Iron Maiden's lyrical themes and inspirations

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the English poet, literary critic, philosopher, an author of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan which inspired Iron Maiden

The storytelling style of Iron Maiden compositions is often reflected in the construction of musical elements such as guitar parties, harmonies, rhythm section articulation, and the narrative vibe of dramatic vocal performances. In many songs, especially epic ones. the band's music follows the lyrical context and the emotional dimension of their messages is a pivotal element of Iron Maiden's works. The band's lyrical themes are mainly inspired by philosophy, history, and the classics of world literature or cinematography. The musicians were also inspired by mythologies and tales from distant cultures, biographies of great heroes and descriptions of historical events, battle stories, religious, mystical, or esoteric books, and current socio-political affairs. The group also touched upon difficult and controversial aspects, an example of which is the lyrics of one of the biggest hits, "Run to the Hills", about the tragic fate of the Indians inflicted on them by the white arrivals from Europe.

The main authors of the lyrics are Steve Harris, Adrian Smith, and Bruce Dickinson; occasionally Blaze Bayley and Paul Di'Anno, while the remaining members contributed very rarely or not at all. Many Iron Maiden lyrics are based on the novels and poems of such authors as Edgar Allan Poe, Aleister Crowley, Frank Herbert, Plato, Homer, Nostradamus, John the Evangelist, Miyamoto Musashi, Robert Burns, John Keats, Dante Alighieri, J. R. R. Tolkien, John Milton, Michael Moorcock, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Orson Scott Card, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Samuel Beckett, Mark Twain, Wolfgang Goethe, Joseph Conrad, William Shakespeare, Arkady Fiedler, Marcel Proust, James Jones, James Joyce, William Blake, Oscar Wilde, Marquis de Sade, Friedrich Nietzsche, Umberto Eco, Bertrand Russell, William Golding, Aldous Huxley, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen King, H. P. Lovecraft and Alexandre Dumas.

The lyrical context of Iron Maiden songs was also inspired by classic works of world cinematography. The most significant include the original film versions of such works as: The Man in the Iron Mask, The Phantom of the Opera, Julius Caesar, The Omen , Quest for Fire, Where Eagles Dare, Nostradamus, The Duellists, Seven Samurai, The Prisoner, From Here to Eternity, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, The Name of the Rose, Frankenstein, WarGames, Braveheart, The Longest Day, The Red Baron, Apocalypse Now, The Wicker Man, Alexander the Great, Rosemary's Baby, Blade Runner, King Arthur's Knight, When the Wind Blows, How to Make a Monster, Doctor Who or The Red and the Black.

Analysis of inspirations

According to research results published by Lauro Meller, there are many examples of historical, literary, cineaste, and musical inspirations in Iron Maiden lyrics.Some of the most notable examples are:

Historical inspirations

• "Invasion" (1979 from The Soundhouse Tapes EP): the invasions of the Vikings in England
• "The Ides of March" (1981 from Killers album): anniversary of Julius Caesar's death on the "Ides of March Day" (15. 44. v. Chr.)
• "Genghis Khan" (1981 from Killers album): the historical figure of Genghis Khan
• "Invaders" (1982 from The Number of the Beast album): the invasions of the Vikings in England
• "Run to the Hills" (1982 from The Number of the Beast album): genocide of the Indians in North America
• "The Trooper" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): refers to the militarily senseless attack by the British Light Brigade on the 25th of October 1854 during the Crimean War
• "Sun and Steel" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): refers to the legendary Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi (1584–1645)
• "Aces High" (1984 from Powerslave album): refers to the Battle of Britain during World War II
• "Two Minutes to Midnight" (1984 from Powerslave album): refers to an Nuclear arms race between the USA and the USSR during the Cold War tension
• "Powerslave" (1984 from Powerslave album): a reference to the role of the cult of the dead in Ancient Egypt
• Introduction from Live After Death (1985) album: an excerpt from the "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech by Winston Churchill on 4th June 1940 in front of the British House of Commons
• "Alexander the Great" (1986 from Somewhere in Time album): refers to the Macedonian King Alexander the Great
• "Tailgunner" (1990 from No Prayer for the Dying album): description of the British air raid on Dresden in 1945 from the perspective of a British bomber tail-gunner
• "Mother Russia" (1990 from No Prayer for the Dying album): about the collapse of the Soviet Union and the supposed freedom of the Russian people
• "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (1992 from Fear of the Dark album): a song about the US-led military intervention in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991 (Gulf War)
• "Blood on the World's Hands" (1995 from The X Factor album): a song about the drama of the Bosnian War
• "The Clansman" (1998 from Virtual XI album): a song written from the perspective of William Wallace, inspired by the film Braveheart
• "Como Estais Amigos" (1998 from Virtual XI album): a song written in honor of the soldiers who fell in 1982 during the Falklands War
• "Montsegur" (2003 from Dance of Death album): lyrics describe the siege of the Montségur fortress in 1244
• "Paschendale" (2003 from Dance of Death album): the fate of soldiers fighting for Passendale city in Belgium during the World War I
• "The Longest Day" (2006 from A Matter of Life and Death album): a song about the Allied assault on Hitler's Atlantic Wall in 1944 (D-Day), at least inspired by the eponymous film
• "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" (2006 from A Matter of Life and Death album): a song about the drop of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and overall nuclear wars. "Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists" is the title of a famous book about atomic bomb inventors by Robert Jungk)
• "These Colours Don't Run" (2006 from A Matter of Life and Death album): a cynical reflection on international war propaganda
• "The Pilgrim" (2006 from A Matter of Life and Death albums): a song's subject is a biblical story about the Jesus of Nazareth
• "The Alchemist" (2010 from The Final Frontier album): a song about the meeting of alchemists John Dee and Edward Kelley and the connections between magic and science
• "The Talisman" (2010 from The Final Frontier album): refers to the trading from the Age of Discovery and addresses the dangers such as storms or scurvy to which the sailors were exposed
• "Tears of a Clown" (2015 from The Book of Souls album): refers to the suicide of actor and comedian Robin Williams in 2014
• "Death or Glory" (2015 from The Book of Souls album): a song that describes the location of the three-deckers in World War I and the figure of Red Baron - the nickname of Manfred von Richthofen
• "Empire of the Clouds" (2015 from The Book of Souls album): refers to the accident of the British R101 airship in 1930
• "The Darkest Hour" (2021 from Senjutsu album) refers to World War II and D-Day particularly. According to interpretations Bruce Dickinson tried to put in the psychological situation of Winston Churchill, who saw himself plagued by depression and alcohol abuse, this disease is said to have been 'the black dog', which Churchill saw himself being persecuted. The beaches in the first stanza are said to be the shores of Dunkirk

