| "Man on the Edge" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Iron Maiden | ||||
| from the album The X Factor | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 25 September 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1994 – August 1995 | |||
| Studio | Barnyard (Essex) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:13 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Man on the Edge" is a single from the Iron Maiden album The X Factor released in 1995. The song is based on the film Falling Down , starring Michael Douglas. It was the first single the band released with Blaze Bayley on vocals.
In addition to an interview with Bayley and another track from The X Factor , the single features three originals that did not make the album's final cut. It is one of two Blaze Bayley era songs to make it onto the Edward the Great compilation, along with "Futureal", as well as one of three to make it onto Best of the Beast along with "Sign of the Cross" and "Virus".
Iron Maiden frequently played this song during the Ed Hunter tour in 1999, making it one of 5 Bayley era songs to survive in concerts after his departure (The others being "Lord of the Flies", "Sign of the Cross", "Futureal", and "The Clansman").
A live version of this song from 1999 is featured on the 2000 single release of "The Wicker Man" and on the compilation From Fear to Eternity from 2011, with Bruce Dickinson on vocals.
There were three videos made for this song. One is filmed on location at Masada, Israel, the second is a more cinematic video of the band performing as a man throws himself off a building, and the third is a 'sneak-peek' promo video consisting only of clips of pratfalls from black and white silent movies was used for promotional purposes prior to release. This third version appears as an 'Easter Egg' on the Visions of the Beast DVD.
The song was featured in the video game Carmageddon 2 .
On the cover of CD 1 Eddie's brain has been cut in half, though on CD 2 he still has his brain attached. The 12" Picture Disc was the same as CD 1 though because it moved within the sleeve it could look very different, very much like an "X" in the right position.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" | 4:19 | |
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" |
| 6:40 |
| 3. | "Judgement Day" |
| 4:09 |
| 4. | "Blaze Bayley Interview - Part I" | 5:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" |
| 4:19 |
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" |
| 6:40 |
| 3. | "Justice of the Peace" |
| 3:38 |
| 4. | "Blaze Bayley Interview - Part II" | 5:55 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" |
|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" |
| 6:40 |
| 3. | "I Live My Way" |
| 3:48 |
Production credits are adapted from the CD, [1] [2] and picture disc covers. [3]
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [4] | 18 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [5] | 1 |
| France (SNEP) [6] | 33 |
| Italy ( Musica e Dischi ) [7] | 18 |
| Netherlands (Single Tip) [8] | 7 |
| Norway (VG-lista) [9] | 18 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [10] | 23 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [11] | 10 |
The X Factor is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 2 October 1995 through EMI Records. CMC International released the album in North America. It is the first of two albums by the band to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career. It also saw the departure of the band's longtime producer Martin Birch, who retired shortly after the release of their previous album, Fear of the Dark (1992). The album takes a darker tone than the band's first nine releases, due to the lyrics being based on personal issues surrounding Steve Harris at the time, who was in the midst of a divorce. This is reflected in the cover artwork, which graphically depicts the band's mascot, Eddie, being vivisected by a machine.
Virtual XI is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 23 March 1998. It is the band's second and final album with Blaze Bayley on vocals. It also marks the first album to utilise a slightly modified logo, with the letters R, M, and N the same size as the other letters as opposed to them being extended. This goes on for the next few albums, until The Final Frontier, in 2010.
Edward the Great: The Greatest Hits is Iron Maiden's third "best-of album", originally released on 4 November 2002. Unlike the band's other works by the group collecting together songs from different albums, such as Best of the Beast, Edward the Great does not feature any material from the group's first two albums, which featured Paul Di'Anno as vocalist, but does include material from Blaze Bayley's five-year tenure with the band.
Ed Hunter is a greatest hits album and video game released in 1999 by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden and Synthetic Dimensions. The game objective consists of following Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie, through various levels depicting the band's past album covers. The accompanying CDs have the group's most popular songs, as selected by fans on the band's official website.
