Song of the Day 2/3: Iron Maiden, “The Writing on the Wall”

Despite its reputation as an industry tool, the Rock Hall of Fame has snubbed lots of popular bands and artists. I don’t think any act on the outside has sold more records than Iron Maiden.

The band, formed in 1975 in East London, was part of the late-’70s new wave of British heavy metal that emerged as punk waned. Those bands didn’t get the critical respect of New Wave groups, but they sold more records — in Iron Maiden’s case, 130 million worldwide. “The Number of the Beast,” released in 1982, only reached No. 33 on the Billboard album chart, but it has sales of nearly 20 million worldwide.

Their next six LPs, from 1983’s “Piece of Mind” through 1992’s “Fear of the Dark,” made the Top 20 but couldn’t crack the Top 10. They charted much higher in the UK, where three of them made No. 1. The band’s fortunes declined after the departure of frontman Bruce Dickinson in the early ’90s, then revived after he returned in 1999.

The band has had an enduring third act: the double LP “Senjutsu,” released in 2021, hit No. 3 on the Billboard album chart. Critics loved it; some even said it sounded a bit like prog rock (power prog?). “The Writing on the Wall” was released as a single, with this video by Dickinson and a couple of ex-Pixar animators.

So they’ve sold a gazillion records, they’ve been around for decades and they’re critically acclaimed. If Iron Maiden isn’t in the Hall of Fame in May, somebody’s got some ‘splainin’ to do.