The wicker man

The song was recorded in 1999-2000 during the recording of the album.

The content of the song is inspired by the 1973 film “The Wicker Man” , which in turn refers to the Celtic rite The Wicker Man , in which a person was burned as a sacrifice in a cage of woven rods.

This is the first song written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson after their reunion in the group. Smith invented the guitar riff, it seemed to Dickinson alive and he began to sketch a melody for the riff. Steve Harris contributed to the song as a small hymn-like vocal at the end of the song.

Lyrics written by Dickinson. According to him, it is inspired by free associations. The feeling that one day something good will happen to you, and when that day comes, do not shy away from it - the general meaning of the song is reflected in the words of the refrain “Your time will come”.

The guitar solo in the song was performed by Adrian Smith.

The single was released in May 2000 in three versions: CD , Limited CD and twelve-inch vinyl.

The radio version of the song differs from the version recorded on the disc, both in duration and in the alternation of the lines played (for example, the song begins with a refrain in which one repetition of Your time will come is replaced by Thy will be done (from the English - “Yes Thy will ")). This record is now considered very rare.

In 2001, the song was nominated for a Grammy , but lost to Deftones' Elite song

Depending on the format of the single, side “B” was different.

Standard CD Version

• The Wicker Man , 4:35
• Futureal (live), 2:58, recorded during the Ed Hunter Tour on September 15, 1999 in Helsinki , the first performance of the song by Bruce Dickinson;
• Man on the Edge (live), 4:37, recorded during the Ed Hunter Tour on September 23, 1999 in Milan , performed by Bruce Dickinson;
• The Wicker Man (video), 4:35, video clip, shot by Dean Carr, author of Marilyn Manson's music videos

Limited CD Version

Double single:

Disc 1

• The Wicker Man , 4:35
• Man on the Edge (live), 4:37, September 23, 1999, Milan
• Powerslave (live), 7:11, recorded during the Ed Hunter Tour on September 23, 1999 in Barcelona
• The Wicker Man (video), 4:35

Disc 2

• The Wicker Man , 4:35
• Futureal (live), 2:58 a.m. September 15, 1999, Helsinki
• Killers (live), 4:28, recorded during the Ed Hunter Tour on September 10, 1999 in Rotterdam
• Futureal (live video), 2:58, video of the same song in Helsinki .

12 ”pictured LP

Party A

• The Wicker Man , 4:35

Side B

• Powerslave (live), 7:11 a.m., September 23, 1999, Barcelona
• Killers (live), 4:28, September 10, 1999, Rotterdam

The design of the envelope also depended on the release format.

On the standard-issue envelope, a photograph was used of a team uniting with Bruce Dickinson holding a torch in the foreground and the silhouette of a “wicker man” in the background. A bead coaster was attached to the disk, on one side of which was a drawing from the limited edition of the single, and on the other a traditional stylized yellow-black image of Eddie , which has been used for a long time on the band's official website. ^[2]

On a 12 ”pictured LP inner envelope was a drawing of Mark Wilkinson (designed envelopes like Judas Priest’s Ram It Down and Painkiller ), after the works of Derek Riggs were rejected (this was the group’s last attempt to work with Riggs up to work over the movie Iron Maiden: Flight 666 ). The image depicts Eddie in the image of a burning wicker man rising above the crowd. On the reverse side was part of the same drawing. The full picture and the history of the work here (English)

The envelope of the first disc of the limited edition of the single was the same as the usual one. The second disc was in a box without design: Wilkinson's work was designed the disc itself. The limited edition included posters.

• Bruce Dickinson - vocals
• Steve Harris - bass, keyboards
• Janick Gers - guitar
• Adrian Smith - Guitar
• Dave Murray - Guitar
• Nico McBrain - Drums