Iron Maiden Popular Song Rankings [2026]

ProwlerIron Maiden11rank/position

Iron Maiden – Prowler (Live At Ullevi, Sweden)

The opening track of their debut album, Iron Maiden, which helped ignite the NWOBHM music movement that emerged in the UK in the late 1970s.

Its intro—featuring palm-muted guitar riffs overlaid with wah-infused guitar phrases—left a striking impact that suggested the dawn of a new era.

Like progressive rock, the song’s complex structure with shifting rhythms and tempos contrasts with its catchy melodies, making it a hidden gem in the Iron Maiden catalog.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Running FreeIron Maiden12rank/position

Iron Maiden – Running Free [HD]

A track included on the first album Iron Maiden, released in 1980.

It starts with a shuffle-beat drum pattern, then layers in bass and guitar.

The intro builds anticipation for the song and gets you pumped even outside a live setting.

Compared to classic, orthodox metal numbers, it uses many simple phrases, but that makes the vocal melody stand out all the more, while still preserving the weighty feel of metal—a superb track.

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Hoshino Takashi

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The Number of the BeastIron Maiden13rank/position

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast (Official Video)

The title track from their third album, released in 1982, The Number of the Beast.

It opens with a narration quoting Revelation 13:18 from the New Testament, then launches into an unconventional, rhythm-shifting vocal entrance accompanied only by guitar, followed by a driving tempo—an encapsulation of Iron Maiden’s appeal.

The irregular time signatures scattered throughout the song build tension while the catchy melodies linger in your ears, showcasing the band’s ambition with their new vocalist and resulting in a highly polished track.

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Hoshino Takashi

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PurgatoryIron Maiden14rank/position

Iron Maiden – Purgatory

A track included on the second album, Killers, released in 1981.

It kicks off with a driving, fast-paced guitar riff and barrels forward with a brisk beat from start to finish.

Rather than relying heavily on the power-chord riffs common in many rock numbers, the guitars emphasize melodic phrases throughout, highlighting the vocal melody.

With technical yet catchy twin-lead guitar lines and a rhythm section whose beat defines the song’s character, it’s a number that showcases Iron Maiden’s signature pop sensibility.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Wasted YearsIron Maiden15rank/position

Iron Maiden – Wasted Years (Official Video)

A track from their sixth album, 1986’s Somewhere in Time.

It features spacious guitar riffs in the intro, interlude, and outro created with a delay effect that produces an echo, making it a bit different from a conventional, straight-ahead metal number.

But when those riffs are combined with catchy, high-register vocals, it becomes quintessential Iron Maiden.

It’s a song that showcases the depth and breadth of the metal genre, proving it’s not just about brute force.

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Hoshino Takashi

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