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Can I Play with Madness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Can I Play with Madness" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Iron Maiden | ||
| from the album Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | ||
| B-side(s) | "Black Bart Blues" "Massacre" |
|
| Released | 20 March 1988 | |
| Format | Vinyl record Picture disc (cut-to-shape) |
|
| Recorded | 1987 | |
| Genre | Heavy metal | |
| Length | 3:30 | |
| Label | EMI | |
| Writer(s) | Adrian Smith Bruce Dickinson Steve Harris |
|
| Chart positions | ||
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| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||
| Stranger in a Strange Land (1986) |
Can I Play with Madness (1988) |
The Evil That Men Do (1988) |
"Can I Play with Madness" was the sixteenth single released by Iron Maiden. Released in 1988, "Can I Play with Madness" is the first single from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. The single hit number 3 in the UK charts. The song is about a young man who wants to learn the future from an old prophet with a crystal ball. The young man thinks he is going mad and seeks the old prophet to help him cope with his visions/nightmares. The prophet's advice is ignored by the young man and they each become angry with the other. The song was originally a ballad named "By the wings of eagle" which Iron Maiden improved.
The b-side "Black Bart Blues" is about the suit of armour that rode in the back lounge of Iron Maiden's tourbuses (named Black Bart). Bruce Dickinson tells that he, his bandmates and their tour manager were driving in a Ford Thunderbird through Florida in 1983, when they passed a gas station with three suits of armour standing outside. So Bruce stopped the car and went to buy one of the three suits of armour that were on sale.
"Massacre" is a cover of the Thin Lizzy song that comes from their Johnny the Fox album.
The guitar solos in "Can I Play With Madness" and "Massacre" are played by Adrian Smith.
The video of the song features Graham Chapman, this would be his last ever appearance on television as he was dying of throat cancer.
- "Can I Play with Madness" (Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris) 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" (Harris, Dickinson) 6:41
- "Massacre" (Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Downey) 2:54 - Thin Lizzy cover
- Bruce Dickinson vocals
- Dave Murray guitar
- Adrian Smith guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Harris bass guitar, backing vocals
- Nicko McBrain drums