of The Angel and The Gambler single and is on the Best of the B Sides too.

Yeah, I didn't make it clear, but I was referring to the band never playing it live in the Reunion era. I actually think the song would go over rather well live with the current lineup.

[wolfking]

Blood on the Worlds Hands is a great choice.  A unique, heavy song for Maiden.  They did play it live though on the X Factour.  There's even a great quality live recording on one of the versions of The Angel and The Gambler single and is on the Best of the B Sides too.

Yeah, I didn't make it clear, but I was referring to the band never playing it live in the Reunion era. I actually think the song would go over rather well live with the current lineup.

Fair call.  Would be a monster deep cut if they brought that one out.

[Mister Gold]

Blood on the Worlds Hands is a great choice.  A unique, heavy song for Maiden.  They did play it live though on the X Factour.  There's even a great quality live recording on one of the versions of The Angel and The Gambler single and is on the Best of the B Sides too.

Yeah, I didn't make it clear, but I was referring to the band never playing it live in the Reunion era. I actually think the song would go over rather well live with the current lineup.

Fair call.  Would be a monster deep cut if they brought that one out.

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised the band didn't pull out any X Factor songs when they were touring for A Matter of Life & Death. It would've fit the setlist wonderfully, though I suppose the band felt obligated to avoid deep cuts on that tour since they were already playing the entirety of their then-new album that was well over an hour long from start to finish live.

But seriously; Just imagine AMOLAD era Bruce singing "Blood on the World's Hands." It'd be MONSTROUS.

[Mister Gold]

Huh. I would've thought this set of songs would receive more feedback from everyone.

[Stadler]

Sorry, I've been distracted.     

I'm a big fan of Isle of Avalon; I was a member of Avalon String Band when it came out and so I kind of listened to it a lot for very dumb reasons (the title) but it's stuck with me.   I'm a huge fan of TFF generally, and I just love the "musicality" of that album.  It's as "beautiful" an album as you can get for Iron Maiden.

I love Revelations (It's always fun to post this: https://youtu.be/jLhf8caVIiI).   Lord of Light is one of my favorite songs on AMOLAD, though I don't listen to it much.   

I'll be honest; I think Alexander is over-rated.  I was into Maiden in real time, and so following Hallowed..., To Tame A Land, and Rime..., AtG didn't really hold up.   That album is also so different that there were other things (including the b-sides) that attracted more attention.   In hindsight, it's not really gained a lot of charm for me.

[425]

I've been distracted as well. Coming around to this batch, I think it's an excellent set of songs. I had Revelations and Avalon way up high in my own list, and Lord of Light and Alexander in a similar region. One small point of disagreement is that I don't think Bruce has ever matched Revelations as a solo composer.

Blood on the World's Hands is an interesting one. In my early period of Maiden fandom, I would have probably put it pretty high—20s or 30s. Over time, my interest in it has decreased some, but I still think it's an excellent song. I may have underrated it by not having it on my own list (or among the first few songs I left out).

[Lupton]

I'll have to say...I'm totally a fan of ALL that last batch of tunes. I'm really not that big a fan of AMOLAD as many here are but I must admit, Lord of Light is probably one of my favorite tunes on the album (that riff!) along with Benjamin Breeg and For the Greater Good. Sorry that I don't really have anything interesting to add to the thread. 

[DTA]

I will say that I do like Alexander a bit less than I used to. Every part of the song is really cool (especially the intro and bridge) but for some reason it's not a song I really enjoy listening to. I also feel the same with To Tame A Land. But I would absolutely shit a ton of bricks if it ever made a setlist just for the novelty of seeing it performed live.

[The Realm]

Yes all great songs in the latest batch.

Isle of Avalon - has grown on me over time, as the Final Frontier album has. A great epic tune.

Lord of Light - another great reunion era tune. Really enjoy this one.

Blood on the World's Hands - this would be my second fav song on the album after Sign of the Cross. Really cool musically. I think Blaze does a pretty good job on this track and agree would be interesting to hear Bruce sing this one.

Alexander the Great - just love this one musically. I love the into, just a beautiful piece of music. The middle instrumental section is also really cool with great ideas which just adds to the epic nature of the tune.

Revelations - one of my absolute favourite Maiden songs without a doubt. The Live After Death version with Bruce's ad lib added vocals and his additional banter 'Los Angles can you feel it' etc is imprinted on my brain and my definitive version of the song.

[TAC]

Lord Of Light might be my 2nd favorite Reunion Era track after The Talisman.

[Mister Gold]

Sorry, I've been distracted.     

I'm a big fan of Isle of Avalon; I was a member of Avalon String Band when it came out and so I kind of listened to it a lot for very dumb reasons (the title) but it's stuck with me.   I'm a huge fan of TFF generally, and I just love the "musicality" of that album.  It's as "beautiful" an album as you can get for Iron Maiden.

I love Revelations (It's always fun to post this: https://youtu.be/jLhf8caVIiI).   Lord of Light is one of my favorite songs on AMOLAD, though I don't listen to it much.   

