Holy Smoke by Iron Maiden

Album: No Prayer For The Dying (1990)

Charted: 3

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This song is about people who use things like religion, spirituality and church for personal gain, particularly those who exploit others through such means. The song is critical of those televangelists who use religion as a basis to convince people to give them money. While they claim to be doing God's work, the song notes that they are actually closer to the Devil.

"'Holy Smoke' was about Jerry Falwell and those kind of preachers who all turned out to have feet of clay," Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson told Songfacts.
Written by Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Steve Harris, this song apparently isn't just about shady televangelists blowing "holy smoke," but burning to death in a cloud of it. Dickinson explained: "I had this big image of all those ovens in the death camps with preachers' feet sticking out and holy smoke going up."
"Holy Smoke" is part of Iron Maiden's eighth album, No Prayer For The Dying. The song continued a run of five consecutive Top 10 hits in their native UK, even though the preachers targeted in the song are American. The next single, "Bring Your Daughter To the Slaughter," went to #1.

Comments: 6

Martin from Reading, United KingdomI loved the video - Dave Murray playing his solo, water up to his knees in a stream. A brilliant antidote to the ego guitarists video'd on top of a moutain! & the lyrics are very sharp & profound - this stuff simply had to be said at the time
Rock Lee from Hidden Leaves Village, Japan"I've lived in filth, I've lived in sin, and I still smell cleaner than the sh-t you're in". LOL I love that line!
Jaymz from Ayr, ScotlandI think it is about those TV Evangelists you get in America selling religion on TV and buying Cadillacs and other things with the cash that people send in. If you read the lyrics that's what it leads to.
Tadpole from Fayettville, Arthis is the only song i know of that Maiden uses profanity
Kiran from Shelton, Ctyea this is a good song on corrupt religous leaders
Ringgo from Montclair, CaThe video for this was pretty funny...i remember watching it once and couldnt help snickering at it. Cool song, by the way

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