Man on the Edge
| "Man on the Edge" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Iron Maiden | ||||
| from the album The X Factor | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 25 September 1995 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:19 | |||
| Label | EMI[1] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Blaze Bayley Janick Gers[2] | |||
| Iron Maiden singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| CD 2 cover | ||||
| Picture Disc | ||||
"Man on the Edge" is a single from the Iron Maiden album The X Factor released in 1995. The song is based on the film Falling Down, starring Michael Douglas. It was the first single the band released with Blaze Bayley on vocals.
Synopsis
In addition to an interview with Bayley and another track from The X Factor, the single features three originals that did not make the album's final cut. It is one of two Blaze Bayley era songs to make it onto the Edward the Great compilation, along with "Futureal", as well as one of three to make it onto Best of the Beast along with "Sign of the Cross" and "Virus".
Iron Maiden frequently played this song during the Ed Hunter tour in 1999, making it one of 5 Bayley era songs to survive in concerts after his departure (The others being "Lord of the Flies", "Sign of the Cross", "Futureal", and "The Clansman").
A live version of this song from 1999 is featured on the 2000 single release of "The Wicker Man" and on the compilation From Fear to Eternity from 2011, with Bruce Dickinson on vocals.
There were three videos made for this song. One is filmed on location at Masada, Israel, the second is a more cinematic video of the band performing as a man throws himself off a building, and the third is a 'sneak-peek' promo video consisting only of clips of 'pratfalls' from black and white silent movies was used for promotional purposes prior to release. This third version appears as an 'Easter Egg' on the 'Visions of the Beast' DVD.
The song was featured in the video game Carmageddon 2.
On the cover of CD 1 Eddie's brain has been cut in half, though on CD 2 he still has his brain attached. The 12" Picture Disc was the same as CD 1 though because it moved within the sleeve it could look very different, very much like an "X" in the right position.
Track listing
- CD Single 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" | Blaze Bayley, Janick Gers | 4:19 |
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" | Steve Harris, Bayley, Gers | 6:40 |
| 3. | "Judgement Day" | Bayley, Gers | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Blaze Bayley Interview - Part. I" | 5:41 |
- CD Single 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" | Bayley, Gers | 4:19 |
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" | Harris, Bayley, Gers | 6:40 |
| 3. | "Justice of the Peace" | Dave Murray, Harris | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Blaze Bayley Interview - Part. II" | 5:55 |
- 12" Single
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Man on the Edge" | Bayley, Gers |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | "The Edge of Darkness" | Harris, Bayley, Gers | 6:40 |
| 3. | "I Live My Way" | Harris, Bayley, Gers | 3:48 |
Personnel
Production credits are adapted from the CD,[3][4] and picture disc covers.[5]
- Iron Maiden
- Blaze Bayley – lead vocals
- Dave Murray – guitar
- Janick Gers – guitar
- Steve Harris – bass guitar, producer, mixing
- Nicko McBrain – drums
- Production
- Nigel Green – producer, mixing
- Ronal Whelan – mastering
Chart performance
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1[6] |
| French Singles Chart | 33[7] |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 18[8] |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 23[9] |
| UK Singles Chart | 10[10] |
Cover versions
- Middle Island, NY metal band Iron Rainbow recorded a cover of Man on the Edge that was featured on the 1998 Metal Injection (A Lethal Dose of Heavy Metal Mayhem) compilation album.
References
- ^ "Man on the Edge". Amazon.com.
- ^ "The X Fator". Iron Maiden Official Website. Archived from the original on January 2, 2012.
- ^ "Man on the Edge" CD One (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 September 1995.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Man on the Edge" CD Two (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 September 1995.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Man on the Edge" Picture Disc Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 25 September 1995.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Iron Maiden Discography". The Official Finnish Charts. Finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Discographie Iron Maiden". SNEP (in French). Lescharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Iron Maiden discography". VG-lista. norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Iron Maiden discography". Sverigetopplistan. swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 7 October 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