I'll be honest; I think Alexander is over-rated.  I was into Maiden in real time, and so following Hallowed..., To Tame A Land, and Rime..., AtG didn't really hold up.   That album is also so different that there were other things (including the b-sides) that attracted more attention.   In hindsight, it's not really gained a lot of charm for me.

You're not wrong; TFF is probably the "prettiest" album from Maiden musically. Its production aside, the album has aged incredibly well for me over the past decade. It's filled to the brim with incredible and varied music from start to finish.

I've been distracted as well. Coming around to this batch, I think it's an excellent set of songs. I had Revelations and Avalon way up high in my own list, and Lord of Light and Alexander in a similar region. One small point of disagreement is that I don't think Bruce has ever matched Revelations as a solo composer.

Blood on the World's Hands is an interesting one. In my early period of Maiden fandom, I would have probably put it pretty high—20s or 30s. Over time, my interest in it has decreased some, but I still think it's an excellent song. I may have underrated it by not having it on my own list (or among the first few songs I left out).

That's definitely a fair argument to make for Revelations, 425. It's definitely one of his most creative works and I appreciate it more with every passing year, but it'll be awhile before I think it'd ever have a shot at dethroning Powerslave or the various highlights off of Bruce's solo album The Chemical Wedding.

I'll have to say...I'm totally a fan of ALL that last batch of tunes. I'm really not that big a fan of AMOLAD as many here are but I must admit, Lord of Light is probably one of my favorite tunes on the album (that riff!) along with Benjamin Breeg and For the Greater Good. Sorry that I don't really have anything interesting to add to the thread. 

No worries! I really love the slight throwback to classic Black Sabbath vibes that are present in Lord of Light. It's a monster of a song.

I will say that I do like Alexander a bit less than I used to. Every part of the song is really cool (especially the intro and bridge) but for some reason it's not a song I really enjoy listening to. I also feel the same with To Tame A Land. But I would absolutely shit a ton of bricks if it ever made a setlist just for the novelty of seeing it performed live.

Yeah, I think the biggest strengths of Alexander are Adrian's guitarwork and that "cult classic" element it has going for it.

Lord Of Light might be my 2nd favorite Reunion Era track after The Talisman.

Makes sense. Both songs are easily Bruce's finest vocal performances in the whole Reunion Era, and are only ever rivaled on a few songs from the Classic era.

Yes all great songs in the latest batch.

Isle of Avalon - has grown on me over time, as the Final Frontier album has. A great epic tune.

Lord of Light - another great reunion era tune. Really enjoy this one.

Blood on the World's Hands - this would be my second fav song on the album after Sign of the Cross. Really cool musically. I think Blaze does a pretty good job on this track and agree would be interesting to hear Bruce sing this one.

Alexander the Great - just love this one musically. I love the into, just a beautiful piece of music. The middle instrumental section is also really cool with great ideas which just adds to the epic nature of the tune.

Revelations - one of my absolute favourite Maiden songs without a doubt. The Live After Death version with Bruce's ad lib added vocals and his additional banter 'Los Angles can you feel it' etc is imprinted on my brain and my definitive version of the song.

Yeah, there's one other song off of The X Factor that I like just a wee bit more than Blood On The World's Hands besides Sign of the Cross, but the margins between the two are getting closer and closer the more I listen to Blood. I really do think it'd take on new life and shine all the more with Bruce at the mic.

[wolfking]

Hmmm...LOL is cool but I never rated it as high as most do.  I always found the chorus a bit anticlimactic.

[Mister Gold]

Another week, another update! Welcome... to the Top 20!

20. "The Book of Souls" - I'll admit that if I were to redo this list again, I'm not sure that this song would rank as high as this, as its exact position is kinda impossible for me to pin it down exactly. Regardless I do consider "The Book of Souls" to be one of Janick Gers' strongest contributions to the band. I'm quite happy that I was able to catch this epic live a few years back.

19. "Caught Somewhere In Time" - One of my favorite opening songs to an album ever. While the chorus might be a tad goofy lyrically, the memorable melodies and thick synthesized guitars instantly tell you that Somewhere In Time is a rather different animal from most other Maiden albums. And quite frankly, the band has only been this musically ambitious for an album opener a handful of times over the years... And I think everyone in this forum can guess what my absolute favorite Maiden opener is.

18. "2 A.M." - Kind of like "The Book of Souls," I wasn't entirely sure where to put "2 A.M." on the list. I knew it had to be within my Top 20 at minimum, but I wasn't sure if I had it in me to put it in my Top 15 or higher. For now, I opted against it for the purpose of pure ranking of the song. But on a personal level, I feel that "2 A.M." is hands down one of the most emotionally cutting and relatable songs to ever come from the band. It really does nail that haunted, exhaustive quietness I feel on late nights and try to contemplate my place in the world.

17. "Infinite Dreams" - What can I say? This song is a jewel.

16. "The Trooper" - God, what an incredible song. I've always argued that hits like "Number of the Beast" or "Run to the Hills" are kinda overrated, but frankly "The Trooper" is just that great a song.

