Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
| "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" | ||||||||||||
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| Single by Iron Maiden | ||||||||||||
| from the album No Prayer for the Dying | ||||||||||||
| B-side | "I'm a Mover" "Communication Breakdown" |
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| Released | 24 December 1990 | |||||||||||
| Recorded | Summer 1990 | |||||||||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||||||||||
| Length | 4:44 | |||||||||||
| Label | EMI | |||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Bruce Dickinson | |||||||||||
| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||||||||||||
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"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" is the second single from No Prayer for the Dying, Iron Maiden's first full-length album in over two years (following the 1988 release Seventh Son of a Seventh Son).[1]
The song was originally recorded and released by Bruce Dickinson for the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child,[2][3] but Steve Harris decided that Iron Maiden would rerecord it.[1] It is the only UK No. 1 single the band have ever had,[4] in spite of the fact that it was banned by the BBC.
Table of Contents
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[edit] Background
In 1989, while Iron Maiden were taking a break from touring, Zomba asked Dickinson to write a song for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.[3] Teaming up with former Gillan (and future Iron Maiden) guitarist Janick Gers, Dickinson recorded the song, which he claims he wrote "in about three minutes," and the project was expanded into an album, Tattooed Millionaire.[5] Upon hearing the completed track, Steve Harris decided that it would be "great for Maiden" and convinced Dickinson not to put it on his solo album.[1]
The original version of the song, which won a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Original Song" in 1989,[6] is, according to Dickinson, "substantially different to the Iron Maiden version," explaining that "the arrangement is identical, but mine's kind of... slinky. Maiden's just really goes for it."[1] Dickinson's original version was included on disc 2 of The Best of Bruce Dickinson in 2001.[7]
Bruce Dickinson said "We're going to release this as a single on Christmas Eve to scare the living daylights out of Cliff Richard". This led to the song competing with Cliff Richard's "Saviour's Day" for the 1990 Christmas No. 1, but due to not being officially released until the week after Christmas,[8] went straight to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 5 January 1991.[9] This was in spite of a ban by the BBC,[10] who refused to play the song on Radio 1 and only showed a 90-second live clip for Top of the Pops.[4] The B-side features cover versions of "I'm a Mover" (originally by Free) and Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown."
In addition to the standard 7" and 12" editions, the single was also released as a special edition 7" flip-top "brain pack" edition.[11]
The video clip features footage from The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel[12] (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960).
Like most songs from the No Prayer for the Dying album, "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" was rarely played live following the supporting tour, No Prayer on the Road, with the band only performing it on selected dates in 1992 and 2003.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] UK Single
- "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (Bruce Dickinson) – 4:44 (7" & 12")
- "I'm a Mover" (Free cover) – 3:21 (7" & 12")
- "Communication Breakdown" (Led Zeppelin cover) – 2:41 (12")
[edit] Personnel
- Bruce Dickinson – vocals
- Janick Gers – lead guitar
- Dave Murray – rhythm guitar
- Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nicko McBrain – drums
[edit] Versions
| Songs | Country & Year | Catalog Number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover | Australia 1990 | EMI 2552-7 | Single 7" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover | EEC 1990 | EMI 204171 7 | Single 7" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover | UK 1990 | EMI EMS 171 | Single 7" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | EEC 1990 | EMI 060 20 4171 6 | Maxi Single 12" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | UK 1990 | EMI 12 EMP 171 | Maxi Single 12" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover | UK 1990 | EMI EMPD 171 | Picture Disc 7" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | UK 1990 | EMI 12 EMPD 171 | Picture Disc 12" |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | Holland 1990 | EMI CDEM 171 | CD Single |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | Japan Promo 1990 | EMI TOCP-6572 | CD Single |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | Japan 1990 | EMI TOCP-6572 | CD Single |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | UK 1990 | EMI EMS 171 | CD Single |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown | USA Promo 1990 | EMI Epic ESK 4007 | CD Single |
| Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover | UK 1990 | EMI TCEM 171 | Cassette Single |
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] Peak positions
| Chart (1990-1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 6[14] |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 19[15] |
| United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) | 1[16] |
[edit] Chart successions
| Preceded by "Saviour's Day" by Cliff Richard |
UK number one single 5–12 January 1991 for two weeks |
Succeeded by "Sadeness (Part I)" by Enigma |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 282. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
- ^ "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (Soundtrack)". Nightmare on Elm Street Films. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
- ^ a b Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 275. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
- ^ a b Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 286. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
- ^ Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 281. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
- ^ "Golden Raspberry Archive- 1989". Golden Raspberry. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "Interview with BRUCE DICKINSON October 2001". Retrieved 2011-08-15.
- ^ Tim Worstall (2012-04-18). "Iron Maiden's Daughter Slaughter Lesson for Apple's iTunes App Store". Forbes. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
- ^ "UK Singles Chart Archive- 5th January 1991". Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "BBC- No Prayer for the Dying.". Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "Iron Maiden – Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter (Brain Pack)". Discogs. Retrieved 08/04/2012.
- ^ City of the Dead trailer, IMDb
- ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "Irish singles archive". Retrieved 2011-10-14.
- ^ "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter- Swiss Charts". Retrieved 2011-10-14.
- ^ "Official UK Singles Archive- 5th January 1991". Retrieved 2011-10-14.
