"Running Free" is the debut single by

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

, released on 8 February 1980 on the 7" 45 rpm vinyl record format. It was written by Steve Harris and

Paul Di'Anno Paul Andrews (17 May 1958 – 21 October 2024), better known by his stage name Paul Di'Anno, was an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal singer who was the lead vocalist for Iron Maiden from 1978 to 1981. In his post-Maiden career, Di'Anno ...

. The song appears as the third track on the band's debut album ''

'' (and the fourth track on its 1998 re-release). In 1985, a live version of the song was released as the first single from '' Live After Death'' (the band's twelfth single). In 1990, the original single was reissued on CD and 12" vinyl as part of '' The First Ten Years'' box, in which it was combined with the band's next single, "

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

". The 1985 live single was also released as part of this box set, combined with 1985's " Run to the Hills".

Background

According to vocalist

, who wrote the song's lyrics, it is "a very autobiographical song, though of course I've never spent the night in an LA jail. It's about being 16 and, like it says, just running wild and running free. It comes from my days as a skinhead." The song is one of the band's more traditional rock numbers, which Mick Wall describes as "Iron Maiden at their punk-metal apotheosis," and is still performed live to this day. The single's cover art is famously known as the first official appearance of Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie, although his face is obscured as the band did not want him unveiled until the album's release. Several band names (such as

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

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AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

) are spray painted on the wall behind the youth in the picture, as well as the word "Hammers", a tribute to

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

, and "Vambo" which refers to The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. The B-side "Burning Ambition", recorded in November 1979 at Wessex Studios with producer Guy Edwards as a 4-piece band just prior to hiring Dennis Stratton & Clive Burr, is one of Harris' earliest compositions written around the time he was in Gypsy's Kiss. It is one of the few recordings to feature Doug Sampson on drums, and the only one released by the band (demo versions of "Wrathchild" and "Sanctuary" with Sampson on drums were released on the NWOBHM compilation album ''Metal for Muthas''). The guitar solo in this song is played by Dave Murray. The song did not appear on an album until it was included in the '' Best of the 'B' Sides'' compilation, released as part of the '' Eddie's Archive'' Boxset, and was featured in the soundtrack of '' The History of Iron Maiden – Part 1: The Early Days'' DVD documentary. As an accident, the German and French pressings of the "Running Free" 7" contain the Running Free track from the Wessex Studio sessions with Doug Sampson on drums and only Dave Murray on guitar. That same version of "Running Free" also appeared on early pressings of the Axe Attack compilation album. Iron Maiden's first single in Japan featured "Prowler" as the A-side and "Running Free" as the B-side. The cover used was the censored version of the "Sanctuary" single.

Track listing

;1980 7" UK single ;7" Japanese single ;1985 7" Live single ;1985 12" Live single

Personnel

1980 single

Production credits are adapted from the 7-inch vinyl cover, and '' The First Ten Years'' CD re-release liner notes. *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

* Dave Murray –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

* Dennis Stratton – guitar &

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

on "Running Free" only * Steve Harris –

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

& backing vocals *

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1956 – 12 March 2013) was an English musician. He was the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the r ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

on "Running Free" only * Doug Sampson – drums on "Burning Ambition" only (And Running Free on the German and French pressings) ;Production *

Wil Malone Wil Malone (born Peter Wilson, 29 July 1942, Hornsey, North London) is a British music producer and arranger, who has worked with artists including The Who, Rick Wakeman, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Todd Rundgren, The Verve, Massive Attack, Dep ...

– producer *Gary Edwards – producer ("Burning Ambition") *

Derek Riggs Derek Riggs (born 13 February 1958) is a contemporary British artist best known for creating the band Iron Maiden's mascot, "Eddie (mascot), Eddie". Career Born in Portsmouth, England, Riggs is a self-taught artist, both in his traditional pai ...

– cover illustration * Ross Halfin –

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

1985 live single

Production credits are adapted from the 12-inch vinyl cover. ;Iron Maiden *

Bruce Dickinson Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Dickinson has performed in the band across two stints, from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to the present d ...

– vocals *Dave Murray – guitar * Adrian Smith – guitar, backing vocals *Steve Harris – bass guitar, backing vocals * Nicko McBrain – drums ;Production * Martin Birch – producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

, mixing *Ross Halfin – photography

Chart performance

Running Free

Running Free (live)

Running Free /
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

Running Free (Live) / Run to the Hills (Live)

Notes

References

{{Authority control Iron Maiden songs 1980 debut singles 1985 singles Songs written by Steve Harris (musician) 1980 songs EMI Records singles