Iron Maiden[HD] Flight Of Icarus Live 1983 Dortmund

"Flight of Icarus" is a 1983 song by Iron Maiden. It is the band's eighth single and the first from the album, Piece of Mind. It was the first single by Iron Maiden that was released in the United States. It was also one of the few Iron Maiden singles to receive much airplay in the U.S., peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart - The highest position of any Iron Maiden single in the US. In the UK, "Flight of Icarus" reached number eleven on the UK Singles Chart. This song was played frequently during the World Piece Tour and the World Slavery Tour, but has since been dropped from the band's setlists

The song is loosely based on the ancient Greek myth of Icarus who was imprisoned with his father Daedalus in the Labyrinth on Crete. In an attempt to escape, the pair fabricated wings from feathers and wax so they could fly away. Unfortunately Icarus, not heeding the advice of his father, flew too close to the Sun, melting the wax that held the feathers and thus fell to his death in the sea. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson admits that he had modified the original tale to make it an allegory of teenage rebellion against adult authority, which caused the death of Icarus in this case.

The single cover, in something of a parody of the original myth, portrays a winged Eddie killing Icarus with a flamethrower. Icarus resembles the figure in Evening: Fall of Day, by William Rimmer, which was used as a label logo by Led Zeppelin. The death of the figure on this single cover is a reference to Led Zeppelin's break-up a few years before.

Bassist Steve Harris feels that the studio version should have been played faster, so they play it faster live, claiming "This little extra touch gives it a bit more fire".

The first solo in "Flight of Icarus" is played by Dave Murray whilst the second solo is played by Adrian Smith. The ending solo is played by Dave Murray.

The song can also be found as a cover version on the tribute album Numbers from the Beast featuring Ripper Owens on vocals, Doug Aldrich on guitars, Jimmy Bain on bass, and Simon Wright on drums. This version follows the basic configuration of the original composition but departs in terms of the form of the guitar solo.