Top 10 Iron Maiden Songs

As the first single off their critically acclaimed 1982 album The Number of the Beast, “Run to the Hills” remains one of Iron Maiden’s most highly ranked songs on various heavy metal lists. Touching on the conflicts between Native American tribes and European settlers, the Steve Harris-penned track provides both sides’ point of view and was the band’s first song to be released with Bruce Dickinson on vocals.

Though the band’s solid eponymous debut included notable songs like “Prowler” and “Running Free,” it’s “Phantom of the Opera” that grabs us, especially because it was a precursor to decades of epic Steve Harris bass lines. While the band later derided the album’s audio quality, the release was commercially successful. The seven-minute track was particularly notable for its progressive elements and its standing as a live staple.

Featuring original vocalist Paul Di’Anno on mic duty, Killers’ track “Wrathchild” kicks off with one of Steve Harris’ most recognizable bass lines. Despite the band’s later lineup changes, this is usually the only track off this album that Iron Maiden still plays in concert. And this shouldn’t come as any surprise, since the chorus and solos seem destined to be performed live.

1988’s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son offered fans a slew of standout tracks, including “Can I Play with Madness” and “The Evil That Men Do.” But, weighing in at over nine-minutes and including a chilling intro, heart pounding bass line and haunting segment in between, it’s hard to overlook the title track as one of Maiden’s greatest.

Featuring synthesizers for the first time, 1986’s Somewhere in Time presented a new sound, which pleased some fans but disappointed others. Regardless, the album’s track quality remained high, with the epic “Caught Somewhere in Time,” the lush “Stranger in a Strange Land,” and the infectious “Wasted Years.” But the song that most represents the band’s appeal is “Alexander the Great.” Referencing history in a unique way, this eight-minute-plus opus is truly a masterpiece.

The title track to what is arguably the fan favorite from Iron Maiden’s discography, “The Number of the Beast” introduced us to the vocal prowess of Bruce Dickinson. Given the song’s subject matter, it drew considerable criticism, but it didn’t hurt its success one bit and it continues to be played live.

Inspired by Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Trooper,” Piece of Mind’s second single chronicles the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in 1854. Released after the first single, “Flight of Icarus,” the heavy metal tune is arguably the first Maiden song to successfully cross over into the mainstream. It also showcased Adrian Smith’s and Dave Murray’s multilayered guitars and Steve Harris’ bass.

Recounting the adventures of a British RAF pilot as he takes on the mighty German Luftwaffe during 1940’s Battle of Britain, this Powerslave number features chilling lyrics and even more chilling riffs: they’re a fittingly fast-paced onslaught of sound that display Maiden’s signature multi-guitar sound. “Aces High” became an even bigger fan favorite when it served as the opening track to Maiden’s critically acclaimed 1985 Live After Death release.

Another Steve Harris-written track off Powerslave, this 13-minute anthem was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem of the same name. Though it’s one of the longest in Maiden’s repertoire, Harris actually wrote it in a relatively short time. To this day, it remains one of Dickinson’s favorite songs to sing live.

Featuring two guitar solos, this single from The Number of the Beast is perennially named as one of – if not the – greatest Maiden song ever. With lyrics about a prisoner’s final moments before being hanged and featuring Bruce Dickinson in his signature story-telling mode, it’s also listed as one of the best heavy metals songs ever. Check it out for yourself.

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