Wildest Dreams (Iron Maiden song)

"Wildest Dreams"
Single by Iron Maiden
from the album Dance of Death
B-side	"Pass the Jam" "Blood Brothers" (orchestral mix)
Released	1 September 2003 (2003-09-01)[1]
Recorded	2003
Studio	Sarm West (London)
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	3:49[2]
Label	EMI
Songwriter(s)	Adrian Smith Steve Harris
Producer(s)	Kevin Shirley
Iron Maiden singles chronology
"Run to the Hills (Live in 2001)" (2002) "Wildest Dreams" (2003) "Rainmaker" (2003)
DVD cover

"Wildest Dreams" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released on 1 September 2003 as the lead single from their 13th studio album, Dance of Death (2003). It was written by guitarist Adrian Smith and bassist Steve Harris, and produced by Kevin Shirley.

Production

The band began performing the song in concert before the album was released. The single also includes an improvisational jam from the Dance of Death sessions. The song was again played on The Final Frontier World Tour.

The music video is an animated short, where the band members drive around a desolate planet and into the mouth of Eddie (as depicted on the CD single cover).^[3]

The guitar solo in "Wildest Dreams" is played by Adrian Smith.

It is also unique in the release of a DVD single^[4] at the same time as the CD single,^[5] the first time this was done by the band.

The single was released as a 7" Green Vinyl Limited Edition^[6] with two tracks; A CD maxi-single with three tracks^[7] on it; Then for the first time a DVD version of the title track as a single^[8] which also had a behind the scenes.

Track listing

CD single

1. "Wildest Dreams" (Adrian Smith, Steve Harris) – 3:49
2. "Pass the Jam" (Bruce Dickinson, Janick Gers, Harris, Nicko McBrain, Dave Murray, Smith) – 8:20
3. "Blood Brothers" (Orchestral Mix) (Harris) - 7:10

7" Green Vinyl

1. A1 - "Wildest Dreams" (Smith, Harris) – 3:49
2. B2 - "Pass the Jam" (Dickinson, Gers, Harris, McBrain, Murray, Smith) – 8:20

DVD single

1. "Wildest Dreams" (promo video) (Smith, Harris) – 3:49
2. "The Nomad" (rock mix) (Murray, Harris) - 9:01
3. "Blood Brothers" (rock mix) (Harris) - 7:10
4. "Dance of Death – Behind the Scenes" (video) - 2:00

Japanese CD single

1. "Wildest Dreams" (promo video) (Smith, Harris) – 3:49
2. "Pass the Jam" (Dickinson, Gers, Harris, McBrain, Murray, Smith) - 8:20
3. "Blood Brothers" (rock mix) (Harris) - 7:10
4. "Blood Brothers" (orchestral Mix) (Harris) - 7:10

Personnel

Production credits are adapted from the CD,^[2] DVD,^[9] and picture disc covers.^[10]

Iron Maiden

• Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals
• Dave Murray – guitar
• Janick Gers – guitar
• Adrian Smith – guitar
• Steve Harris – bass guitar, co-producer
• Nicko McBrain – drums

Production

• Kevin Shirley – producer, mixing
• Howard Greenhalgh – music video director

Chart performance

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Wildest Dreams" Chart (2003) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 65 Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[12] 26 Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 9 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[14] 1 France (SNEP)[15] 57 Germany (GfK)[16] 27 Hungary (Single Top 40)[17] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 19 Italy (FIMI)[19] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 45 Norway (VG-lista)[21] 5 Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22] 2 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 68 UK Singles (OCC)[25] 6

References

1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 30 August 2003. p. 23. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
2. "Wildest Dreams" CD Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 1 September 2003.
3. Iron Maiden - "Wildest Dreams" on YouTube
4. "DVD". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
5. "CD". Retrieved 10 April 2012.
6. "Green Vinyl 7". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
7. "CD Maxi Single". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
8. "DVD Single". Discogs. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
9. "Wildest Dreams" DVD Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 1 September 2003.
10. "Wildest Dreams" Picture Disc Single (Media notes). Iron Maiden. EMI. 1 September 2003.
11. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
12. "Iron Maiden- Billboard albums and singles". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
13. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams". Tracklisten. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
14. "Iron Maiden: Wildest Dreams" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
15. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
16. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
18. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Wildest Dreams". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
19. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
20. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
21. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams". VG-lista. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
22. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
23. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
24. "Iron Maiden – Wildest Dreams". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 June 2022.