Line #107 Music/TheNumberOfTheBeast


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_maiden_number_of_the_beast_9066.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: ''"When the priest comes to read me the last rites\
3	Take a look through the bars at the last sights\
4	Of a world that has gone very wrong for me"'']]
5
6	->''Woe to you O earth and sea''
7	->''For the Devil sends the beast with wrath''
8	->''Because he knows the time is short''
9	->''Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast''
10	->''For it is a human number''
11	->''Its number is six hundred and sixty six''
12	-->-- The TitleTrack's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAIgap7VF24 spoken intro]], by [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0165664/ Barry Clayton]]
13
14	''The Number of the Beast'' is the third studio album by British {{heavy metal}} band Music/IronMaiden, released in 1982. Frequently regarded as a classic of the heavy metal genre, and a quintessential addition to any {{metalhead}}'s collection.
15
16	The album marked the debut of group's most iconic vocalist, Music/BruceDickinson after leaving his previous band Samson, and was also the final album that drummer Clive Burr played on [[note]]whose ousting from the band varies by source[[/note]]. ''The Number of the Beast'' sees Steve Harris' songwriting taking a more complex direction than previous efforts, which harmonised well with Dickinson's powerful, operatic voice. Thanks to this, it bridges the rawer, [[PunkRock punk-like]] stylings seen on ''Music/{{Killers}}'' and ''Music/IronMaidenAlbum'' with the progressive elements their career would later take, punctuated by Burr's wild, blistering precision-drumming. It was also the first album to contain writing contributions by Adrian Smith (which most assuredly wouldn't be his last).
17	It drew controversy among MoralGuardians for its lyrical content and artwork, which got the band accused [[HollywoodSatanism of being Satanists]], and later led to protests outside their shows and public burnings of their albums. [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity This may not have been such a bad thing, though]].[[note]]Harris later commented on the controversy, saying "It was mad. They completely got the wrong end of the stick. They obviously hadn't read the lyrics. They just wanted to believe all that rubbish about us being Satanists"[[/note]]
18
19	Charting in many regions (including a #1 in the UK) and selling 14 million copies sold worldwide as of 2010, the album was a BreakthroughHit for the band. To this day several of its tracks are among the most-played concert staples in the band's catalogue, with the songs "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast" both frequently considered contenders for SignatureSong status.
20
21	It was also honored by the TV documentary series ''Series/ClassicAlbums'' with an entire episode about the creative process behind recording this classic album.
22
23	----
24	!! Tracklist:
25	[floatboxright:
26	Principal Members:
27	+Clive Burr: drums
28	+Music/BruceDickinson: lead vocals
29	+Steve Harris: bass, vocals
30	+Dave Murray: guitar
31	+Adrian Smith: guitar, vocals]
32
33	[[AC: Side One]]
34	# "Invaders"
35	# "Children of the Damned"
36	# "The Prisoner"
37	# "22 Acacia Avenue"
38	[[AC: Side Two]]
39	# "The Number of the Beast"
40	# "Run to the Hills"
41	# "Gangland"
42	# "Total Eclipse" [[note]]The song was originally a BSide that was added to the album later in a 1995 reissue (see more on CutSong in the trivia tab)[[/note]]
43	# "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
44
45	----
46	!! Hallowed Be Thy Tropes:
47	* AlbumFiller: The album could best be divided up into the A-list songs[[note]]Run to the Hills, The Number of the Beast and Hallowed Be Thy Name, the 'big-3' of sorts[[/note]] and the B-list songs [[note]]Children of the Damned, The Prisoner and 22 Acacia Avenue, all of which have their fans and still occasionally get played live, 22 Acacia Avenue more than the others[[/note]]. "Gangland" falls into this category by virtue of being the one song Harris himself now says [[TheUnfavourite he'd rather have left off the album]] in favor of "Total Eclipse" during the original pressings (the rest of the band preferred "Total Eclipse" too, but Harris vetoed its inclusion for being the more progressive of the two songs). "Invaders" at least gets redeemed by honor of being the opening track [[note]]Though Harris now says if he could, he'd have arranged some other song to be the opener, due to not thinking Invaders did the job very well; he still hasn't claimed he'd leave it off the album outright, which damns Gangland even further[[/note]].
