Pictures courtesy of Discogs and Byebyedemocracy.org
Today we take a trip back to 1983 to the fourth studio album by Iron Maiden called “Piece of Mind” and the track “Flight Of Icarus.” This was the first Iron Maiden single released in the United States and the song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart. The song which is loosely based on the ancient Greek myth Icarus was rewritten by Bruce Dickinson to reflect teenage rebellion against adult authority.
The song was not a favorite of bassist Steve Harris, who wished it had been played live more before it was recorded, because he thought it was more powerful, faster and heavier live. Bruce Dickinson however, felt that the song would get them onto American radio which proved to be true as the song received substantial airplay. The single cover picture, in something of a parody of the original myth, shows a winged Eddie killing Icarus with a flamethrower.
In the video drummer Nicko McBrain portrays the blue faced grim reaper and director Martin Birch’s face is morphed with mascot Eddie.
The Metal Wire 