Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter

"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"
Song by Bruce Dickinson from the album A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Released	August 1989
Recorded	1989
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	4:57
Label	Jive Records
Writer(s)	Bruce Dickinson
Producer(s)	Chris Tsangarides[1]
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child track listing
"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (1) "Heaven in the Back Seat" (2)

"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album No Prayer for the Dying
B-side	"I'm a Mover" "Communication Breakdown"
Released	24 December 1990
Recorded	Summer 1990
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	4:42[2]
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	Bruce Dickinson
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"Holy Smoke" (1990) "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (1990) "Be Quick or Be Dead" (1992)
Alternate cover

"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" is the second single from No Prayer for the Dying, Iron Maiden's first full-length album in over two years (following the 1988 release Seventh Son of a Seventh Son).^[3]

The song was originally recorded and released by Bruce Dickinson for the soundtrack to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child,^[4][5] but Steve Harris liked it so Iron Maiden rerecorded it.^[3] It is the only UK No. 1 single for the band to date,^[6] in spite of the fact that it received very little airplay on the BBC.

Background

In 1989, while Iron Maiden were taking a break from touring, Zomba asked Dickinson to write a song for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.^[5] Teaming up with former Gillan (and future Iron Maiden) guitarist Janick Gers, Dickinson recorded the song, which he claims he wrote "in about three minutes," and the project was expanded into an album, Tattooed Millionaire.^[7] Upon hearing the completed track, Steve Harris decided that it would be "great for Maiden" and convinced Dickinson not to put it on his solo album.^[3]

The original version of the song, which won a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Original Song" in 1989,^[8] is, according to Dickinson, "substantially different to the Iron Maiden version," explaining that "the arrangement is identical, but mine's kind of... slinky. Maiden's just really goes for it."^[3] Dickinson's original version was included on disc 2 of The Best of Bruce Dickinson in 2001.^[9]

Bruce Dickinson said "We're going to release this as a single on Christmas Eve to scare the living daylights out of Cliff Richard". This led to the song competing with Cliff Richard's "Saviour's Day" for the 1990 Christmas No. 1, but due to not being officially released until the week after Christmas,^[10] went straight to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 30 December 1990.^[11] This was in spite of a ban by the BBC,^[12] who refused to play the song on Radio 1 and only showed a 90-second live clip for Top of the Pops.^[6] The B-side features cover versions of "I'm a Mover" (originally by Free) and Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown".

In addition to the standard 7" and 12" editions, the single was also released as a special edition 7" flip-top "brain pack" edition.^[13]

The video clip features footage from The City of the Dead/Horror Hotel^[14] (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960).

Like most songs from the No Prayer for the Dying album, "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" was rarely played live following the supporting tour, No Prayer on the Road, with the band only performing it on selected dates in 1992, 1993 and 2003.

Track listing

UK single

1. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" (Bruce Dickinson) – 4:42 (7" & 12")
2. "I'm a Mover" (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers; Free cover) – 3:26 (7" & 12")
3. "Communication Breakdown" (Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones; Led Zeppelin cover) – 2:42 (12")

Personnel

Production credits are adapted from the 7 inch vinyl,^[2] and picture disc covers.^[15]

Iron Maiden

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Janick Gers – lead guitar
• Dave Murray – rhythm guitar, rhythm and lead guitar on tracks 2 and 3
• Steve Harris – bass guitar
• Nicko McBrain – drums

Production

• Martin Birch – producer, engineer, mixing
• Derek Riggs – cover illustrations
• Ross Halfin – photography

Versions

Songs	Country & Year	Catalog Number	Format
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover	Australia 1990	EMI 2552-7	Single 7"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover	EEC 1990	EMI 204171 7	Single 7"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover	UK 1990	EMI EMS 171	Single 7"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	EEC 1990	EMI 060 20 4171 6	Maxi Single 12"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	UK 1990	EMI 12 EMP 171	Maxi Single 12"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover	UK 1990	EMI EMPD 171	Picture Disc 7"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	UK 1990	EMI 12 EMPD 171	Picture Disc 12"
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	Netherlands 1990	EMI CDEM 171	CD Single
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	Japan Promo 1990	EMI TOCP-6572	CD Single
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	Japan 1990	EMI TOCP-6572	CD Single
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	UK 1990	EMI EMS 171	CD Single
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover/Communication Breakdown	USA Promo 1990	EMI Epic ESK 4007	CD Single
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter/I'm a Mover	UK 1990	EMI TCEM 171	Cassette Single

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	1[11]
Chart (1991)	Peak position
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	1[16]
Ireland (IRMA)	6[17]
Swiss Singles Chart	19[18]
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	1[19]

References

1. "Various – A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (Music From The New Line Cinema Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Discogs. Zink Media, Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2014.
2. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" 7 Inch Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 24 December 1990.
3. Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 282. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
4. "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (Soundtrack)". Nightmare on Elm Street Films. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
5. Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 275. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
6. Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 286. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
7. Wall, Mick (2004). Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, the Authorised Biography (3rd ed.). Sanctuary Publishing. p. 281. ISBN 1-86074-542-3.
8. "Golden Raspberry Archive- 1989". Golden Raspberry. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
9. "Interview with Bruce Dickinson October 2001". dmme.net. October 2001. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
10. Worstall, Tim (18 April 2012). "Iron Maiden's Daughter Slaughter Lesson for Apple's iTunes App Store". Forbes. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
11. "Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 30 December 1990 — 5 January 1991". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
12. Smith, Sid (2007). "Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying". BBC Music. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
13. "Iron Maiden – 'Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter' (Brain Pack)". Discogs. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
14. City of the Dead trailer, IMDb
15. "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" Picture Disc Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 24 December 1990.
16. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
17. "Irish singles archive". IRMA. irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
18. "Iron Maiden - 'Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter". Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
19. "UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 6 January 1991 - 12 January 1991". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2015.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics