Stranger in a Strange Land (Iron Maiden song)

Last updated • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
"Stranger in a Strange Land"
Stranger in a Strange Land.jpg
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album Somewhere in Time
B-side
  • "That Girl" (FM cover)
  • "Juanita" (Marshall Fury cover)
Released10 November 1986 [1]
Recorded1986
Studio
Genre Heavy metal
Length5:42
Label
Songwriter(s) Adrian Smith
Producer(s) Martin Birch
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"Wasted Years"
(1986)
"Stranger in a Strange Land"
(1986)
"Can I Play with Madness"
(1988)

"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. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

The lyrics are about an Arctic explorer who dies and is frozen in the ice. After a hundred years his body is found preserved by other people exploring there. [3] Adrian Smith was inspired to write about this song after talking to an explorer who had a similar experience while discovering the frozen body of Franklin Expedition participant John Torrington. [4]

The guitar solo in "Stranger in a Strange Land" is played by Smith. In a 2020 interview with eonmusic, the guitarist said that it was one of the first Iron Maiden songs that gave him "space to play in", citing its mid-paced tempo as the reason why; "a lot of the Maiden stuff up until then had been very fast, and aggressive, and heavy, but that actually allowed me a little bit of space to stretch out a bit", he said. [5]

The song is one of only five Iron Maiden songs to fade out; the others being "The Prophecy" from Seventh Son of a Seventh Son , "Hell on Earth" from Senjutsu , "Women in Uniform", a single included on some pressings of Killers , and "Kill Me Ce Soir", the B-side to the 12" single Holy Smoke released in 1990. The lyrics "brave new world" were also present in Iron Maiden's 2000 studio release, Brave New World .

Cover details

Eddie's appearance on the single cover is an homage to the Clint Eastwood character "Man with No Name", although it can also be seen as a mixture of Rick Deckard from Blade Runner and the "Man with No Name". This version of Eddie would later be used in the Camp Chaos music video for "Run to the Hills".

B-sides

The B-sides to this single, "That Girl" and "Juanita", were both played during The Entire Population of Hackney secret gig on 19 December 1985, with Andy Barnett on lead vocals on "That Girl" and Adrian Smith on "Juanita". This is probably where the idea came from to play them as B-sides, especially with Adrian's large presence on this single and the Somewhere in Time album.

"That Girl" was written by Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp and Andy Barnett in an early line-up of the band FM and was one of the demo tracks which secured them a record deal with CBS in 1984. [6] The song was eventually released by both Iron Maiden and FM in 1986. By then the brothers Steve and Chris Overland had joined FM and some parts of the original song (mainly choruses) had been rewritten for its inclusion on FM's debut album Indiscreet , [7] released just three weeks prior to Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time which featured a cover of the original arrangement. On this Iron Maiden version the first guitar solo is played by Dave Murray, while the ending guitar solo is played by Adrian Smith.

"Juanita" was originally played by Barnett's band, Marshall Fury, in the early 1980s, and it was written by Steve Barnacle and Derek O'Neil. Marshall Fury never recorded a studio version of the song.

Track listing

'7" single

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stranger in a Strange Land" Adrian Smith 5:42
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That Girl" (FM cover)Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp, Andy Barnett5:02
12" single
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stranger in a Strange Land"Smith5:42
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That Girl" (FM cover)Goldsworthy, Jupp, Barnett5:02
2."Juanita" (Marshall Fury cover)Steve Barnacle, Derek O'Neil3:45

Personnel

Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are: [8] [9]

Production

Chart performance

SingleChart (1986)Peak
position
Album
"Stranger in a Strange Land" Irish Singles Chart 18 [11] Somewhere in Time
UK Singles Chart 22 [12]
SingleChart (1990)Peak
position
Album
"Wasted Years/ Stranger in a Strange Land" UK Albums Chart [note 1] 9 [13]

Notes

  1. Re-release of both singles as part of The First Ten Years box set. Exceeded the length limit of the UK Singles chart.

Related Research Articles

<i>Maiden England</i> 1989 live album and video by Iron Maiden

Maiden England is a live video by the band Iron Maiden during their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son world tour, which was dubbed Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour.

<i>Somewhere in Time</i> (Iron Maiden album) 1986 studio album by Iron Maiden

Somewhere in Time is the sixth studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 29 September 1986 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and in the United States by Capitol Records. It was the band's first album to feature guitar synthesisers.

<i>Killers</i> (Iron Maiden album) 1981 studio album by Iron Maiden

Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 16 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use. Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).

A.S.a.P. were a rock band formed by guitarist and vocalist Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden. A.S.a.P. released an album in 1989 entitled Silver and Gold. A.S.a.P. stands for "Adrian Smith and Project", and the full name of the band is incorporated within the band logo, with each word written in tiny font underneath the corresponding letter in the abbreviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Running Free</span> 1980 single by Iron Maiden

"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".

