| "Phantom of the Opera" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Iron Maiden from the album Iron Maiden | ||||
| Released | 14 April 1980 | |||
| Recorded | Kingsway Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 7:20 | |||
| Label | EMI / Capitol Records | |||
| Writer | Steve Harris | |||
| Iron Maiden track listing | ||||
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"Phantom of the Opera" is a song from Iron Maiden's self-titled debut album. It was written by Steve Harris. It is the fourth track from the original US & UK album releases, and was the fifth track from the remastered 1998 release CD. It is based on the French novel The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. According to Bruce Dickinson, the song "really is everything that Iron Maiden is all about".[1]
This song is the personal favourite of Steve Harris of the band's first album.[2] As he says:
I felt that was probably the first song I’d written that was a bit more proggy. It had a lot of time changes in it and different movements and moods. It was indicative of where I wanted to take things with the band. And looking back on it now, I can see it was really a pivotal point in the direction of our music. I’ve always felt you shouldn’t have to do verse/chorus and that’s it; you should be able to do whatever the hell you want. And that song really proved it.—Steve Harris[2]
The first of the guitar solos (played around the 5 min mark) is played by Dave Murray, and second by Dennis Stratton, although nowadays is played by both Janick Gers and Adrian Smith.
In the studio, guitarist Dennis Stratton recorded a number of vocal harmonies, which Iron Maiden band manager Rod Smallwood later had removed as it made the band sound "too much like Queen".[3]
The song was covered by Slayer and helped them get a record contract.
The song is not a concert staple anymore although many fans connect with it as one of the best Paul Di'Anno era songs.
In the United Kingdom, the song is well known for its use in a Lucozade commercial in the 1980s.[4] In 2008, using the intro like the original, it was parodied for a TV teaser trailer for I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.[5]