Literary inspirations

• "Phantom of the Opera" (1980 from Iron Maiden debut album): the novel "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux
• "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1981 from Killers album): the short story about the double murder crime inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's novel "The Murders in the Rue Morgue"
• "Revelations" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): the lyrics were inspired by the works of Aleister Crowley (1875–1947)
• "The Flight of Icarus" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): refers to Icarus a Greek mythological figure
• "To Tame a Land" (1983 from Piece of Mind album) and "The Nomad" (2000 from Brave New World album): the novel "Dune: The Desert Planet" by Frank Herbert
• "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1984 from Powerslave album): based on the poem of the same name by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
• "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" (1986 from Somewhere in Time album): inspired by the eponymous titled novel by Alan Sillitoe
• "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" (1988 from the eponymously titled album): several songs on the album included motifs from the "Alvin" novel series by Orson Scott Card; the first volume is entitled "The Seventh Son"
• "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (1990 from No Prayer for the Dying album): inspired by the poem "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell. Song was used in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child film.
• "Lord of the Flies" (1995 from The X Factor album): refers to the same-titled novel by William Golding
• "Sign of the Cross" (1995 from The X Factor album): inspired by the novel "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco, and the eponymous entitled film from 1986
• "Brave New World" (2000 from the eponymously titled album): inspired by the "The Brave New World" novel by Aldous Huxley
• "Out of the Silent Planet" (2000 from Brave New World album): inspired by the eponymous novel by C.S. Lewis
• "When the Wild Wind Blows" (2010 from The Final Frontier album): the eponymous pictured novel by Raymond Briggs
• "The Man Who Would Be Be King" (2010 from The Final Frontier album) inspired by the eponymous short story by Rudyard Kipling
• "The Time Machine" (2021 from Senjutsu album) inspired by the novel of the same name by H. G. Wells.

Cineaste inspirations

• "Children of the Damned" (1982 from The Number of the Beast album): the eponymous British horror film from 1964
• "The Prisoner" (1982 from The Number of the Beast album): the eponymous British television series produced by BBC
• "Quest for Fire" (1983 from Piece Of Mind album): the eponymous French fantasy film from 1981
• "Where Eagles Dare" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): the film of the same name with Clint Eastwood starring
• "The Duellists" (1984 from Powerslave album): the eponymous film by Ridley Scott, which was based on the story "The Duel" by Joseph Conrad
• "Back in the Village" (1984 from Powerslave album): inspired by the British television series "The Prisoner" by BBC
• "Somewhere in Time" (1986): the cover of an album was inspired by the film Blade Runner by Ridley Scott. The title track "Caught Somewhere in Time" was inspired by the film Time After Time from 1979
• "Heaven Can Wait" (1986 from Somewhere in Time album): inspired by the two films of the same name from 1943 (Heaven Can Wait by Ernst Lubitsch) and 1978 (Heaven Can Wait by Warren Beatty)
• "Run Silent, Run Deep" (1990 from No Prayer for the Dying album): the submarine film of the same name, and "U 23 – Deadly Depths" with Burt Lancaster and Clark Gable starring
• "The Fugitive" (1992 from Fear of the Dark album): the television series of the same name from 1963
• "Man on the Edge" (1995 from The X Factor album): the film The Falling with Michael Douglas starring
• "The Edge of Darkness" (1995 from The X Factor album): the film Apocalypse Now with Marlon Brando starring, originally based on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" originally published in 1899
• "The Clansman" (1998 from Virtual XI album): the film Braveheart with Mel Gibson starring
• "When Two Worlds Collide" (1998 from Virtual XI album): inspired by films such as Deep Impact and Armageddon by Michael Bay
• "The Wicker Man" (2000 from Brave New World album): the eponymous film from 1973 with Christopher Lee starring
• "The Mercenary" (2000 from Brave New World album): the film Predator (1987) with Arnold Schwarzenegger starring
• "Out of the Silent Planet" (2000 from Brave New World album): the film Forbidden Planet ("Alarm in space episode") (1956) with Leslie Nielsen starring
• "The Longest Day" (2006 from A Matter of Life and Death album): a song about the Allied assault on Hitler's Atlantic Wall, originally inspired by the eponymous film

Musical inspirations

• "To Tame a Land" (1983 from Piece of Mind album): parts of the instrumental section in the second half of the song, were inspired by Asturias (Leyenda) written by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz
• "Mother Russia" (1990 from No Prayer for the Dying album): based on "Raise, you Russian People" by Sergei S. Prokofiev used in the soundtrack to a film entitled Alexander Nevsky (1938)

Books

• Meller, Lauro (2021). Iron Maiden - A Journey Throught History (in Portuguese). Appris, 2nd Edition. ISBN 978-8547315542.