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" is the final track on Iron Maiden's 1982 album The Number of the Beast. The song was written by bassist Steve Harris and has been acclaimed as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time. It is also considered one of the band's signature songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purgatory (song)</span> 1981 single by Iron Maiden

"Purgatory" is Iron Maiden's fifth single, released on 15 June 1981, and would be their last with singer Paul Di'Anno. It served as the second single from Killers. The single was reissued in 1990, on the same CD and 12" vinyl as the EP Maiden Japan, in the First Ten Years box set.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twilight Zone (Iron Maiden song)</span> 1981 single by Iron Maiden

"Twilight Zone" is the fourth single by Iron Maiden, released on 2 March 1981 and is the lead single to the 1981 LP Killers. The song did not appear in the original album in February, but was included in the U.S. release in June and the international 1998 remaster. At the time of its release, it was the band's second-most successful single, peaking at No. 31 in the UK Singles Chart. It is the band's first single to feature guitarist Adrian Smith. In the 1990 box set, The First Ten Years, it is on the same CD and 12" vinyl as the previous single, "Women in Uniform".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flight of Icarus</span> 1983 single by Iron Maiden

"Flight of Icarus" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was their eighth single, the first from their fourth studio album, Piece of Mind (1983), and their first in the United States, where it was one of their few with substantial airplay, peaking at a personal best No. 8 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart. It was a lesser success in the UK, peaking at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasted Years</span> 1986 single by Iron Maiden

"Wasted Years" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the band's fourteenth single released and the first from their sixth studio album, Somewhere in Time (1986). Released in 1986, it was the first single solely written by guitarist Adrian Smith, who also sings backing vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Evil That Men Do (song)</span> 1988 single by Iron Maiden

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infinite Dreams</span> 1989 single by Iron Maiden

"Infinite Dreams" is a live single released in 1989 by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the only single to be released in sync with a home video; 1989's Maiden England. The performance was recorded in Birmingham, England in 1988 towards the end of the massive world tour to support the album where the song originally appeared, being Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. It was the band's final single to feature "The Trooper"-era lineup for an entire decade until 2000's single "The Wicker Man" with guitarist Adrian Smith leaving the band in January 1990 after he did not approve of the direction the band were aiming for on their next album No Prayer for the Dying.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg</span> 2006 single by Iron Maiden

"The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" is a song by Iron Maiden, released on 14 August 2006 as the lead single from their fourteenth studio album, A Matter of Life and Death. It preceded the release of the album by eleven days.

<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>Indiscreet</i> (FM album) 1986 studio album by FM

Indiscreet is the debut album from British hard rock band FM. Indiscreet was originally released in 1986 on the Portrait Records label, a sister label of Epic Records. The song "Frozen Heart" became a moderately successful single. The song "That Girl" was covered by Iron Maiden as a B-side to their single "Stranger in a Strange Land" following its inclusion in a live set by The Entire Population of Hackney. Written by Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp and Andy Barnett in an early FM line-up, it was one of the demo songs which secured FM their record contract with Portrait/Epic in 1984. By the time Indiscreet was released FM had re-written parts of their song, while Iron Maiden's release three weeks later covered the original arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Entire Population of Hackney</span> English supergroup band

The Entire Population of Hackney is the name used for a supergroup project featuring members of Iron Maiden, FM and Urchin that played two concerts in December 1985. It is also the name used for a bootleg recording of the first show. It is most notable for being the spark that would lead to Adrian Smith forming his ASAP project later on and ultimately his split with Iron Maiden in 1990. It is also notable for leading to the first Iron Maiden recording without the current lead singer on lead vocals.

<i>Somewhere Back in Time</i> 2008 compilation album by Iron Maiden

Somewhere Back in Time - The Best of: 1980 - 1989 is a best of release by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, containing a selection of songs originally recorded for their first eight albums.

<i>From Fear to Eternity</i> (album) 2011 compilation album by Iron Maiden

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.

References

  1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 12.
  2. Huey, Steve. "Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 25 October 2010.
  3. Stagno, Mike (2 June 2006). "Review: Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  4. Andresen, Christer Bakke (2013-03-15). "MAIDEN HISTORY: End of the Classic Era part 1, 1986-1987". Maiden Revelations. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  5. "Adrian Smith Iron Maiden eonmusic Interview August 2020".
  6. "FM Biography". FM Official - The Home of British Rock Band FM. Retrieved 31 August 2015. In the summer of 1984...FM was formed... the band wrote six songs. By December of that same year FM had secured a recording contract with the CBS/Portrait label...
  7. "Q&A with Pete Jupp". FM Official - The Home of British Rock Band FM. Retrieved 31 August 2015. Maiden's version was the original arrangement we did in the "Andy Goes to Canada" line-up with Andy Barnett, Dave Lloyd and Dave Colwell before Steve and Chris were in the band. We rewrote the chorus early on after the Overlands came on board. It was one of the four songs that got us the CBS deal.
  8. "Stranger in a Strange Land" 7 Inch Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI Records. 22 November 1986.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. "Stranger in a Strange Land" 12 Inch Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI Records. 22 November 1986.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. 1 2 Fanelli, Damien; Hart, Josh (9 July 2013). "Synth City: 10 Classic Guitar Synth Songs". Guitar World . Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  11. "Irish singles archive". IRMA . Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  12. "Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 29 November 1986". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  13. "Top 40 Official Albums Chart UK Archive 14 April 1990". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 September 2011.