Fists of metal to the ready! For yes, you read correctly: Iron Maiden have a number one single.
Bring Your Daughter… To the Slaughter, by Iron Maiden (their 1st and only #1)
2 weeks, from 30th December 1990 – 13th January 1991
Though whether this is truly heavy metal, or just hard rock, is a valid question. It’s a straight-forward, riff driven song; distinctly Iron Maiden – few lead singers have as recognisable a voice as Bruce Dickinson – but stripped back, lacking the prog touches that many of their songs have. The opening chords are almost punk – short sharp jabs to the side of the face – before we settle into something more, well, silly.
I’ll be far from the first to point out that, for a genre so given to machismo, sweat and greasy hair; heavy metal can be quite camp. And there have been few camper moments in a #1 single than when Dickinson starts to purr: True love and lipstick on your linen, Bite the pillow, Make no sound… Oo-er! Unchain your back door… he then growls, presumably trying very hard not to giggle… Invite me around…
In fact, the entire record sounds like Iron Maiden put themselves under the control of a group of schoolboys for the day. Even the writers of ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ would have turned this down as too silly. But hell, it’s fun. The way Dickinson goes all operatic on the word ‘slaughter’, the middle-eight with demonic monks chanting, the shredding solo, and the sudden ending – I’m comin’ to get ya! – marking the point where the band clearly decided this nonsense had gone on long enough.
Even though ‘Bring Your Daughter…’ gave the genre its first ever chart-topper, it doesn’t have a lot of love in the heavy metal community. (One article I read online named the title line as the laziest rhyme in music history.) On the one hand it’s a bit of a sell-out for band that were capable of truly genre-defining rock. On the other, though, it is a unique moment in UK chart history. The list of hard rock #1s is short, and up for debate: ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Fire’, ‘Baby Jump’, ‘School’s Out’… and this? Plus, it knocked Cliff and his God-bothering ‘Saviour’s Day’ off number one, a fact that Maiden were well aware of when they promoted the single.
In fact, this may well be the first example of a very 21st century phenomenon: the chart campaign. Most of these will come much later, fuelled by the democracy of the download era, with a little help from social media, in which any song from any band, any genre, any time, can chart if bought in sufficient quantities, often for a cause (charitable, or just to be obnoxious). It’ll give us some interesting moments as we go along on our journey. Back in 1990 though, the internet was a strange, new thing that most people had never actually experienced, and so Maiden had to rely on word of mouth, a ban from the ever-willing BBC, and the publicity of whacking Cliff Richard out the way.
They also had the sense to release it on the quietest week of the year – the one after the Christmas rush – and so it entered at #1 with fairly low sales. In fact, one source names ‘Bring Your Daughter…’ as the lowest-selling #1 of all time, with total sales of around 100,000. It’s an old article, though, and that figure was probably beaten in the mid-00s sales slump. (It’s definitely been beaten by now, if you don’t count streams as ‘proper’ sales.) Iron Maiden, though, were no strangers to the top end of the singles chart by late 1990: this was their sixth consecutive Top 10 hit, and one of seventeen in total.
Anyway, who cares if it barely sold, if the BBC didn’t play it, and if it’s a bit crap? It’s heavy metal, at number one. The anonymous dance tracks, movie soundtrack monster hits and boy-band preeners will be back soon enough. Until then, raise those fists once more, and pray for mercy from the Gods of rock.
The UK Number Ones Blog 
It was like Lordi winning Eurovision a few years ago. This is not exactly the greatest hard rock single ever, but you were glad they defied expectations and pulled it off. EMI’s two most bankable acts of the time, at more or less opposite ends of the spectrum, musically (and perhaps spiritually?), following each other at the top. Also I was thinking the other day that AC/DC, who are probably of similar stature in that genre, seem to have entered the mainstream a little more as far as radio airplay goes in the UK, yet Maiden had far more Top 10 singles (partly shrewd marketing, perhaps). But ‘Highway to Hell’ crops up every now and then, and ‘Rock’n’Roll Train’ was a Radio 2 record of the week when it came out. How often do you hear a Bruce Dickinson & Co single if it’s not on a ‘genuine rock show’? C’mon Stuart, AC/DC (or perhaps Guns’n’Roses), ‘Never had a No. 1’?
