The Writing on the Wall (Iron Maiden song)
2021 single by Iron Maiden
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"The Writing on the Wall" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The song was released on 15 July 2021 alongside a music video,[1] and served as the lead single from their seventeenth studio album Senjutsu. It was also the band's first single since 2016's "Empire of the Clouds".[1][2]
| "The Writing on the Wall" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Iron Maiden | ||||
| from the album Senjutsu | ||||
| Released | 15 July 2021 | |||
| Recorded | Early 2019 | |||
| Studio | Guillaume Tell (Paris) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 6:13 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Kevin Shirley | |||
| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "The Writing on the Wall" on YouTube | ||||
It was elected by Loudwire as the 14th best metal song of 2021.[3]
Music video
The song's music video was directed by Nicos Livesey from BlinkInk, a London based animation studio, in collaboration with Bruce Dickinson and former Pixar executives and long-standing Maiden fans Mark Andrews and Andrew Gordon via weekly Zoom meetings.[4] The video is a story written by Dickinson, inspired by the biblical stories of Belshazzar's feast and Daniel, as well as other biblical references[5] featuring the band's mascot, Eddie, in various styles influenced by the artwork of previous albums.[6] The visual effects were provided by BlinkInk with fans of the band reaching out with storyboard ideas from across the globe.[7]
Personnel
Iron Maiden
- Bruce Dickinson – vocals
- Dave Murray – guitars
- Adrian Smith – guitars
- Janick Gers – guitars
- Steve Harris – bass
- Nicko McBrain – drums
Production
- Kevin Shirley – production, mixing
- Steve Harris – co-production
Charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[8] | 15 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[9] | 39 |
| US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] | 36 |