The Edge Of Darkness

Album: The X Factor (1995)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by lead singer Blaze Bayley, bassist Steve Harris and guitarist Janick Gers, this song was based on the move Apocalypse Now. The 1979 film takes place during the Vietnam War, and shows how ordinary men can compromise their beliefs in the face of atrocity. Both the movie and the song examine this conflict.
  • Like many Iron Maiden songs, this one doesn't have a standard chorus. In our interview with Blaze Bayley, he explained: "There's quite a few Iron Maiden songs that don't have conventional chorus or conventional fallouts, but they make sense as musical pieces. We call them 'songs' as a convenient name. That was a big part of the experience in Iron Maiden."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."