Speed of Light (Iron Maiden song)

Last updated

"Speed of Light"
Iron Maiden Speed of Light.jpg
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album The Book of Souls
Released14 August 2015
RecordedGuillaume Tell Studios, Paris in 2014
Genre Heavy metal
Length5:03
Label Parlophone, BMG (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kevin Shirley
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"El Dorado"
(2010)
"Speed of Light"
(2015)
"Empire of the Clouds"
(2016)

"Speed of Light" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden from their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls . The song was released as a music video on 14 August 2015 and was also made available as a digital download and issued as a single-track CD exclusive to Best Buy in the US. [1] [2] [3] It is the band's first single since 1996's "Virus" to use their original logo on the cover.

Contents

Music video

The song's music video was directed and produced by Llexi Leon, creator of the comic book series Eternal Descent, as well as the virtual band of the same name. [1] The video is an "'homage' to four decades of video gaming", [4] centering on the band's mascot, Eddie, as he travels "through the combined 35-year history of video games". [3] The visual effects were provided by The Brewery, who had previously worked on the films Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010) and Spike Island (2012), as well as the 2014 TV series Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond . [5]

Personnel

Iron Maiden
Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Maiden</span> English heavy metal band

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.

<i>The Number of the Beast</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Iron Maiden

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 US by Harvest and Capitol Records, and on 29 March 1982 in the UK by EMI Records. The album was their first to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson and their last with drummer Clive Burr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Harris (musician)</span> British bassist

Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter, founder, and leader of heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He has been the band's only constant member since their inception in 1975 and, along with guitarist Dave Murray, the only member to appear on every album.

<i>Iron Maiden</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 14 April 1980 by EMI Records in the UK and Harvest and Capitol Records in the US. The North American version included the song "Sanctuary", released in the UK as a non-album single. In 1998, along with the rest of the band's pre-1995 releases, Iron Maiden was remastered with "Sanctuary" added in all territories. However, 2014 vinyl reissues, 2015 digital releases and 2018 CD reissues use the original track listing across the globe. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Smith (musician)</span> English guitarist

Adrian Frederick Smith is an English guitarist and singer best known as a member of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, for whom he also writes songs and performs backing vocals both live and in the studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Trooper</span> 1983 single by Iron Maiden

"The Trooper" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the second single on 20 June 1983 from the band's fourth studio album, Piece of Mind (1983). It was one of only a few songs to achieve frequent radio airplay in the United States, thus peaking at No. 28 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock. It also achieved success in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Singles Charts, as well as gaining a better reception than the band's previous single, "Flight of Icarus". The song is one of their most popular and remains an essential track of heavy metal music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Minutes to Midnight</span> 1984 single by Iron Maiden

"2 Minutes to Midnight" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, featured on their fifth studio album, Powerslave (1984). It was released as the band's tenth single, and first from the album on 6 August 1984. It rose to number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 on Billboard Top Album Tracks. The band's first single to exceed five minutes in length, it remained their longest until the release of "Infinite Dreams" in November 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wicker Man (song)</span> 2000 single by Iron Maiden

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run to the Hills</span> 1982 single by Iron Maiden

"Run to the Hills" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band's third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson as vocalist. Credited solely to the band's bassist, Steve Harris, Dickinson contributed to the song but could not be credited due to a contractual agreement with his former band Samson. "Run to the Hills" remains one of the band's most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 10 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aces High (song)</span> 1984 single by Iron Maiden

"Aces High" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, written by the band's bassist Steve Harris. It is Iron Maiden's eleventh single release and the second from their fifth studio album, Powerslave (1984).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Number of the Beast (song)</span> 1982 single by Iron Maiden

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virus (Iron Maiden song)</span> 1996 single by Iron Maiden

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildest Dreams (Iron Maiden song)</span> 2003 single by Iron Maiden

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Different World (Iron Maiden song)</span> 2006 single by Iron Maiden

"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.

<i>The Final Frontier</i> 2010 studio album by Iron Maiden

The Final Frontier is the fifteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 13 August 2010 in Germany, Austria and Finland, 17 August in North America, 18 August in Japan, and 16 August worldwide. At 76 minutes and 34 seconds, it is the band's third-longest studio album to date, a duration surpassed only by 2015's The Book of Souls and 2021's Senjutsu. Melvyn Grant, a long-time contributor to the band's artwork, created the cover art. It is the band's final album to be released through EMI Records, marking the end of their 30-year relationship. It is also the last album to use the band's alternate logo. While not a concept album, themes of exploration, expectation, and discovery are frequent throughout. The Final Frontier is the band's first studio album in nearly four years, making it one of the longest gaps between albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Murray (musician)</span> English guitarist

David Michael Murray is an English guitarist, best known as a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. He joined Iron Maiden early in its history, and is the second-longest serving member of the band after founder Steve Harris. He and Harris are the only members of Iron Maiden to have appeared on every album.

<i>The Book of Souls</i> 2015 studio album by Iron Maiden

The Book of Souls is the sixteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 4 September 2015. It is the band's first studio double album, and also their longest to date, with a total length of 92 minutes and 11 seconds. Its launch and supporting tour were delayed to allow vocalist Bruce Dickinson time to recover from the removal of a cancerous tumour in early 2015. It is also their first album to be released on Parlophone, since the end of their 30-year relationship with EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empire of the Clouds</span> 2016 single by Iron Maiden

"Empire of the Clouds" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden from their sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls. The song was issued as a single on 16 April 2016, tying in with Record Store Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Writing on the Wall (Iron Maiden song)</span> 2021 single by Iron Maiden

"The Writing on the Wall" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The song was released on 15 July 2021 alongside a music video, and served as the lead single from their seventeenth studio album Senjutsu. It was also the band's first single since 2016's "Empire of the Clouds".

References

  1. 1 2 "Iron Maiden – Old-School Arcade Video For "Speed of Light" Unveiled!". BraveWords.com . 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  2. "Video Premiere: Iron Maiden's 'Speed of Light'". Blabbermouth.net . 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 Chantler, Chris (14 August 2015). "The 15 Best Things About Iron Maiden's 'Speed of Light'". Metal Hammer . Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  4. Bienstock, Richard (14 August 2015). "Iron Maiden Salute Video Games in New Video 'Speed of Light'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  5. Bienstock, Richard (14 August 2015). "Iron Maiden Premiere Video for New Single 'Speed of Light'". Revolver . Retrieved 16 August 2015.