While I could opt to wax lyrical about its various great live performances from the band, I'll actually take a moment to give a shoutout to The Protomen's cover of the song from a few years back. Featured on what happens to be the only existing "concept album" I know that consists entirely of cover songs, The Protomen do an incredible job adapting the Maiden classic (and other 70's/80's songs) to fit within their ongoing sci-fi dystopian narrative. If you've ever wondered what "The Trooper" might've sounded like on Somewhere In Time or Seventh Son, this might be the closest you'll get to finding out heavy synths are utilized here alongside guitars.

[Stadler]

Very good not great batch. 

I like TBOS a lot, but it's not my favorite from the set.

I really dig CSIT; I'm a big fan of that record, and while some of it sounds dated, it was always a favorite. 

I couldn't tell you one thing about 2 A.M.; I'll have to go listen again.

Infinite Dreams is one of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite Maiden records. That's a truly great song, IMO.

Trooper; a great song buried on an album of great songs.  I love it now live, but it always seemed to be 'slight" when compared to Where Eagles Dare, Revelations, Still Life, and To Tame A Land.

[wolfking]

Yeah, that's a great batch.  Great writeup on 2AM.  I feel you there.  Love seeing this song so high.

[The Realm]

Just never felt the love for TBOS. I do enjoy it but it is far from a favourite.

2AM - Definitely one of the stronger tracks on the album. I can appreciate the love for this one but as I still struggle overall with the Blaze era of Maiden.

Now, the other 3 tracks these are all time favourite of mine. Love all three, yes I realise The Trooper is one of the more overplayed popular Maiden tracks but it is still awesome. The other 2 don't get played live enough!

[Mister Gold]

Ah geez, I'm a bit behind with this! Okay, let's keep a-trucking and bring the list back home!

15. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" - What can I say that hasn't been said before about this song? This is what not to do if a bird $#%!'s on you!

14. "The Talisman" - As a keen eye might recall from previous posts in this thread, I originally wasn't particularly fond of "The Talisman." However after years of being away from the song and finally revisiting it after praise in this thread, I was taken aback by just how blindingly terrific it actually is. Quite simply one of Bruce's best vocal performances in a song ever and I love how it just races right along all the way to the end.

13. "Killers" - Hands down Paul DiAnno's best vocal performance in an Iron Maiden song. There are two other songs from his tenure that I love just a bit more, but DiAnno's performance on "Killers" is just brilliant. DiAnno sounds like a punk-ified version of Rob Halford on this track and shrieks and screams in ways that he rarely ever did elsewhere.

12. "Coming Home" - Perhaps this might be a bit of an odd pick, but "Coming Home" just keeps growing on me with every passing year. The chorus is beautiful and as someone who's lived across the planet over the years and flown many an international flight, the lyrics really 'click' for me. It really captures a certain swelling feeling of relief that I tend to have every time I arrive at the destination airport after a lengthy series of flights over the course of a day. Now if only they wrote a song about how exhausting these flights can get...

11. "Sea of Madness" - One of my favorite contributions from Adrian Smith. Such a heavy and ridiculously underrated track from Somewhere In Time. I'm surprised the band hasn't brought this song back out to the setlists in recent years. I have a feeling a lot of fans would appreciate hearing this over "Heaven Can Wait" again.

[Zydar]

All great ones, especially Sea Of Madness. Such a great track.

[Stadler]

Now THIS is a group of songs!!!!    I'm a huge fan of Rime and Coming Home, so those are stellar picks.  Killers isn't my favorite from the album, but the album is probably in my top three Maiden albums, so that's not really a bad thing.   There's not a duff track on that record (MAYBE Innocent Exile) so it's a song I listen to a lot.   I have to refresh a bit on The Talisman, but Sea Of Madness is also one of my favorite songs on an album that is one of my favorites. 

[wolfking]

Excellent group.  Although I never quite understood the love for Coming Home truthfully.

[DTA]

Excellent group.  Although I never quite understood the love for Coming Home truthfully.

That chorus is just incredible. Modern Maiden may be long-winded and repetitive, but they still are able to deliver a strong chorus which must be incredible in front of 100k fans.

[Mister Gold]

Excellent group.  Although I never quite understood the love for Coming Home truthfully.

Thinking a bit more on it, I think part of my attraction for Coming Home is how it sounds rather reminiscent of something you might hear off of one of Bruce's solo albums. It's a bit different musically from a lot of other Maiden songs, especially in the Reunion Era, but it's still quite melodic. The chorus is breathtaking.

[wolfking]

I'll have to check it again.  TFF is probably due for a listen anyway.

[The Realm]

Great latest batch - worth the wait!

I actually love Coming Home, just a really strong track and has an excellent vibe. The opening riff is a highlight as well as Bruce's vocals.

Sea of Madness and Rime are definitely 2 of my very favourite Maiden songs, in truth if I was doing a ranking Rime would probably be my #2 song. And agree it would be awesome to hear Sea of Madness live.

The Talisman is an epic tune and I get the love for this one.

Killers - always loved this track. Personally I wouldn't rank it this high but great to see it on a list (not sure it has featured previously?) Overall not sure the album Killers has got enough love in this thread, it is an album full of great songs.