Released 4 October 1993 Recorded 1993 | Format Picture disc Genre Heavy metal | |
B-side "The Trooper (Live)"
"Wasted Years (Live)"
"Wrathchild (Live)" Length 7:26 (Live single version)
7:12 (Album version) | ||
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" is a song written by Steve Harris for the 1982 Iron Maiden album The Number of The Beast. It has been acclaimed as one of the greatest heavy metal songs of all time.
Contents
The 1993 live single is taken from the 1993 album A Real Dead One. The song was recorded at Moscow's Olympic Arena on 4 June 1993 during the Real Live Tour. Recordings from the same tour and its predecessor, 1992's Fear of the Dark Tour, made up the single's B-sides. It is the band's last single to feature vocalist Bruce Dickinson until 2000's "The Wicker Man".
Synopsis
"Hallowed Be Thy Name" has remained in almost all of the band's set-lists since the album's recording, the only exception being the Maiden England World Tour 2012–14. Allmusic describes it as "perhaps the most celebrated of the band's extended epics; it's the tale of a prisoner about to be hanged, featuring some of Harris' most philosophical lyrics." Several band-members have since stated that it is one of their favourite tracks, with Bruce Dickinson describing it as "fantastic" and that performing it live is like "narrating a movie to the audience."
It is one of the most covered songs in Iron Maiden's catalogue, with versions released by artists such as Dream Theater, Machine Head, Cradle of Filth and Iced Earth. Iron Maiden also recorded the song as part of Channel Four's 2007 television series, Live from Abbey Road, while a version recorded for BBC Radio 1 in 2005 was used as a B-side on the "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" single.
The song's title is a line from the Lord's Prayer.
UK 7" red vinyl
- "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live - Olympic Arena, Moscow 4 June 1993) (Steve Harris) – 7:26
- "Wrathchild" (live - Laugardalshöll, Reykjavik 5 June 1992) (Harris) – 2:55
UK 12" picture disc
- "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live - Olympic Arena, Moscow 4 June 1993) (Harris) – 7:26
- "The Trooper" (live - Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland 27 August 1992) (Harris) – 3:53
- "Wasted Years" (live - Stadthalle, Bremen, Germany 16 April 1993) (Adrian Smith) – 4:42
CD Maxi single
- "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (live - Olympic Arena, Moscow 4 June 1993) (Harris) – 7:26
- "The Trooper" (live - Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland 27 August 1992) (Harris) – 3:53
- "Wasted Years" (live - Stadthalle, Bremen, Germany 16 April 1993) (Smith) – 4:42
- "Wrathchild" (live - Helsinki Ice Hall, Finland 27 August 1992) (Harris) – 2:56