Iron Maiden - Kickerbocker Arena, Albany, New York, USA, Jan. 22, 1991, during the '' No Prayer On The Road Tour'' 1990-1991.
Tailgunner (Harris, Dickinson)
Bruce Dickinson:Vocals
Steve Harris:Bass
Janick Gers:Guitar
Dave Murray:Guitar
Nicko McBrain:Drums
[Lyrics]
Trace your way back 50 years
To the glow of Dresden blood and tears
In the black above by the cruel searchlight
Men will die men will fight yeah!
Who shot who and who fired first?
Dripping death to whet the bloodthirst
No radar lock on skin and bone
The bomber boys are going home
[Chorus]
Climb into the sky never wonder why Tailgunner, you're a Tailgunner
Climb into the sky never wonder why Tailgunner, you're a Tailgunner
Climb into the sky never wonder why Tailgunner, you're a Tailgunner
Climb into the sky never wonder why Tailgunner, you're a Tailgunner
Nail that Fokker kill that son
Gonna blow your guts out with my gun
The weather forecasts good for War
Cologne and Frankfurt? have some more!
Tail-end Charlie in the boiling sky
The Enola Gay was my last try
Now that this Tailgunner's gone
No more Bombers, just one big bomb
[Chorus]
...................
'Tailgunner' is a song from Iron Maiden's album ''No Prayer For The Dying'',released in 1990.
''In the Maiden tradition of war songs, 'Tailgunner' returns once again to the air war of WWII. Lyrically, the song is quite similar to 'Aces High', although it adds an element of subtle anti-war irony that 'Aces High' lacked.
Tailgunner
B-17G Rear Gunner by Geoff Pleasance.
No radar lock on skin and bone
The difference between air warfare during WWII and today's "push-button" combat is highlighted in this sentence. Those who fought in those days needed "guts" to do what they did. This does not diminish the courage of the airmen who fight today with the help of a more advanced technology, but it should make us realise the extent of self-sacrifice and boldness of those who contributed to end the atrocities of an evil regime.
''The Enola Gay was my last try''
The Enola Gay is the name of the bomber flown by Paul Tibbets that dropped an atomic bomb, lovingly nicknamed the "Little Boy", on Hiroshima, on 6th August 1945 (closely followed by another atomic bombing, this time performed by another B-29 called Bock's Car which dropped the "Fat Man" on Nagasaki on 9th August 1945). The name of the bomber derives from the inversion of the word "alone", associated with the pilot's mother's name, Gay (and has therefore nothing to do with male homosexuality as some misinformed people may think). Like the attack on Dresden, the unleashing of nuclear power on Japan was deemed an unnecessary massacre by some, while others consider that it was the only way to end the war. The "last tailgunner", Staff Sgt. George Caron, was the only crew member on board the Enola Gay to witness the explosion, whereas Tibbets only felt a tingling in his teeth, as the bomb's radioactive forces were interacting with his fillings.
On a concluding note, it would be useful to the few individuals who have suggested that 'Tailgunner' is actually not about war at all, but is instead a 'gay' song to re-read the lyrics, as well as this commentary. The lyrics are as clear and unambiguous as they can be, and there is just no way that they can be anything other than what they seem to be any other interpretation is pure fantasy. The song's title may come from a porn film, but that's about the only link to any sexual innuendo.''
'No Prayer for the Dying' is the eighth studio album by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the first album recorded following the departure of guitarist Adrian Smith who left the band during the pre-production phase of the album. Smith does have one co-writing credit on this album, for "Hooks in You", the third installment of the ongoing story of Charlotte the Harlot. The album ushered in a change of vocal style for Bruce Dickinson from the operatic sound of the '80s to a raspier way of singing.
'No Prayer for the Dying' also produced Maiden's only number one single to date, "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", originally written and recorded by Dickinson alone for the A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child movie soundtrack. The version that appears on No Prayer for the Dying was rerecorded by the band as a whole. "Holy Smoke" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" were released as singles, with the latter reaching the #1 position in the UK charts.
Adrian Smith was replaced by Janick Gers who had assisted Dickinson in the recording of his first solo-album, Tattooed Millionaire, and had also worked with Fish and Ian Gillan, among others.
Loading...
100 videos
YouTube Mix for Iron Maiden
4:08Iron Maiden - Tailgunner Live Donington 1992by maidenboots6663,759 views
AWESOME
maidenwildM 3 years ago