Can I Play with Madness
Encyclopedia
"Can I Play with Madness" was the sixteenth single released by Iron Maiden
. Released in 1988, it is the first single from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
album and hit number 3 in the UK charts. The song is about a young man who wants to learn the future from an old prophet with a crystal ball
. The young man thinks he is going mad and seeks the old prophet to help him cope with his visions/nightmares. The prophet's advice is ignored by the young man and they become angry with each other. The song was originally a ballad named "On the Wings of Eagles", written by Adrian Smith
.
The song's guitar solo is played by Adrian Smith.
and features Graham Chapman
; this would be one of his last appearances on television before his death in October 1989 of cancer. In the video, Chapman plays an irritable art instructor who criticizes a young student for drawing Iron Maiden mascot Eddie rather than sketching the abbey ruins. The teacher discovers an underground lab and finally encounters an animated version of Eddie, who leers and reaches out to him from inside a refrigerator. The band appears on a TV screen showing live footage of a concert. Adrian Smith is shown playing left-handed, suggesting a reversed image.
tells that he, his bandmates and their tour manager were driving in a Ford Thunderbird
through Florida
in 1983, when they passed a gas station with three suits of armour standing outside. So Bruce stopped the car and went to buy one of the three suits of armour that were on sale. The song's lyrics detail a rather infamous story in which a girl stumbled onto the band's tour bus and struck a deal with one of the band members that she'd give them oral sex in exchange for alcohol.
"Massacre" is a cover of the Thin Lizzy
song that comes from their Johnny the Fox
album. The song's subject, the Charge of the Light Brigade
, was also the subject of an earlier Iron Maiden song, "The Trooper
".
in advertisements for their line of HD
-compatible television sets and DVD players. It is also used by Sony in the UK in the bumpers for their sponsorship of ITV's Formula One coverage.
The song also featured in the UK version of Now That's What I Call Music 12 in 1988.
A live version of this (The one from the DVD as performed in Mexico) was used as background music for the TV trailer of the Flight 666 movie.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
. Released in 1988, it is the first single from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 1988 by EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US...
album and hit number 3 in the UK charts. The song is about a young man who wants to learn the future from an old prophet with a crystal ball
Crystal ball
A crystal ball is a crystal or glass ball believed by some people to aid in the performance of clairvoyance. It is sometimes known as a shew stone...
. The young man thinks he is going mad and seeks the old prophet to help him cope with his visions/nightmares. The prophet's advice is ignored by the young man and they become angry with each other. The song was originally a ballad named "On the Wings of Eagles", written by Adrian Smith
Adrian Smith
Adrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
.
The song's guitar solo is played by Adrian Smith.
Music video
The video of the song was set at Tintern AbbeyTintern Abbey
Tintern Abbey was founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, on 9 May 1131. It is situated in the village of Tintern, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, which forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was only the second Cistercian...
and features Graham Chapman
Graham Chapman
Graham Arthur Chapman was a British comedian, physician, writer, actor, and one of the six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe.-Early life and education:...
; this would be one of his last appearances on television before his death in October 1989 of cancer. In the video, Chapman plays an irritable art instructor who criticizes a young student for drawing Iron Maiden mascot Eddie rather than sketching the abbey ruins. The teacher discovers an underground lab and finally encounters an animated version of Eddie, who leers and reaches out to him from inside a refrigerator. The band appears on a TV screen showing live footage of a concert. Adrian Smith is shown playing left-handed, suggesting a reversed image.
7" single
- Australia: EMI 2071
- Canada: Capitol B-44154
- EEC: EMI 006 20 2459 7
- France: EMI 2024597
- Ireland: EMI EM 49
- Italy: EMI 2024597
- Spain: EMI 006 20 2459 7
- UK: EMI EM 49, with black, white or silver labels, copies marked with a red sticker included a free transfer.
- USA: Capitol P-B-44154 (Promo), Capitol B-44154
- "Can I Play with Madness" (Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
, Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
) – 3:30 - "Black Bart Blues" (Harris, Dickinson) – 6:41
- Japan: EMI PRP-1278 (Promo)
- "Can I Play with Madness"
- "ProwlerPROWLERPROWLER was a mid-1980s experimental robot mobile sentry gun device.The name was an acronym standing for "Programmable Robot Observer With Logical Enemy Response" ;...
'88"
- Mexico: EMI SEC-550 (Promo)
- "Can I Play with Madness"
- "The Evil That Men DoThe Evil That Men Do (song)"The Evil That Men Do" was released in 1988 by Iron Maiden. It is the band's seventeenth single and the second from their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. The single debuted at number six in the UK charts and quickly rose to number five...
"
12" Maxi Single
- Argentina: EMI 6075
- Australia: EMI ED 341
- France: EMI K 060 20 2460 6
- Greece: EMI 052 2024606
- EEC: EMI 20 2460 6
- Italy: EMI 14 2024606
- Portugal: EMI 20 2460 6
- Spain: EMI 052 20 2460 6
- UK: EMI 12EM 49, with black or white labels
- "Can I Play with Madness" – 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" – 6:41
- "Massacre" (Phil LynottPhil LynottPhilip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
, Scott GorhamScott GorhamScott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who rose to international recognition as one of the "twin lead guitarists" of the Irish-formed rock band, Thin Lizzy...
