Running Free

Infobox Single
Name = Running Free

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Artist = Iron Maiden
from Album = Iron Maiden
B-side = 1980 single
"Burning Ambition"
1985 live single
"Sanctuary",
"Murders in the Rue Morgue (live)"

Released = 8 February 1980
September 13 1985
Format =
Recorded = January 1980 (Running Free); December 1979 (Burning Ambition - Produced by Guy Edwards as a 4-piece band just prior to hiring Dennis Stratton & Clive Burr)
Genre = Heavy metal
Length = 3:16
3:28
Label = EMI
Writer = Steve Harris
Paul Di'Anno
Producer =
Certification =
Chart position = 1980 single
*34 (UK charts)1985 live single
*19 (UK charts)
Last single =
This single = "Running Free"
(1980)
Next single = "Sanctuary"
(1980)
Misc = Extra chronology
Artist =
Background = yellow
Last album = "Aces High"
(1984)
This album = "Running Free (live)"
(1985)
Next album = "Run to the Hills (live)"
(1985) Extra album cover
Upper caption = 1985 live single
Background = yellow


Lower caption = 1985 live single cover "Running Free" was the first single released by Iron Maiden. It was released on the 8th of February 1980 on the 7" 45 rpm vinyl record format. It was written by Steve Harris and Paul Di'Anno. The song appears as the third track on the band's debut album "Iron Maiden".

The song is about a troubled 16-year-old boy who runs away on a pick up truck, ends up in a Los Angeles jail and picks up a woman from a bar. The song is known to be one of the band's more traditional rock numbers and is still played at Maiden gigs today with the band members individually named by the lead singer during the long bass-solo.

The single's cover art is also famously known as the first official appearance of the band's mascot Eddie. However in the cover-art his face is obscured because the band didn't want to unveil their mascot until the album's release. On the cover is a young metal-head resembling somewhat a young Bruce Dickinson. This should not be considered deliberate, as Dickinson had nothing to do with the band until some time after this. Also in the background, drawn on the wall, there are some band names such as AC/DC, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin and Scorpions, rock groups that may have been inspiring Iron Maiden at the time.

The B-side "Burning Ambition" is one of Harris' earliest compositions written around the time he was in Gypsy's Kiss. The guitar solo in this song is played by Dave Murray. It is the only commercially released recording by Maiden to feature the band's former drummer Doug Sampson (he was featured in Maiden's demo "Soundhouse Tapes") who was replaced by Clive Burr for the band's first album. The song has never been released on any album but was featured on the "Best of the B'Sides" in the "Eddie's Archive Boxset" as well as being featured as one of the background tunes on the "The Early Days" DVD documentary.

In 1985, a live version of the song was released as the first single from the album "Live After Death (Maiden's twelfth single).

The song was covered in 2008 by Year Long Disaster on the tribute CD "" released by "Kerrang!" magazine. [ [http://www2.kerrang.com/2008/06/maiden_heaven_track_listing_re.html Kerrang! Maiden Heaven Track Listing Revealed!] ]

Track listing

1980 single

# "Running Free" (Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris) - 3:16
# "Burning Ambition" (Harris) - 2:42

1985 live single

# "Running Free" (Paul Di'Anno, Steve Harris) – 3:28
# "Sanctuary (live)" (Iron Maiden) – 4:41
# "Murders In The Rue Morgue (live)" (Steve Harris)- 4:33

Credits

1980 single

*Paul Di'Anno - vocals
*Dave Murray - guitar
*Dennis Stratton - guitar & backing vocals on "Running Free" only
*Steve Harris - bass guitar & backing vocals
*Clive Burr - drums on "Running Free" only
*Doug Sampson - drums on "Burning Ambition" only

1985 live single

*Bruce Dickinson – vocals
*Dave Murray – guitar
*Adrian Smith – guitar, backing vocals
*Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals
*Nicko McBrain – drums

References