48	* AllJustADream: The narrator of the title track wonders if the events depicted could be. Meanwhile, the narrator of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is so blindingly terrified of his impending death that he's pleading for his reality to instead be a dream.
49	* AudienceParticipationSong: During "Run to the Hills", Bruce has always had the crowd sing the second half of the line "Out on the plains... we gave them hell!"
50	* BadassNative: "Run to the Hills" averts this, though it also outright says that the Europeans won because of superior numbers:
51	-->''We fought him hard, we fought him well / Out on the plains, we gave him hell!''
52	-->''But many came, too much for Cree / Oh will we ever be set free?''
53	* BigRockEnding: "Run to the Hills" and "Hallowed Be Thy Name."
54	* BittersweetEnding: "Hallowed Be Thy Name" ends with the narrator's death, but he's convinced that a kindlier afterlife is waiting for him and that [[DontFearTheReaper he has nothing to fear from death at all]].
55	* BodyHorror: The bridge of "Children of the Damned" gets pretty visceral describing the titular subject [[ManOnFire burning to death]].
56	-->''Now it's burning his hands''
57	-->''He's turning to laugh''
58	-->''Smiles as the flame sears his flesh''
59	-->''Melting his face''
60	-->''Screaming in pain''
61	-->''Peeling the skin from his eyes''
62	-->''Watch him die''
63	-->''According to plan''
64	-->''He's dust on ground, what did we learn?''
65	* CarefulWithThatAxe: The legendary 13-second scream heard at the 1:17 mark in the title track was apparently summoned up by producer Martin Birch forcing Dickinson to sing the introduction for hours, take after take. It ended up being possibly the fiercest, most blood-curdling of his career. To this day, Dickinson has never been able to reproduce it.
66	* ConceptAlbum: There is a school of thought that the first seven songs on ''The Number of the Beast'' each represent one of the SevenDeadlySins, and that "Hallowed Be Thy Name" is about paying for your sins.
67	* CreepyChild: "Children of the Damned," based on [[Film/ChildrenOfTheDamned the eponymous film]].
68	-->''He's walking like a small child\
69	But watch his eyes burn you away...''
70	* DeadManWalking: Averted in "Hallowed Be Thy Name." Someone else that's also locked in a nearby cell calls out "God be with you" to the narrator.
71	* DecapitationPresentation: Done by Eddie with TheDevil's head on the single artwork to the title track.
72	* DesignStudentsOrgasm: The album cover designed by Derek Riggs, naturally. It was actually first created by him for the "Purgatory" single from ''Killers'', but the band (and Rod Smallwood in particular) thought it was ''way'' too good to not make into an album cover.
73	* TheDevilIsALoser: In contrast to what MoralGuardians assumed, the "Run to the Hills" single artwork has [[MetalBandMascot Eddie]] (his signature axe in hand) in a fight with TheDevil, while the title track's single artwork shows the aftermath, where Eddie [[DecapitationPresentation is holding the Devil's decapitated head]]. The band rightfully pointed out that they were not encouraging worshiping the Devil as he was the LOSER in the battle.
74	* DirtyCoward: The settlers depicted in "Run to the Hills."
75	-->''Soldier blue in the barren wastes''
76	-->''Hunting and killing's a game''
77	-->''Raping the women and wasting the men''
78	-->''The only good Injuns are tame''
79	-->''Selling them whiskey and taking their gold''
80	-->''Enslaving the young and destroying the old''
81	* DownerEnding: As per Iron Maiden tradition:
82	** "Hallowed Be Thy Name" ends with the hanging of the song's narrator.
83	** "Run to the Hills" is also rather tragic, [[HorribleHistoryMetal all things considered]].
84	** "Invaders" finishes with the defenders scattering as the Vikings rape and pillage.
85	* EpicRocking: "Hallowed Be Thy Name" just qualifies at 7:13. Not the longest the band has ever written, but suitably epic in any case.
86	* FaceDeathWithDignity: The ultimate choice made by the narrator in "Hallowed Be Thy Name". This is in contrast to the earlier parts of the song, which almost seems to pass through the FiveStagesOfGrief.