, Brian DowneyBrian Downey (drummer)Brian Michael Downey is an Irish drummer.Downey is the drummer and a founding member of the rock band Thin Lizzy, and a friend from childhood of co-founder and frontman Phil Lynott. Along with Lynott, Downey was the only constant member of the pioneering hard rock group until their break-up in...
) – 2:54
Shaped picture disc
- UK: EMI EMP 49
- USA: Capitol V-15375
- "Can I Play with Madness" – 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" – 6:41
- "Massacre" – 2:54
3" CD Single
- Japan: EMI XP10-2009
- "Can I Play with Madness" – 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" – 6:41
CD Single
- UK: EMI CDEM 49
- USA: Capitol B-44154
- "Can I Play with Madness" – 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" – 6:41
- "Massacre" – 2:54
Cassette Single
- Argentina: EMI 16075 "Puedo Jugar con la Locura"
- "Can I Play with Madness" – 3:30
- "Black Bart Blues" – 6:41
- "Massacre" – 2:54
Cassette Single
- USA: Capitol 4XPRO-79325 (Promo)
- "Can I Play With Madness" (Looped 3x)
B-sides
"Black Bart Blues" is about the suit of armour that rode in the back lounge of Iron Maiden's tour buses (named Black Bart). Bruce DickinsonBruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
tells that he, his bandmates and their tour manager were driving in a Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
through Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1983, when they passed a gas station with three suits of armour standing outside. So Bruce stopped the car and went to buy one of the three suits of armour that were on sale. The song's lyrics detail a rather infamous story in which a girl stumbled onto the band's tour bus and struck a deal with one of the band members that she'd give them oral sex in exchange for alcohol.
"Massacre" is a cover of the Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
song that comes from their Johnny the Fox
Johnny the Fox
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated that Johnny the Fox fell short in comparison to the previous album, Jailbreak, suggesting that the album veers towards "an odd, half-baked concept album", despite showing the same strengths as its predecessor, i.e. Lynott's lyrics and the group's musical...
album. The song's subject, the Charge of the Light Brigade
Charge of the Light Brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade was a charge of British cavalry led by Lord Cardigan against Russian forces during the Battle of Balaclava on 25 October 1854 in the Crimean War. The charge was the result of a miscommunication in such a way that the brigade attempted a much more difficult objective...
, was also the subject of an earlier Iron Maiden song, "The Trooper
The Trooper
"The Trooper" is a song written by Iron Maiden bass player Steve Harris. It is Iron Maiden's ninth single, and the second from their 1983 album Piece of Mind. The single was released on 20 June 1983...
".
Other uses
The song was used by SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
in advertisements for their line of HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
-compatible television sets and DVD players. It is also used by Sony in the UK in the bumpers for their sponsorship of ITV's Formula One coverage.
The song also featured in the UK version of Now That's What I Call Music 12 in 1988.
A live version of this (The one from the DVD as performed in Mexico) was used as background music for the TV trailer of the Flight 666 movie.
Chart performance
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Can I Play With Madness Can I Play with Madness "Can I Play with Madness" was the sixteenth single released by Iron Maiden. Released in 1988, it is the first single from the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album and hit number 3 in the UK charts. The song is about a young man who wants to learn the future from an old prophet with a crystal ball... " |
Dutch Singles Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
6 | Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is the seventh studio album by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released in 1988 by EMI in Europe and its sister label Capitol Records in the US... |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
23 | |||
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
3 | |||
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 | |||
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
12 | |||
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
23 | |||
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
3 | |||
| 1990 | "Can I Play With Madness / The Evil That Men Do The Evil That Men Do (song) "The Evil That Men Do" was released in 1988 by Iron Maiden. It is the band's seventeenth single and the second from their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album. The single debuted at number six in the UK charts and quickly rose to number five... " |
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... Re-release of all four singles as part of "The First Ten Years The First Ten Years The First Ten Years is a series of 10 CDs and double 12" singles by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released between 24 February and 28 April 1990, in commemoration of the band's ten year recording anniversary.... " box set. Exceeded the length limit of the UK Singles chart. |
10 | — |
Personnel
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
- lead vocals - Dave MurrayDave Murray (musician)David Michael Murray is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as one of the earliest members of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden.-Biography:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Adrian SmithAdrian SmithAdrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English musician and one of three guitarists in the heavy metal band, Iron Maiden. He is also one of the band's regular songwriters and, along with bassist Steve Harris, performs backing vocals on some songs.-Biography:While at school, Smith purchased his first...
- guitar, backing vocals, guitar solos in "Can I Play With Madness" and "Massacre" - Steve HarrisSteve Harris (musician)Stephen Percy "Steve" Harris is an English musician and songwriter, known as the bassist, occasional keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, backing vocals - Nicko McBrainNicko McBrainMichael Henry "Nicko" McBrain is an English musician, best known as the drummer for Iron Maiden, which he joined in 1982, prior to which he had played for Streetwalkers, Pat Travers, and the French political band, Trust.-Biography:...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....