Hallowed Be Thy Name (song)

Last updated

"Hallowed Be Thy Name"
Song by Iron Maiden
from the album The Number of the Beast
Released22 March 1982 (1982-03-22)
RecordedJanuary–February 1982
Studio Battery, London
Genre Heavy metal
Length7:08
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Steve Harris
Producer(s) Martin Birch

"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. [1]

Contents

Synopsis

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" has remained in almost all of the band's set-lists since the album's recording, the only exceptions being the Maiden England World Tour 2012–14, [2] and the second leg of the Book of Souls World Tour in 2017. Allmusic describes it as "perhaps the most celebrated of the band's extended epics; it's the tale of a prisoner about to be hanged, featuring some of Harris' most philosophical lyrics." [3] Several band-members have since stated that it is one of their favourite tracks, with Bruce Dickinson describing it as "fantastic" and that performing it live is like "narrating a movie to the audience." [2]

It is one of the most covered songs in Iron Maiden's catalogue, with versions released by artists such as Dream Theater, [4] Machine Head, [5] Cradle of Filth [6] and Iced Earth. [7] Iron Maiden also recorded the song as part of Channel Four's 2007 television series, Live from Abbey Road , [8] while a version recorded for BBC Radio 1 in 2005 was used as a B-side on "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" single. [9] [10] The song's title is a line from the Lord's Prayer.

Songwriting lawsuit

A section of the lyrics are lifted from Beckett's 1973 song "Life's Shadow". Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood was the agent for Beckett and a teenage Steve Harris saw the band play this song live. Harris and Dave Murray settled with one of the credited songwriters, Robert Barton. The other songwriter, Brian Ingham, has sued Iron Maiden for his share of the profits from the song. Ingham was unaware of the matter until 2011 and Barton claimed to be the sole songwriter during the original settlement. [11]

On 12 March 2018, it was reported that the band had settled the case out of court. The group's lawyers had argued that Harris initially used the lyrics as a placeholder and did not have time to change them before the album's release. A spokesperson for the band states that they settled out of court for pragmatic reasons and to avoid escalating legal fees. [12]

Personnel

Live single

"Hallowed Be Thy Name (live)"
Hallowed Be Thy Name.jpg
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album A Real Dead One
B-side
Released4 October 1993 (1993-10-04)
Recorded4 June 1993
Venue Olympic Arena, Moscow
Genre Heavy metal
Length7:26
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Steve Harris
Producer(s) Steve Harris
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"Fear of the Dark (live)"
(1993)
"Hallowed Be Thy Name (live)"
(1993)
"Man on the Edge"
(1995)

A live version of the song was released as a single on 4 October 1993 to promote A Real Dead One , a live album featuring recordings from various concerts throughout the Fear of the Dark and Real Live tours. The song was recorded at the Olympic Arena in Moscow on 4 June 1993 during the Real Live Tour. [13] The single's B-sides "The Trooper", "Wasted Years" and "Wrathchild" were recorded during the same tours, but only "The Trooper" is featured on the album. It is the band's last single to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson until 2000's "The Wicker Man".

The cover of the single shows Eddie impaling Dickinson on a trident.

Track listing

UK 7" red vinyl

All tracks are written by Steve Harris, except "Wasted Years" written by Adrian Smith

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live at Olympic Arena, Moscow, Russia, 4 June 1993)7:26
Side two
No.TitleLength
2."Wrathchild" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992)2:55

UK 12" picture disc

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live at Olympic Arena, Moscow, Russia, 4 June 1993)7:26
Side two
No.TitleLength
2."The Trooper" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992)3:53
3."Wasted Years" (live at Stadthalle, Bremen, Germany, 16 April 1993)4:42

CD maxi single

No.TitleLength
1."Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live at Olympic Arena, Moscow, Russia, 4 June 1993)7:26
2."The Trooper" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992)3:53
3."Wasted Years" (live at Stadthalle, Bremen, Germany, 16 April 1993)4:42
4."Wrathchild" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992)2:55

Personnel

Chart performance

Chart (1993)Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart [14] 16
UK Singles Chart [15] 9

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 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 ever. 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 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.

<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.

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

Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician, best known as the bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, primary songwriter and founder/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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Smith</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.

<i>A Real Dead One</i> 1993 live album by Iron Maiden

A Real Dead One is a live album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released on 25 October 1993. It was recorded at various concerts across Europe, during the Fear of the Dark Tour in 1992 and the Real Live Tour in 1993. It features songs from the very beginning of the band's career (1975) to the Powerslave era (1984), while counterpart A Real Live One contains songs from only the post-Powerslave albums.