87	* ForDoomTheBellTolls: "Hallowed Be Thy Name", which is used to signal the narrator's death knell as he's walked out to his execution.
88	* GaiasVengeance: "Total Eclipse".
89	-->''Cold as steel the darkness waits, its hour will come''
90	-->''A cry of fear from our children worshiping the sun''
91	-->''Mother natures' black revenge on those who wasted her life''
92	-->''War babies in the garden of Eden''
93	-->''Shall turn our ashes to ice''
94	-->...
95	-->''Is this the end, the millions cried''
96	-->''Clutching their riches as they died''
97	-->''Those who survive must weather the storm''
98	* HeavyMithril:
99	** "Children of the Damned", towards both the [[Film/ChildrenOfTheDamned eponymous film]] and ''Film/VillageOfTheDamned1960'', as well as Music/RonnieJamesDio-era Music/BlackSabbath song "Children of the Sea".
100	** "The Prisoner", towards [[Series/ThePrisoner1967 the eponymous series]]. It's rumoured that [[Series/ThePrisoner1967 Patrick McGoohan]] himself, when the band asked for permission to use lines from the show, said "What was the band's name again?... a rock band, you say?... do it!". Picture those words in your mind along with that trademark cadence to [=Patrick McGoohan=]'s voice and you're spot on.
101	* HorribleHistoryMetal: Because every Maiden album needs one or two: "Run to the Hills" focuses on the near-genocide of the Native American peoples after contact with European settlers.
102	** "Invaders" is about [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England the Norman conquest of England]].
103	* HornyVikings: "Invaders" is about them.
104	-->''Longboats have been sighted''
105	-->''The evidence of war has begun''
106	-->''Many Nordic fighting men''
107	-->''Their swords and shields all gleam in the sun''
108	* IncrediblyLongNote:
109	** "Run to the Hills" is a stand-out.
110	** "Hallowed Be Thy Name," too.
111	** The first verse of the title track is prefaced by a legendary scream that Dickinson has not been able to match since, much less ordinary humans.
112	* IntercourseWithYou: "22 Acacia Avenue" manages to be a pretty tragic example.
113	* InTheBack: "Run to the Hills"
114	-->''Murder for freedom, a stab in the back''
115	-->''Women and children the cowards attack''
116	* [[LargeHam/{{Music}} Large Ham]]: Dickinson is particularly unhinged during these recordings, especially on "Run to the Hills." He also likens performing "Hallowed Be Thy Name" to "narrating a movie to the audience."
117	* LastChorusSlowDown: The last phrase of "Run to the Hills".
118	* LongestSongGoesLast: The album closes with "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (7:13).
119	* LoudnessWar: The reissue suffers from this, which is a common theme across the band's remasters series.
120	* [[LyricalDissonance/{{Metal}} Lyrical Dissonance]]: "Run to the Hills" is a very epic, uplifting song about the genocide of Native Americans.
121	* MetalScream: Very many, as expected from "The Air Raid Siren" himself. As much as fans talk about the title track's incredible scream, the one heard in the bridge of "Run to the Hills" is nothing to sneeze at.
122	* MotorMouth: Several sections in "22 Acacia Avenue," where Dickinson tries to match the speed of the riffs.
123	* MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes: Happens to the narrator of "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (and as any listener should know, [[DownerEnding he doesn't live through the song]]).
124	* NewSoundAlbum: Often thought to sit at the cusp of the band's SignatureStyle (which would be fully realized in ''Piece Of Mind'' and ''Powerslave'').
125	* NightmareSequence: "The Number of the Beast" was inspired by a nightmare Harris' had after watching ''Film/DamienOmenII''.
126	* NobleSavage: "Run to the Hills".
127	* NonAppearingTitle: "Total Eclipse".
128	* NumberOfTheBeast: The eponymous song. As seen above, the song's opening passage [[AsTheGoodBookSays directly quotes the book of Revelations, 12:12 and 13:18]].
129	* PerformanceVideo: The music videos for "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast".
