Rainmaker (Iron Maiden song)

"Rainmaker"
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album Dance of Death
B-side	"Dance of Death (orchestral version)" "More Tea Vicar"
Released	24 November 2003
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	3:48[1]
Label	EMI
Writer(s)	Dave Murray Steve Harris Bruce Dickinson
Producer(s)	Steve Harris Kevin Shirley
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"Wildest Dreams" (2003) "Rainmaker" (2003) "The Number of the Beast" (2005)
DVD cover

"Rainmaker" is the 37th single released by Iron Maiden. It is the second single from their 13th studio album Dance of Death.

Synopsis

The song was largely written by long-time guitarist Dave Murray. The lyrics were inspired by vocalist Bruce Dickinson's comment that the intro riff made him think of raindrops. The song has no connection with the 1995 novel written by John Grisham of the same name.

The guitar solo in "Rainmaker" is played by Dave Murray.

The cover is a still taken from the music video directed by Howard Greenhalgh. This single also contains a double-sided poster.

"More Tea Vicar" is a recording of a jam session (similar to "Pass the Jam") with Bruce Dickinson trying his hand at rapping, which is clearly a parody of the genre.

Track listing

CD single

1. "Rainmaker" (Dave Murray, Steve Harris, Bruce Dickinson) – 3:48
2. "Dance of Death (orchestral version)" (Janick Gers, Harris) – 8:37
3. "More Tea Vicar" (Dickinson, Gers, Harris, Nicko McBrain, Murray, Adrian Smith) – 4:37

Japanese CD

1. "Rainmaker" (Murray, Harris, Dickinson) – 3:48
2. "Dance of Death (orchestral version)" (Gers, Harris) – 8:37
3. "More Tea Vicar" (Dickinson, Gers, Harris, McBrain, Murray, Smith) – 4:37
4. "The Wicker Man (Live at Brixton Academy, London - 19–21 March 2002)" - 4:38
5. "Children of the Damned (Live at Brixton Academy, London - 19–21 March 2002)" - 5:02

Japanese CD Extras:

1. "Rainmaker" (Video) - 3:50
2. "Wildest Dreams" (Video) - 3:39

Pock iT! Mini CD

1. "Rainmaker" (Murray, Harris, Dickinson) – 3:48
2. "Dance of Death (orchestral version 2)" (Gers, Harris) – 8:37

7" Vinyl

1. "Rainmaker" (Murray, Harris, Dickinson) – 3:48
2. "Dance of Death (orchestral version)" (Gers, Harris) – 8:37

DVD

1. "Rainmaker" (video) (Murray, Harris, Dickinson) – 3:48
2. "The Wicker Man (Live at Brixton Academy, London - 19–21 March 2002)" (Smith, Harris, Dickinson) - 4:35
3. "Children of the Damned (Live at Brixton Academy, London - 19–21 March 2002)" (Harris) - 5:03
4. "Rainmaker Video – The Making Of"

Personnel

Production credits are adapted from the CD,^[1] DVD,^[2] and picture disc covers.^[3]

Iron Maiden

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Dave Murray – guitar
• Janick Gers – guitar
• Adrian Smith – guitar
• Steve Harris – bass guitar, co-producer
• Nicko McBrain – drums

Production

• Kevin Shirley – producer, engineer, mixing (except "The Wicker Man")
• Doug Hall – producer, mixing ("The Wicker Man")
• Howard Greenhalgh – music video director
• Lawrence Watson – photography

Chart performance

Chart (2003)	Peak position
French Singles Chart	71[4]
Finnish Singles Chart	3[5]
German Singles Chart	36[6]
Italian Singles Chart	13[7]
Swedish Singles Chart	35[8]
UK Singles Chart	13[9]
Chart (2004)	Peak position
Canadian Singles Chart	7[10]
Dutch Singles Chart	98[11]
Swiss Singles Chart	94[12]

References

1. "Rainmaker" CD Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 24 November 2003.
2. "Rainmaker" DVD Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 24 November 2003.
3. "Rainmaker" Picture Disc Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 24 November 2003.
4. "Discographie Iron Maiden". SNEP (in French). Lescharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
5. "Discography Iron Maiden". The Official Finnish Charts. Finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
6. "Iron Maiden Single-Chartverfolgung". Media Control Charts. Musicline.de. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
7. "Iron Maiden songs". FIMI. Italiancharts.com. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
8. "Iron Maiden". Sverigetopplistan. Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
9. "Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive 6 December 2003". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
10. "Iron Maiden- Billboard albums and singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
11. "Discography Iron Maiden" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
12. "Iron Maiden - 'Wildest Dreams'" (in German). Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved 27 August 2013.