The Trooper. Iron Maiden
[media=https://youtu.be/X4bgXH3sJ2Q]
[quote]I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred![/quote]
Songs that don't include the title in any of their lyrics have a certain mystique. I don't know why but it is what it is. This song was literally written about the Charge of the Light Brigade and it sounds like it.
Iron Maiden, was formed at the end of the 70s when British metal was an endangered species. Punk was taking over. Three cord riffs, amateur musicianship and the 'no future; zeitgeist was taking over. A band formed seemingly out of time, Iron Maiden incorporated the urgency, speed and nihilism of punk with their superb musicianship to craft a unique sound. A bunch of middle-class guys who could play their instruments well, had no political message, chased the money and had epic rock stylings was never going to be cool but they crafted a unique sound combining the speed of punk with the stylings of Black Sabbath.
'The Trooper' was a song based on the poem above. It critiques and also glories in the follies and chaos of war. The Charge of the Light Brigade itself happened in the Crimea, during the Battle of Balaclava. The conflict included the British and other nations trying (messily but successfully) to stop the rising Russian empire from taking advantage of the disintegrating Ottoman hold on Eastern Europe.
The Charge of the Light Brigade happened when terrible miscommunication between officers led a cavalry unit to run across a valley in full range of Russian canons and got massacred. The Alfred Lord Tenison Poem captures the tragedy perfectly of young men sacrificing their lives in a ridiculous war. Brave and noble suicide for no reason. Epic bravely, terrible cost. The song encapsulates this perfectly.
[quote]I
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
II
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
III
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
IV
Flashed all their sabres bare,
Flashed as they turned in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wondered.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right through the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reeled from the sabre stroke
Shattered and sundered.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
V
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell.
They that had fought so well
Came through the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
VI
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred![/quote]
Songs that don't include the title in any of their lyrics have a certain mystique. I don't know why but it is what it is. This song was literally written about the Charge of the Light Brigade and it sounds like it.
Iron Maiden, was formed at the end of the 70s when British metal was an endangered species. Punk was taking over. Three cord riffs, amateur musicianship and the 'no future; zeitgeist was taking over. A band formed seemingly out of time, Iron Maiden incorporated the urgency, speed and nihilism of punk with their superb musicianship to craft a unique sound. A bunch of middle-class guys who could play their instruments well, had no political message, chased the money and had epic rock stylings was never going to be cool but they crafted a unique sound combining the speed of punk with the stylings of Black Sabbath.
'The Trooper' was a song based on the poem above. It critiques and also glories in the follies and chaos of war. The Charge of the Light Brigade itself happened in the Crimea, during the Battle of Balaclava. The conflict included the British and other nations trying (messily but successfully) to stop the rising Russian empire from taking advantage of the disintegrating Ottoman hold on Eastern Europe.
The Charge of the Light Brigade happened when terrible miscommunication between officers led a cavalry unit to run across a valley in full range of Russian canons and got massacred. The Alfred Lord Tenison Poem captures the tragedy perfectly of young men sacrificing their lives in a ridiculous war. Brave and noble suicide for no reason. Epic bravely, terrible cost. The song encapsulates this perfectly.
41-45, M