"Running Free" is the debut single by Iron Maiden, released on 8 February 1980 on the 7" 45 rpm vinyl record format. It was written by Steve Harris and Paul Di'Anno. The song appears as the third track on the band's debut album Iron Maiden. In 1985, a live version of the song was released as the first single from Live After Death. In 1990, the original single was reissued on CD and 12" vinyl as part of The First Ten Years box, in which it was combined with the band's next single, "Sanctuary". The 1985 live single was also released as part of this box set, combined with 1985's "Run to the Hills".
"The Wicker Man" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 8 May 2000 as the first single and opening track from their twelfth studio album, Brave New World (2000). It preceded the release of Brave New World by three weeks. It is also the first single by the band since 1989's single "Infinite Dreams" to feature "The Trooper"-era lineup with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith returning to the band in 1999. It was co-written by Smith, Dickinson and Steve Harris. It was co-produced by Kevin Shirley and Harris. The title is inspired by the British cult film of the same name. The song should not be confused with "Wicker Man" from Dickinson's solo career, the lyrics of which are more closely themed around the film. The latter song can be found on the 2 disc edition of The Best of Bruce Dickinson.
Best of the 'B' Sides is a compilation of B-sides by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 4 November 2002 as part of the Eddie's Archive box set. Each track was remastered and the set came with a running commentary from Rod Smallwood. It covers all of their singles from their first to 2000's "Out of the Silent Planet", although several of the band's original B-sides were excluded from the collection: "Total Eclipse", "Mission From 'Arry" ; "Bayswater Ain't a Bad Place to Be" ; and "I Live My Way". Also missing are the band's cover of Thin Lizzy's "Massacre" and a number of live B-sides.
"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.
"Stranger in a Strange Land" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the second single from their sixth studio album, Somewhere in Time (1986). The song is unrelated to Robert A. Heinlein's novel by the same name.
"The Number of the Beast" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is Iron Maiden's seventh single release, and the second single from their 1982 studio album of the same name. It was reissued in 2005 and also prior to that in 1990 in The First Ten Years box set on CD and 12" vinyl, in which it was combined with the previous single, "Run to the Hills".
"Rainmaker" is the 37th single by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 24 November 2003 as the second and final single from their 13th studio album, Dance of Death (2003). It was written by Dave Murray, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson, and produced by Harris and Kevin Shirley.
"The Evil That Men Do" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the band's seventeenth single and the second from their seventh studio album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988). The single debuted at number six in the UK charts and quickly rose to number five. The single's B-sides are re-recordings of "Prowler" and "Charlotte the Harlot" which appear as tracks number one and seven/eight respectively on the band's debut album Iron Maiden.
"Be Quick or Be Dead" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the first single from their ninth studio album, Fear of the Dark, on 13 April 1992. The single peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and in Finland while reaching the top 10 in Denmark, Ireland, and Norway.
"Virus" is a single from Iron Maiden, released in 1996. It is the first single since 1980's "Women in Uniform" that does not appear on any official Iron Maiden studio album. It was, however, featured as a brand new track on the band's first ever career retrospective – 1996's double-disc Best of the Beast. It is the only Iron Maiden song to be credited to both of the band's guitarists. It has never been performed live by Iron Maiden, but Blaze Bayley performed it several times in his solo career. Lyrically, the song warns of rising business and government corruption in an increasingly Internet-dependent world.
"The Angel and the Gambler" is a single from the Iron Maiden album Virtual XI, released in 1998. It preceded the release of Virtual XI by two weeks.
"Out of the Silent Planet" is a single from the Iron Maiden album Brave New World, released in 2000.
"Wildest Dreams" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 1 September 2003 as the lead single from their 13th studio album, Dance of Death (2003). It was written by guitarist Adrian Smith and bassist Steve Harris, and produced by Kevin Shirley.
"Different World" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the opening track from their 14th studio album, A Matter of Life and Death (2006), and was released as the second single from the album. It was released on 14 November 2006 in the United States, and 26 December 2006 in Europe. The song has been stated by the band to be a tribute to Thin Lizzy due to the low sounding melodies sung by Bruce Dickinson that are reminiscent of those Phil Lynott would sing. It was also played first every night on the band's A Matter of Life and Death Tour.
From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990–2010 is a compilation album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally released on the eight studio albums from No Prayer for the Dying to The Final Frontier. The title is lifted from the 1992 single, "From Here to Eternity", although it is not featured in this release.
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