"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
StudioBattery, London
GenreHeavy metal
Length7:08
LabelEMI
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]

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)"
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album A Real Dead One
B-side
Released4 October 1993 (1993-10-04)
Recorded4 June 1993
VenueOlympic Arena, Moscow
GenreHeavy metal
Length7:26
LabelEMI
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

References

  1. ^ Loudwire Staff. "Every Iron Maiden Song Ranked From Worst to Best". Loudwire. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b 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.
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