I always forget how big Guns N’ Roses were in the late 80s/early 90s both in the US and worldwide (and how big they still are). I had no idea Guns N’ Roses were popular in the UK, but looking at the UK singles chart, wow they had 12 Top 10 hits. AC/DC only ever had one Top 10 hit. That’s extremely impressive for GnR, given they weren’t around for that long as a proper band. And their Greatest Hits is 7x Platinum in the UK too. I think that’s actually more than Def Leppard’s – a British hard rock band – total album sales in the UK combined.
And astonishingly, that AC/DC hit was ‘Highway to Hell’ (not surprising in itself as it is one of their best – and the subject of an awesome Springsteen cover on stage), many years after its first appearance when it crawled to No. 56 – a carefully-orchestrated entry at No. 4 in the days of streaming, then a mighty crash to No. 87 the following week.
Yeah GnR came pretty close to #1 on a couple of occasions. They were huge, every bit as a big as in the US.
I am going to do a series of ‘Never Had a Number 1’s soon, based on acts that have had the most Top 10 hits without making the top. And the record holder is a rock band… Though in comparison to AC/DC and GnR the ‘rock’ should be in inverted commas…
Is it Bon Jovi? I read somewhere they had like 18 Top 10 songs in the UK yet missed the No. 1 spot. I know in the 90s and 2000s Bon Jovi were much bigger in Europe/UK than in the States.
It is indeed. 18 Top 10s without a number one is the record, I beliee.
I haven’t been keeping score, but it may be significant that we start talking about hard rock, heavy metal etc. and you have what must be approaching a record number of comments for one of your posts! We are all closet headbangers, methinks.
Haha indeed! I think it’s the novelty of it, perhaps, rather than any closet headbanging. And I think the next few number ones are also ‘weird’ enough to maintain everyone’s interest…
I’ll take this over the last two! From Vanilla Ice to Cliff to Iron Maiden…what a transition! That is a bit like the seventies as far as variety. I would expect Status Quo but never thought Iron Maiden would have had top 10 hits…they are not exactly a singles band! He can sing about anything.
Classic as I remember reading about this back at the time and it thought it was awesome that being a non singles band Maiden scores a Number 1 song… Check out Gers solo on this one Max …great stuff
I’m shocked dude….I never knew as he said…they had quite a few top ten hits. That is no disrespect to them…I just never thought of them as a top 10 band. They had the best of both worlds.
I liked this a lot…it’s catchy.
esp the chorus…lol I have to be careful walking around my house singing it lol
LOL…yea in your household you would become a target.
they would change it to Bring Our Father to the Slaughter lol
With a quickness!
You missed your chance deKE…. if you would have bet me 100 bucks that they had a number 1…NO just…a top ten hit…I would have taken that bet.
Their singles always did well in England. Over here it was watching the videos on MTV and MuchMusic which of course I watched intently lol
I would kill for his voice…well no I wouldn’t kill…but you know what I mean. I had no clue man.
I would kill for his bank account lol
It encapsulates and just revels in how sill heavy metal can be… They really don’t take themselves too seriously, Iron Maiden, and that’s a good thing!
Absolutely. Not a classic single, and took advantage of very low sales to get there, but definitely enough to enjoy. Rock and roll getting to No 1 is always enjoyable! In the UK, Iron Maiden have a dedicated fanbase who made sure they were consistent visitors to the Top 10 in the 80s and 90s…
I’m still shoocked….over here they would not be played on radio really.
Rating: 4.5/5
Hell to the freaking yeah! Finally, some goddamn metal at No. 1. Hail Satan! Unfournately, I think the next metal song to top the charts is good old Fred Durst’s band with their rap metal “classic” “Rollin'”. No way the BBC was playing Iron Maiden’s song on the radio – it got to No. 1 purely on sales. This is such a silly song, but I love this type of ridiculousness in my heavy rock. Iron Maiden have better in their catalogue, but as a standalone song, it rocks.
Not bad. I never got into Iron Maiden. This tune has kind of a catchy chorus and the guitar action is pretty cool. I still find it remarkable this was a number 1.