Holy Smoke

Album: No Prayer For The Dying (1990)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is about people who use things like religion, spirituality and church for personal gain, particularly those who exploit others through such means. The song is critical of those televangelists who use religion as a basis to convince people to give them money. While they claim to be doing God's work, the song notes that they are actually closer to the Devil.

    "'Holy Smoke' was about Jerry Falwell and those kind of preachers who all turned out to have feet of clay," Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson told Songfacts.
  • Written by Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Steve Harris, this song apparently isn't just about shady televangelists blowing "holy smoke," but burning to death in a cloud of it. Dickinson explained: "I had this big image of all those ovens in the death camps with preachers' feet sticking out and holy smoke going up."
  • "Holy Smoke" is part of Iron Maiden's eighth album, No Prayer For The Dying. The song continued a run of five consecutive Top 10 hits in their native UK, even though the preachers targeted in the song are American. The next single, "Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter," went to #1.

Comments: 6

  • Martin from Reading, United KingdomI loved the video - Dave Murray playing his solo, water up to his knees in a stream. A brilliant antidote to the ego guitarists video'd on top of a moutain! & the lyrics are very sharp & profound - this stuff simply had to be said at the time
  • Rock Lee from Hidden Leaves Village, Japan"I've lived in filth, I've lived in sin, and I still smell cleaner than the sh-t you're in". LOL I love that line!
  • Jaymz from Ayr, ScotlandI think it is about those TV Evangelists you get in America selling religion on TV and buying Cadillacs and other things with the cash that people send in. If you read the lyrics that's what it leads to.
  • Tadpole from Fayettville, Arthis is the only song i know of that Maiden uses profanity
  • Kiran from Shelton, Ctyea this is a good song on corrupt religous leaders
  • Ringgo from Montclair, CaThe video for this was pretty funny...i remember watching it once and couldnt help snickering at it. Cool song, by the way
see more comments

Editor's Picks

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Spooner Oldham

Spooner OldhamSongwriter Interviews

His keyboard work helped define the Muscle Shoals sound and make him an integral part of many Neil Young recordings. Spooner is also an accomplished songwriter, whose hits include "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry Like A Baby."