1982 Rock Classic Was Partly Inspired by a Chilling Horror Movie-and It Shows

It'll likely come as no surprise to fans of Iron Maiden that the band's hit 1982 song, "Number of the Beast," off the album of the same name, had two spooky sources of inspiration.

Revolver reported that the bassist and songwriter of Iron Maiden, Steve Harris, revealed a dream regarding Damien -- Omen II, released in 1978, gave him the idea to write the intense lyrics in a 1983 interview. Harris was also quick to dispel rumors that "Number of the Beast" was promoting satanic worship.

"Basically that song is about a dream. It's not about Devil worship," said Harris.

Harris made similar comments about the origin of "Number of the Beasts" during a 2019 Rolling Stone interview. He said that the first Omen movie, released in 1976, and Robert Burns' spooky 1790 poem, "Tam o' Shanter," both served as inspiration.

"It was things like watching The Omen but it was more inspired by a poem [by Robert Burns] called 'Tam o' Shanter.' I've just always liked reading books and watching horror films," said Harris to the publication.

Vincent Price Could Have Been on the Track

In a 2017 interview with SiriusXM Volume, Iron Maiden's singer Bruce Dickinson revealed that he and his bandmates had wanted horror icon Vincent Price as the narrator for the beginning of "Number of the Beast." However, the band realized they couldn't afford the late actor, who died in 1993 at the age of 82, after they were told, "Mr. Price doesn't get out of bed for less than $10,000."

Dickinson said the band paid Barry Clayton, "an actor who used to read the ghost stories on the radio station in London," $300 to do "the intro voice" instead.

Bruce Dickinson Was Unhappy While Recording the 1982 Hit Song

During a behind-the-scenes interview for Classic Albums, Dickinson revealed he had some difficulty recording "Number of the Beast." According to Dickinson, producer Martin Birch made him record the song's "first four lines" over and over for "about four hours."

"I got so pissed off, I was throwing chairs around. I think at the end, I was like, 'What do you want?' And when he got the one that he wanted, he was like, 'Yeah, that's it.' And I was sort of like, 'Why? Why? I don't understand.' And now, I understand, a little bit better," said the British singer, now 67.

During the Classic Albums episode, Birch explained why he wanted the first four lines of the song to sound perfect.

"I wanted a certain atmosphere to be set up on those four lines," said the producer, who died in 2020.

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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 1:49 PM.