Hallowed Be Thy Name (song) - Wikipedia

1982 song by Iron Maiden This article is about the song by Iron Maiden. For another song, see Indecision (band).

"Hallowed Be Thy Name"
Song by Iron Maiden
from the album The Number of the Beast
Released	22 March 1982 (1982-03-22)
Recorded	January–February 1982
Studio	Battery, London
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	7:08
Label	EMI
Songwriter	Steve Harris
Producer	Martin Birch

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" is the eighth and final track on Iron Maiden's landmark 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

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"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] the second leg of the Book of Souls World Tour in 2017, and The Future Past World Tour in 2023. 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

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A section of the lyrics is 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

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• Bruce Dickinson – vocals
• Dave Murray – guitar
• Adrian Smith – guitar
• Steve Harris – bass
• Clive Burr – drums

Live single

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"Hallowed Be Thy Name (live)"
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album A Real Dead One
B-side	"The Trooper" (live) "Wasted Years" (live) "Wrathchild" (live)
Released	4 October 1993 (1993-10-04)
Recorded	4 June 1993
Venue	Olympic Arena, Moscow
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	7:26
Label	EMI
Songwriter	Steve Harris
Producer	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 as the devil impaling Bruce Dickinson on a pitchfork.

Track listing

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UK 7" red vinyl

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

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live at Olympic Arena, Moscow, Russia, 4 June 1993)	7:26

Side two

No.	Title	Length
2.	"Wrathchild" (live at the Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland, 27 August 1992)	2:55

UK 12" picture disc

[edit] Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live at Olympic Arena, Moscow, Russia, 4 June 1993)	7:26

Side two

No.	Title	Length
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

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No.	Title	Length
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

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• Bruce Dickinson – vocals
• Dave Murray – guitar
• Janick Gers – guitar
• Steve Harris – bass
• Nicko McBrain – drums

Chart performance

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

References

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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. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. 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.

v t e Iron Maiden
Steve Harris Dave Murray Adrian Smith Bruce Dickinson Nicko McBrain Janick Gers Paul Mario Day Thunderstick Tony Moore Doug Sampson Paul Di'Anno Dennis Stratton Clive Burr Blaze Bayley
Studio albums	Iron Maiden Killers The Number of the Beast Piece of Mind Powerslave Somewhere in Time Seventh Son of a Seventh Son No Prayer for the Dying Fear of the Dark The X Factor Virtual XI Brave New World Dance of Death A Matter of Life and Death The Final Frontier The Book of Souls Senjutsu
Live albums	Live After Death A Real Live One A Real Dead One Live at Donington Maiden England A Real Live Dead One Rock in Rio BBC Archives Beast over Hammersmith Death on the Road Flight 666 En Vivo! The Book of Souls: Live Chapter Nights of the Dead: Live in Mexico City
Compilations	Best of the Beast A Real Live Dead One Ed Hunter Best of the 'B' Sides Edward the Great The Essential Iron Maiden Somewhere Back in Time From Fear to Eternity
Box sets	The First Ten Years Eddie's Head Eddie's Archive
Extended plays	The Soundhouse Tapes Live!! +one Maiden Japan No More Lies
Singles	"Running Free" "Sanctuary" "Women in Uniform" "Twilight Zone" "Purgatory" "Run to the Hills" "The Number of the Beast" "Flight of Icarus" "The Trooper" "2 Minutes to Midnight" "Aces High" "Wasted Years" "Stranger in a Strange Land" "Can I Play with Madness" "The Evil That Men Do" "The Clairvoyant" "Infinite Dreams" "Holy Smoke" "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" "Be Quick or Be Dead" "From Here to Eternity" "Wasting Love" "Fear of the Dark" "Hallowed Be Thy Name" "Man on the Edge" "Lord of the Flies" "Virus" "The Angel and the Gambler" "Futureal" "The Wicker Man" "Out of the Silent Planet" "Wildest Dreams" "Rainmaker" "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" "Different World" "El Dorado" "Satellite 15... The Final Frontier" "Speed of Light" "Empire of the Clouds" "The Writing on the Wall"
Video albums	Live at the Rainbow Video Pieces Behind the Iron Curtain Live After Death 12 Wasted Years Maiden England The First Ten Years (From There to Eternity) Donington Live 1992 Raising Hell Classic Albums: Iron Maiden – The Number of the Beast Rock in Rio Visions of the Beast The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days Death on the Road Flight 666 En Vivo! The Book of Souls: Live Chapter
Tours	Metal for Muthas Tour Iron Maiden Tour Killer World Tour World Slavery Tour Somewhere on Tour Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour Fear of the Dark Tour Real Live Tour Virtual XI World Tour Brave New World Tour Dance of Death World Tour Eddie Rips Up the World Tour A Matter of Life and Death Tour Somewhere Back in Time World Tour The Final Frontier World Tour Maiden England World Tour The Book of Souls World Tour Legacy of the Beast World Tour The Future Past World Tour Run for Your Lives World Tour
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards and nominations Band members Eddie Metal for Muthas Tribute albums Urchin Gogmagog Psycho Motel Samson The Entire Population of Hackney The Iron Maidens Maiden uniteD Derek Riggs Rod Smallwood
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