130	* PeoplePuppets: The album cover (above) shows TheDevil controlling someone like a marionette [[TheManBehindTheMan and is in turn controlled by]] [[MetalBandMascot Eddie]] [[TheManBehindTheMan in a similar fashion]]. It was actually inspired by a comic book cover for ''Comicbook/DoctorStrange'' that Derek Riggs read as a child (which is noted in the page to be a common cover-design among comics).
131	* ProgressiveMetal: While not as progressive as a lot of the band's later material, this album marks the point where they started including progressive influences in their music, and depending upon one's definition of the genre, "Hallowed Be Thy Name" will qualify either as an UrExample of the style or as one of the first genuine example. To give an example of its prog credentials, Music/DreamTheater covered the album in its entirety.
132	* [[PunctuatedForEmphasis/{{Music}} Punctuated! For! Emphasis!]]:
133	** "Run! Fight! To leave! It's tough!"
134	** "RUN! TO! THE! HILLS! / RUN! FOR! YOUR! LI-I-IVES!"
135	* ProfessionalKiller: "Gangland" seems to be from the perspective of a mafia hitman that kills [[TragicVillain out of necessity rather than choice]].
136	-->''Face at the window leers into your own''
137	-->''But it's only your reflection, still you tremble in your bones''
138	-->''How long can you hide? How long 'till they come?''
139	-->''A rat in a trap, but you've got to survive''
140	* RockMeAsmodeus: Even with a name like "The Number of the Beast", the title track is an aversion.
141	* RunOrDie: "Invaders" sees the Saxons retreating from "the mighty Norsemen."
142	-->''You'd better scatter and run''
143	-->''The battle's lost and not won''
144	-->''You'd better get away''
145	-->''To fight another day''
146	* RecordProducer: Martin "Farmer" Birch, as was the standard for Maiden's albums from 1981-92
147	* SequelEpisode[=/=]SequelSong: "22 Acacia Avenue" is a DarkerAndEdgier continuation from "Charlotte the Harlot" (heard on ''Music/IronMaidenAlbum''). The character would get revisited in "[[ObligatoryBondageSong Hooks in You]]" (from 1990's ''No Prayer for the Dying'') and "[[AHellOfATime From Here To Eternity]]" (1992's ''Fear of the Dark'').
148	* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/IronMaiden References to this album are available here]].
149	** Steve Harris wears a T-shirt in the sleeve photos in this album with the following text: "NO! We are not an English rock band... we are dental floss salesmen from Montana!". This is a reference to "Montana" from Music/FrankZappa's ''Music/OverNiteSensation'' (1973).
150	* SpokenWordInMusic: The title track (quoted above) and the intro to "The Prisoner."
151	* {{Streetwalker}}: Charlotte in "22 Acacia Avenue" apparently only charges 15 quid, and will put out for free if you say you know a guy. It ends up being a bit like a heavy metal "[[Music/ThePolice Roxanne]]," with that narrator taking Charlotte in to protect her from her own downward spiral.
152	* TearsOfFear: The narrator of "Hallowed By Thy Name" wonders why he's crying, claiming to himself that he's NotAfraidToDie.
153	* ToTheTuneOf: "Children of the Damned" has been said to resemble Music/LynyrdSkynyrd's "Simple Man". Music/{{Metallica}} would later catch the same accusation with their song "The Unforgiven II."
154	* UpdatedRerelease: One in 1995 that added "Total Eclipse" (as detailed in CutSong in the Trivia tab) and a live performance in Italy of "Remember Tomorrow" from the Di'Anno era, with Dickinson on vocals (originally released on "The Number of the Beast" single). Later, there was a 1998 remaster that just had "Total Eclipse", but notably restored the album cover's blackened sky (seen above) in the background behind Eddie, which was turned blue in the original release due to a printing error. It also came with some touring notes and multiple archival photos in the booklet, along with the ability to play the music videos to "The Number of the Beast" and "Run to the Hills" on any system above Windows 95.
155	* VideoFullOfFilmClips: The videos for "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast" both have dozens of them, from multiple films (including ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' of all things, and a shot of ''The Crimson Ghost'', made famous by Music/TheMisfits).
156	* YouAreNumberSix: "The Prisoner" (taken [[Series/ThePrisoner1967 from the series]] [[FilkSong it was influenced by]]).

Context Music / TheNumberOfTheBeast