Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter

In 1989, while Iron Maiden were taking a break from touring, Zomba asked Dickinson to write a song for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Teaming up with former Gillan (and future Iron Maiden) guitarist Janick Gers, Dickinson recorded the song, which he claims he wrote "in about three minutes," and the project was expanded into an album, Tattooed Millionaire.{{cite book | author=Wall, Mick | title=Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.)| publisher=Sanctuary Publishing | year=2004 | isbn=1-86074-542-3 |page=281|author-link=Mick Wall}} Upon hearing the completed track, Steve Harris decided that it would be "great for Maiden" and convinced Dickinson not to put it on his solo album.

The original version of the song, which won a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Original Song" in 1989,{{cite web|url=http://www.razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=29|title=Golden Raspberry Archive- 1989|publisher=Golden Raspberry|access-date=24 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104201355/http://www.razzies.com/asp/content/XcNewsPlus.asp?cmd=view&articleid=29|archive-date=4 January 2016|url-status=dead}} is, according to Dickinson, "substantially different to the Iron Maiden version," explaining that "the arrangement is identical, but mine's kind of... slinky. Maiden's just really goes for it." Dickinson's original version was included on disc 2 of The Best of Bruce Dickinson in 2001.{{cite web| url = http://dmme.net/interviews/dickinson.html| title = Interview with Bruce Dickinson October 2001| publisher = dmme.net| access-date = 15 August 2011| date = October 2001| archive-date = 3 October 2015| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003231948/http://dmme.net/interviews/dickinson.html| url-status = dead}}

Bruce Dickinson said "We're going to release this as a single on Christmas Eve to scare the living daylights out of Cliff Richard". Due to not being officially released until the week of Christmas,{{cite web|first=Tim |last=Worstall |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2011/12/15/iron-maidens-daughter-slaughter-lesson-for-apples-itunes-app-store/ |title=Iron Maiden's Daughter Slaughter Lesson for Apple's iTunes App Store |work=Forbes |date=18 April 2012 |access-date=15 August 2012}} it went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart on 30 December 1990. This was in spite of a ban by the BBC,{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/qjqv | title = Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying | access-date = 24 September 2011|publisher=BBC Music|year=2007|last=Smith|first=Sid}} who refused to play the song on Radio 1 and showed at least 2 minutes of the live clip for Top of the Pops.{{cn|date=June 2021}}{{clarify|If it was on ToTP that's not "depite", that's "although on the other hand". What was on ToTP? Is "live clip" music video? Can we be more accurate than "at least two minutes"?|date=June 2021}} The B-side features cover versions of "I'm a Mover" (originally by Free) and Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown".

In addition to the standard 7" and 12" editions, the single was also released as a special edition 7" flip-top "brain pack" edition.{{cite web | url = http://www.discogs.com/Iron-Maiden-Bring-Your-Daughter-To-The-Slaughter-Brain-Pack/release/1287146 | title = Iron Maiden – 'Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter' (Brain Pack) | date = 1990 | access-date = 8 April 2012 | publisher = Discogs}}

The music video features scenes from the 1960 horror film The City of the Dead, directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and known as Horror Hotel in North America.[https://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3131900185/ City of the Dead trailer], IMDb

Like most songs from the No Prayer for the Dying album, "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" was rarely played live following the supporting tour, No Prayer on the Road. It returned to Iron Maiden's setlists for select dates in 1992, 1993 and 2003.

7-inch single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side One

| title1 = Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter

| length1 = 4:42

| writer1 = Bruce Dickinson

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side Two

| title2 = I'm a Mover

| note2 = Free Cover

| length2 = 3:26

| writer2 = Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers

}}

12-inch single

{{tracklist

| headline = Side One

| title1 = Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter

| length1 = 4:42

| writer1 = Dickinson

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side Two

| title2 = I'm a Mover

| note2 = Free Cover

| length2 = 3:26

| writer2 = Fraser, Rodgers

| title3 = Communication Breakdown

| note3 = Led Zeppelin Cover

| length3 = 2:42

| writer3 = Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones

}}

Production credits are adapted from the 7 inch vinyl,{{cite AV media notes |title="Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" 7 Inch Single|others=Iron Maiden |date=24 December 1990 |publisher=EMI }} and picture disc covers.{{cite AV media notes |title="Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" Picture Disc Single|others=Iron Maiden |date=24 December 1990 |publisher=EMI }}

Iron Maiden

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Janick Gers – lead guitar
• Dave Murray – rhythm guitar, rhythm and lead guitar on tracks 2 and 3
• Steve Harris – bass
• Nicko McBrain – drums

Production

• Martin Birch – producer, engineer, mixing
• Derek Riggs – cover illustrations
• Ross Halfin – photography

{{Reflist}}

{{IronMaiden}}

{{Bruce Dickinson}}

{{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Original Song}}

{{A Nightmare on Elm Street}}

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Category:1989 songs

Category:1990 singles

Category:A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise) music

Category:Bruce Dickinson songs

Category:EMI Records singles

Category:Iron Maiden songs

Category:Number-one singles in Finland

Category:Songs written by Bruce Dickinson

Category:UK singles chart number-one singles