Worksop, Nottinghamshire

Born in '58 by Bruce Dickinson

Born in a mining town in '58
When black and white TV was up to date
And men were still around
Who fought for freedom
Stood their ground and died
Some people care only about the music and not at all about the human beings behind it. If you are reading this, you're obviously not one of those who think that music can be severed from its origins. For us who are interested in what forces might have shaped the musical brilliance we enjoy today, Bruce Dickinson's song "Born in '58" is quite a treat. The song's deeply autobiographical lyrics reveal a few interesting details about Dickinson's childhood spent growing up in the blue-collar town of Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

Nottingham Railway Station<br>Photo: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nottingham_railway_station.jpg">David Ingham</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia CommonsNottingham Railway Station
Photo: David Ingham, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Legendary Iron Maiden front man Paul Bruce Dickinson can genuinely be said to be the most diversely talented heavy metal musician of all time. While many other metal front men can claim to be skilled singers and even songwriters, Dickinson can add internationally competing fencer, airline pilot, marketing director, broadcaster, satirical author, screenwriter and actor to his list of accomplishments. In 2009, the cultural magazine Intelligent Life described him as "a living example of a polymath." Despite receiving no formal voice training, Dickinson possesses a wide vocal range and is considered (along with Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford) to be one of the pioneers of the quasi-operatic singing style that would later come to define the power metal genre.

"Born in '58" is the third track on Tattooed Millionaire, Dickinson's first solo album. It was released in 1990, following his temporary departure from Iron Maiden. The song's lyrics refer to real people and events in Dickinson's childhood. We can all draw inspiration from stories of great success grown from the humblest of origins, and Dickinson's tale is just this. He really was – as the opening lyrics indicate – born on 7 August 1958 in the mining town of Worksop, Nottinghamshire.

The lyrics "My grandfather taught me how to fight, Old fashioned stuff like wrong and right, But all around I see his morals buried in a mess of money troubles" further refer to reality, as Dickinson was initially raised by his grandfather who was one of the local coal miners. The "money troubles" are probably a reference to the decline of the coal industry over the 20th century, where the closing of Worksop's mines in the 1980s left the town in a severe economic slump, accompanied by a soaring increase in unemployment, drug and alcohol addiction, and unprecedented heroin abuse.

Sherwood Forest<br>Photo: Immanuel GielSherwood Forest
Photo: Immanuel Giel
While Nottinghamshire is most famous for containing Sherwood Forest, headquarters of historical outlaw Robin Hood, the forest's northern edge gives way to Worksop. It is an incredibly ancient town; historical evidence for its existence predates the Norman conquest of England in 1066. In 1460 it played home to The Battle for Workshop, a small skirmish in the War of the Roses. Today Worksop is slowly beginning to convalesce from its painful economic blow, with large amounts of new housing projects increasing the number of jobs available to the population. The UK section of international food brand Oxo is produced exclusively in Worksop, which is helping to sustain the city on its slow road to economic recovery. Nevertheless, Worksop serves as a stark reminder of the dependence of humanity on economy and the consequences of market recessions on everyday people.

The so-called "invisible hand" of capitalism is supposed to regulate the economy to the best interest of the population, but too often a shifting money market can cost thousands their livelihood. Worksop was crippled by the uncontrolled decline of the coal industry, and much of the personal devastation may well have been prevented with just a little bit of planning. Of course, the plans would have to prioritize people over profit; and that means doing away with our pseudo-religious faith in the divine benevolence of unregulated Capital. This lack of concern for the consequences is but a symptom of a number of deeper problems that followed the blindingly fast globalization and urbanization of society over the last century. Dickinson at least is not indifferent to these issues, as the chorus indicates:

Justice and Liberty, you can buy but you don't get free
In a world of steel and glass, we bury our past


Stefan Smit
September 14, 2014

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