Killers

Album: Killers (1981)
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Songfacts®:

  • The title track to Iron Maiden's second album, "Killers" was written by group leader Steve Harris and their lead singer Paul Di'Anno, who was replaced by Bruce Dickinson for their next album.

    In a Songfacts interview with Di'Anno, he explained: "It was about a psychotic killer, what he's thinking about while he's doing it."

    This is in line with early Iron Maiden; their debut album has songs like "Prowler" and "Iron Maiden" that deal with some unsavory characters.
  • The band performed this song at the Rainbow Theatre in London on December 21, 1980 during a show that would be released as the Live at the Rainbow home video. The band hadn't yet recorded the song, and Di'Anno hadn't written lyrics for it, but Harris was adamant about performing it, which made Di'Anno come up with some words in a hurry.

    "I had a rough idea, but I made up the words as we went along - live on stage, in front of all those bloody people," he told us. "They're different to how they are on the album."

Comments: 1

  • Dean from Aurora ColoradoIn the beginning, gods created the beast that will soon light the planet on fire...
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