"Fear of the Dark" | |
---|---|
Song by Iron Maiden | |
from the album Fear of the Dark | |
Released | 11 May 1992 |
Recorded | 1991 – April 1992 |
Studio | Barnyard, Essex, England |
Genre | Heavy metal |
Length | 7:16 |
Label | EMI |
Songwriter(s) | Steve Harris |
Producer(s) |
|
"Fear of the Dark" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Written by Steve Harris, the band's bass player and primary songwriter, it serves as the title track to Iron Maiden's 1992 album Fear of the Dark .
The song has been covered by several different artists. In 2008, it was covered by Fightstar for Kerrang! magazine's Maiden Heaven tribute album. [1]
The Flight 666 version of the song was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series on 9 June 2009.
The song's lyrics tell the story of a man who has always been intensely afraid of the dark. He recalls the many times he has walked alone, and recollections of the feeling of being followed while walking at night. Strictly, the song is about paranoid ideas (fear of being watched or harmed by other persons) rather than phobia (fear of objects and situations), even though the latter is referred to in the lyrics ("Have a phobia that someone's always there"); darkness seems to be the context rather than the reason for the fear.
According to Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris wrote this song because he himself was really afraid of the dark. [2]
Album title | Year | Type | Recording location and date |
---|---|---|---|
Fear of the Dark | 1992 | Studio | Barnyard – Essex, England (1991-92) |
A Real Live One | 1993 | Live | Ice Hall – Helsinki, Finland (27 August 1992) |
Live at Donington | 1993 | Live | Monsters of Rock – Donington Park – Leicestershire, England (22 August 1992) |
Raising Hell | 1994 | Live | Pinewood Studios – Iver, England (28 August 1993) |
Best of the Beast | 1996 | Live | Ice Hall – Helsinki, Finland (27 August 1992) |
A Real Live Dead One | 1998 | Live | Ice Hall – Helsinki, Finland (27 August 1992) |
Eddie's Head | 1998 | Studio/Live | Barnyard – Essex, England (1991-92) Ice Hall – Helsinki, Finland (27 August 1992) Monsters of Rock – Donington Park – Leicestershire, England (22 August 1992) |
Ed Hunter | 1999 | Studio | Barnyard – Essex, England (1991-92) |
Rock in Rio | 2002 | Live | Rock in Rio 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 January 2001) |
Edward the Great | 2002/05 | Live | Rock in Rio 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 January 2001) Westfalenhallen – Dortmund, Germany (24 November 2003) |
Visions of the Beast | 2003 | Live | Rock in Rio 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 January 2001) Monsters of Rock – Donington Park – Leicestershire, England (22 August 1992) |
The Essential Iron Maiden | 2005 | Live | Rock in Rio 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 January 2001) |
Death on the Road | 2005 | Live | Westfalenhallen – Dortmund, Germany (24 November 2003) |
Flight 666 | 2009 | Live | Estadio Ferro Carril Oeste – Buenos Aires, Argentina (7 March 2008) |
From Fear to Eternity | 2011 | Live | Rock in Rio 3 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (19 January 2001) |
En Vivo! | 2012 | Live | Estadio Nacional – Santiago, Chile (10 April 2011) |
The Book of Souls: Live Chapter | 2017 | Live | Arena Castelão – Fortaleza, Brazil (24 March 2016) |
Nights of the Dead | 2020 | Live | Palacio de los Deportes – Mexico City, Mexico (27–30 September 2019) |
This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: covers may not meet WP:SONGCOVER.(October 2018) |
"Fear of the Dark (live)" | ||||
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Single by Iron Maiden | ||||
from the album A Real Live One | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 1 March 1993 | |||
Recorded | 27 August 1992 | |||
Venue | Helsinki Ice Hall | |||
Genre | Heavy metal | |||
Length | 7:22 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | Steve Harris | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Harris | |||
Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||||
|
A live version of the song was released on 1 March 1993 to promote A Real Live One , a live album featuring recordings from various concerts throughout the Fear of the Dark Tour. This song was recorded at the Helsinki Ice Hall on 27 August 1992. It is the 26th single released by the band, reaching number 8 in the UK charts.
Different tracks taken from the same album served as B-sides, including "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", "Be Quick or Be Dead", and "Tailgunner", in addition to "Hooks in You", recorded in 1990 during the No Prayer on the Road tour. The initial pressing of the 7" cut-to-shape vinyl picture disc listed "Hooks in You" as the B-side but actually played "Tailgunner". This mis-press was quickly corrected by EMI on future pressings.
"Fear of the Dark" was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1994 in the "Best Metal Performance" category, but lost to "I Don't Want to Change the World" by Ozzy Osbourne. [8]
The single's cover art features Eddie playing Steve Harris' signature Fender Precision Bass.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the Dark" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Steve Harris | 7:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
2. | "Tailgunner" (live at Patinoire de Malley, Lausanne, Switzerland, 4 September 1992) |
| 4:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the Dark" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Harris | 7:22 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
2. | "Hooks in You" (live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 17 December 1990) |
| 3:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the Dark" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Harris | 7:22 |
2. | "Be Quick or Be Dead" (live at Super Rock festival, Mannheim, Germany, 15 August 1992) |
| 3:20 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
3. | "Hooks in You" (live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 17 December 1990) |
| 3:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the Dark" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Harris | 7:22 |
2. | "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Dickinson | 5:30 |
3. | "Hooks in You" (live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 17 December 1990) |
| 3:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fear of the Dark" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992) | Harris | 7:22 |
2. | "Be Quick or Be Dead" (live at Super Rock festival, Mannheim, Germany, 15 August 1992) |
| 3:20 |
3. | "Hooks in You" (live at Wembley Arena, London, England, 17 December 1990) |
| 3:45 |
Chart (1993) | Peak position |
---|---|
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [9] | 6 |
Irish Singles Chart [10] | 17 |
UK Singles Chart [11] | 8 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [12] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [13] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [14] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In Fear Street Part One: 1994 , the character Josh Johnson wears an Iron Maiden shirt and is shown listening to the song Fear of the Dark.
In February 2024, Iron Maiden collaborated with the asymmetrical horror video game Dead by Daylight, which gave killers Eddie-inspired cosmetics and survivors Iron Maiden band shirts. This song was used as lobby music upon the launch of the collaboration, audible whenever characters had Iron Maiden cosmetics equipped.
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most of the band's history has consisted of Harris, lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson, drummer Nicko McBrain, and guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden released a series of UK and US Platinum and Gold albums, including 1980's debut album, 1981's Killers, and 1982's The Number of the Beast – its first album with Bruce Dickinson, who in 1981 replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer. The addition of Dickinson was a turning point in their career, establishing them as one of heavy metal's most important bands. The Number of the Beast is among the most popular heavy metal albums of all time, having sold almost 20 million copies worldwide.
The Number of the Beast is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 22 March 1982 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and their last with drummer Clive Burr.
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