Songfacts®:

• This story of Viking invasion is set in 9th century Eastern England. Frontman Justin Hawkins told Billboard magazine: "'Barbarian' features not one but two dramatic monologues, a guitar solo that has been declared 'irresponsible', a riff that weakens lady-knees and a chorus that makes grown men s--t directly into their pants."
  
  "The lyrics describe the Viking invasion of East Anglia which culminated in the decapitation of Edmund the Martyr. So yeah, classic Darkness."
• In 870 the Vikings defeated the king of East Anglia, Saint Edmund at an unidentified place known as Haegelisdun. He was taken captive by them, tied to a tree and when he refused to deny his Christian faith or surrender his kingdom, the English monarch was martyred.
  
  Saint Edmund's shrine became one of the most famous in Europe and for a time he was the official Patron Saint of England.
• "Barbarian" serves as the lead single from the band's fourth album, Last of Our Kind. It was released on the same day as the announcement for the album was made.
• This was the first song that Justin Hawkins penned for Last of Our Kind. He told About.com: "It was written in Ibiza actually, the Spanish island. I really think that set the tone for the album."
  
  "It's funny because as soon as I did it I thought it was the greatest thing ever," Hawkins added. "Not everybody agreed with me. So I really had to fight to get it included; second of all, to open the album; and definitely, third of all, to be the teaser track which had the video made for it."
• Guitarist Dan Hawkins commented to Classic Rock magazine: "It's become one of those riffs already that's just - it's f--king mental. It's a bit like Indiana Jones in the fight. You think it's gonna be a knife fight, and then it explodes."