<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">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">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">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">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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somewhere Back in Time World Tour</span> 2008–2009 concert tour by Iron Maiden

Somewhere Back in Time World Tour was a concert tour by the heavy metal band Iron Maiden in 2008 and 2009, focused on the band's 1980s material, in particular songs from Powerslave, Somewhere in Time and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. The tour tied in with the second part of the DVD series, entitled "The History of Iron Maiden", and prompted the release of a new greatest hits compilation, Somewhere Back in Time.

<i>Worlds Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden</i> 2005 studio album by The Iron Maidens

The Iron Maidens: World's Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden is the debut album by American all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens. The album features selected tracks originally performed by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Michael Kenney, keyboardist for Iron Maiden, appears as a guest musician on the Japanese import version.

Beckett were an English hard rock band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1970. The band released one self-titled album in 1974 and disbanded shortly thereafter. Original singer Rob Turner was killed in a car crash and replaced by Terry Wilson-Slesser, who would later go on to perform with Back Street Crawler and then Geordie whose previous front man Brian Johnson left to join AC/DC in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Final Frontier World Tour</span> 2010–2011 concert tour by Iron Maiden

The Final Frontier World Tour was a concert tour by Iron Maiden in support of the band's 15th album, The Final Frontier, which began on 9 June 2010 in Dallas and ended in London, England on 6 August 2011. The tour was announced on the band's official website on 5 March 2010 under the following statement:

"Iron Maiden are pleased to announce that their forthcoming new studio album will be called 'The Final Frontier', and is expected be released late summer of this year.

The announcement comes with news of a North American Tour with Very Special Guests Dream Theater to open in Dallas, Texas, on 9th June and finish in Washington, D.C. on 20th July, making it Maiden's most extensive North American tour in many years.

Following these shows in USA and Canada The Final Frontier World Tour will travel back to Europe for a few selected major festival and stadium shows with the band planning to continue to many other countries in 2011."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Dorado (song)</span> 2010 single by Iron Maiden

"El Dorado" is the second track from English heavy metal band Iron Maiden's 2010 album The Final Frontier. The song is the band's forty-first single, and the only one from the album. It is also the last single to use the band's alternate logo. It was released as a free download on the band's official site at 00:01 on 8 June 2010 (UTC), one day before the album's supporting tour began. Released ten weeks before The Final Frontier, it marks the longest time between the release of an Iron Maiden single and the studio album it is featured on since 1980's "Running Free". The cover art was created by Anthony Dry and is based on the covers of the EC Comics published by William Gaines that were popular in the 1950s. Regarding the early online release of the song, vocalist Bruce Dickinson explained, "El Dorado is a preview of the forthcoming studio album. As we will be including it in the set of our Final Frontier World Tour, we thought it would be great to thank all our fans and get them into The Final Frontier mood by giving them this song up front of the tour and album release."

<i>Metal Gathering Tour Live in Japan 2010</i> 2010 video by The Iron Maidens

Metal Gathering Tour Live in Japan 2010 is a Japan-only live video by the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens. Recorded live during their tour in Japan in January 2010, it was the band's first release with new lead vocalist Kirsten Rosenberg and new guitarist Courtney Cox, and also the last to feature guitarist Sara Marsh, who was released from the band after this tour.

<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. Loudwire Staff. "Every Iron Maiden Song Ranked From Worst to Best". Loudwire. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. 1 2 Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast (DVD). Eagle Vision. 4 December 2001.
  3. "Iron Maiden > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". AllMusic . Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  4. "Dream Theater: New 'Official Bootlegs' Available For Pre-Order". Blabbermouth.net . 5 February 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. Lane, Daniel (16 July 2008). "The making of Maiden Heaven". Kerrang! . Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  6. "Cradle of Filth To Issue "Very Best Of" Double CD". Blabbermouth.net . 7 April 2002. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  7. "Destruction, Sentenced, Primal Fear to Contribute Tracks to Iron Maiden Tribute CD". Blabbermouth.net . 12 May 2003. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. "Iron Maiden To Perform Live From Abbey Road Studios". Uncut . Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  9. "Iron Maiden: BBC Radio 1 'Legends' Session Available Online". Blabbermouth.net . 15 September 2005. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  10. "Iron Maiden Bassist Decides Against Mastering New Album". Blabbermouth.net . 9 July 2006. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  11. Goldby, Steve (6 May 2017). "IT'S 'HALLOWED BE THY CLAIM' FOR IRON MAIDEN AS HIGH COURT CASE IS NOW IN MOTION". metaltalk.net. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  12. Tayloe, Harry (12 March 2018). "Iron Maiden settle out-of-court with Hampstead rock agent over 'copied' song". Ham & High. Archant . Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  13. A Real Dead One (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 18 October 1993.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. "Irish singles archive". IRMA . irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  15. "Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 16 October 1993". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 12 October 2011.